Maybe there's no right way to write but...

Writing is an exercise in thinking, feeling and communicating ideas to others. It is a necessary tool for all professions and a door that we may open to unexpected opportunities. As in all human endeavors, the best way to improve is to practice. It is also essential to read, observe, ask and seek answers to essential questions. Here are some helful hints.

 

1.   Simplicity. Think of simplicity as beauty, a sentence as a structure designed to express an idea as clearly as possible. After you write a sentence ask yourself if it includes any unnecessary words or phrases. Can you strip your sentence of long words, adverbs that carry the same meaning as the verb, vague passive verb constructions, unneeded links, phases that add nothing to the idea?

2.   Avoid Clutter. Clutter is too many things in the wrong place, clichés, such as: “personal friend” (why personal?), or “experiencing pain” (pain is pain so why do you have to experience it?) Help the reader: cut out words as a gardener cuts out weeds.

3.   Style. Sooner or later everyone develops a style. But style appears after first working on the basics. And then trying again and again. You build a house with beams, then bricks, then plaster and you finally decorate it to fit your taste.

4.   The Audience. Remember that you are writing for someone. Who is he or she? What essential information do they know? What data do they need to follow you line of reasoning? Are they scientists, technicians, teachers, friends, people in other countries?

5.   Words. Words, words, words, says Hamlet. Words are the tools of writers. Learn to love them. Develop your own word lists. Use dictionaries and other word sources regularly. Avoid clichés, awkward phrases. Pay attention to the sound and shape of words.

6.   Unity. Writing involves problem solving. The reader wants to know how the writer solves the problem he/she is dealing with. Decide what tense to use and be consistent with that choice. The first person or the third person? Formal or informal (never use slang or contractions in formal writing). What mood do I want to establish. How should I address my reader. What point do I want to make?

7.   Lead and Ending. A good lead—the first sentence or paragraph—is an invitation for the reader to continue. If it is drab and uninteresting he/she well very likely look elsewhere. Make your lead precise while at the same time exciting. Think of what you write as a symphony—it has an introduction, a development and a conclusion that seems to return you to the beginning.

8.   Research. Before writing you should gather the information you need. Nobody can write about something they know nothing about. What information do you need? Where can you find it? Once you have the data you need, ask yourself what order you should give your piece. The placing of information is related to your thinking, to the logic of your presentation. If you are writing creatively—a short story, a letter, a poem—you need to play with your ideas. Who are your characters? Where does the action take place? What is the plot? How is the situation resolved? What language do you need? Remember also that whenever possible you should check over, revise and rewrite as many times as necessary.