Get the Right Writer

I love to talk and I have a lot to say about a lot of things. I think I make a lot of sense and I know a lot of stuff. I am a great teacher and my writing is readable, compelling, entertaining, and valuable. I love to teach people new things and, oh yeah, did I mention that I love to talk? Well, I live alone and writing gives me the opportunity to "talk" to the world right from my little corner of the world.

The main reason I'm writing this article is that I love to write!! I like nothing better than sitting at my computer typing away while ideas and thoughts spill from my brain through my fingertips onto the computer screen (now that is surely a miracle of modern technology).

I've been writing all my adult life but, until recently, I didn't realize how much I enjoyed it. I don't remember liking it when I was a kid; I know I hated themes for High School English and term papers in college. But somewhere along the line, I developed a real love for transforming my thoughts into the written word.

I think when it happened was when I went to seminary (The University of the South, School of Theology, Sewanee, TN) in 1981 to study for the ordained ministry. I remember thinking if I could just do the three years without writing Theology papers or sermons, I'd be fine. After 3 years, an A in Homiletics (that's the sermons) and an A+ in Theology, I decided I had found my true love. I still dreaded the papers and the Big Daddy of them all - General Ordination Exams - but when I really got into them, the words just rolled out and before I knew it, I was finished. Then I'd read it, and think "Wow, this is good." Sermons were definitely my biggest fear but I had a great teacher. Miss Edna Evans was the Homiletics professor and she taught us stuff that still rings in my head and my heart today:

1. Before you even start, PRAY.

2. Then read the text you're preaching about over and over again, making notes of ideas and thoughts that might "preach."

3. Write the theme or main thought of the sermon in one sentence. Keep it in front of you.

4. As you write the sermon, make sure that everything you write in some way "touches" your one sentence. If it doesn't relate - throw it out. If you can not make it fit - throw it out. If it fits, keep it until you finish, make sure it fits and if it doesn't - throw it out. The result will be a sermon that is a single thought, fleshed out, illustrated, and illuminated for the benefit of the people in your pews. If it doesn't do that - throw it out!

5. Test every sentence to be sure it relates to the sentence before it and that it leads up to the sentence after it. If the relation is tenuous, consider throwing one of them out; if you love them both, find a transition that connects the two without making the hearer think, "Huh?" Transitions are the links in the chain you are creating; without them it isn't a chain; with weak ones, the chain will fall apart; but with strong ones, the whole thing will hang together and you will bring your hearers along gently and naturally until they reach the end of the journey, where they should find your bottom line - your one sentence that you started with, re-formed into a powerful thought that will be memorable and meaningful for all who hear it.
6. When you're finished writing, read it over and over, watching for all the places that should be connected to each other and to the whole. If there is no connection or a sloppy one or a concocted one, keep working until you get it right.

7. When you're satisfied, read it again.

8. Practice, practice, practice. If you have the gift, memorize it and speak it naturally without notes. If you're an "ad libber," memorize it or learn the main points and deliver it from your notes. If you can't stay on topic, if you can't remember the points in the order they belong, or if you give in easily to temptations to embellish and add to your concise, well-written text, type it in manuscript form and USE IT. If you need a manuscript, be mature enough to admit it and just do it. You'll be a better preacher if you stick to your style and what you're good at doing. Don't try to be something you're not; trust me, your people will know a fake when they see one.

These are the best nuggets of preaching wisdom Edna Evans gave us and they made me an outstanding preacher (no brag, just fact).

If you're not a preacher, these guidelines still apply to whatever you're writing. Even if you're not a religious person, you can still adapt these to work for you. Here they are in a more generic form:

1. Before you even start, FOCUS.

2. If you're writing about a text, like a book review, read what you are reviewing and then read it again. If you're writing about ideas and thoughts of your own, make notes over a few days time.

3. Write the theme or the main thought of your piece in one sentence. Keep it in front of you.

4. As you write, make sure that everything you write in some way "touches" your one sentence. If it doesn't relate - throw it out. If you can make it fit - throw it out. If it fits, keep it until you finish, make sure it fits and if it doesn't - throw it out. The result will be a writing that is a single thought, fleshed out, illustrated, and illuminated for the benefit of your readers. If it doesn't do that - throw it out!

5. Test every sentence to be sure it relates to the sentence before it and that it leads up to the sentence after it. If the relation is tenuous, consider throwing one of them out; if you love them both, find a transition that connects the two without making the reader think, "Huh?" Transitions are the links in the chain you are creating; without them it isn't a chain; with weak ones, the chain will fall apart; but with strong ones, the whole thing will hang together and you will bring your readers along gently and naturally until they reach the end of the journey, where they should find your bottom line - your one sentence that you started with, re-formed into a powerful thought that will be memorable and meaningful for all who read it.
6. When you're finished writing, read it over and over, watching for all the places that should be connected to each other and to the whole. If there is no connection or a sloppy one or a concocted one, keep working until you get it right or throw it out!
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7. When you're satisfied, read it again.

8. If what you have written is to be read aloud or given as a speech, see the advice for preaching above. If what you have written is to be read from a book, on a website, or even in a letter, keep reading it until you are satisfied that it is grammatically correct, that it hangs together and doesn't leave the reader out in left field somewhere, and that it accomplishes the purpose for which you wrote it. Make any last corrections and then - read it again!

As a preacher, I'm completely comfortable comparing writing an article to preaching a sermon. Both of them are ways of getting across your point/opinion/idea/whatever. Both of them are meant to be persuasive and both of them should be passionate. Both of them should respect the hearer/reader enough to present quality writing with correct grammar and in an attractive and coherent format. Both of them must contain ideas and thoughts that speak to each other, connect to each other, inform each other, sometimes contradict others, and above all, lead the hearer/reader along the journey you are providing to the final spot, where hopefully, there will be a heartfelt, "WOW!"

I hope it's the fact that I love to write, I love people, and I have lots of interesting things to share with the world.

http://www.gettherightwriter.com