The Paragraph 02/15/2012
 
Sentences are the building blocks of a paragraph, and each paragraph works with the others in a novel, an article, or any copy to tell the story you’ve chosen to write. Treat each sentence as a vital part of your creation, and every paragraph will come alive.

•  Read each paragraph aloud and “listen” for the hiccup you will feel if the logic is amiss.

•  Don’t use pronouns without a clear antecedent.

•  Don’t let your sentence structure minimize important points.

•  Eliminate wordiness: repeated words/phrases, long-winded phrases, vague expressions.

•  Use active verbs whenever possible.

•  If a list will achieve greater clarity, then use one.

•  Check for smooth transitions or segues from one paragraph to the next. Don’t leave the reader wondering what they missed!

©2010 Dannye WIlliamsen
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The comma is a signal to the reader that the words or phrases associated with the comma are being set off for a reason. Although you may find when reading aloud that you do indeed pause for a breath where commas appear in text, this is not its purpose. There has to be an acceptable reason for using a comma.

A comma provides clarity. It signals the reader when to slow or pause in anticipation of new information. It sets off elements in a sentence that provide contrast, separates a series of items, identifies nonessential elements, and introduces or completes a quotation. Incredibly, these are only some of the ways in which the efficacious comma is used.  

Unfortunately, there seems to be an unwritten rule about the comma that results in its being overused: when in doubt, use a comma.
  • Many writers chop up their sentences with so many commas that it would have been better just to leave them out altogether.
  • When commas take the place of the period, it results in a comma splice. Running sentences together, loosely connected with commas, is lazy writing.
Assuming that most of us know the correct way to use a comma with lists, quotations, and compound sentences, my suggestion for all other occasions is to use this unwritten rule: when in doubt, leave the comma out. Another solution for your doubt is to rework your sentence so that the questionable structure no longer exists. Of course, if you are one of those running sentences together with commas as a matter of course, then the comma is the least of your worries as a writer.

Faulty use of a comma can often be determined by simply reading and focusing on one sentence at a time. Follow the cues you have in place with your commas. Is the message clear? Honor the comma in your work by using it only when it fulfills its purpose of creating understanding for the reader as he travels from the beginning of a sentence to the end.

©2010 Dannye Williamsen 

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Your writing can slip into a mindless pattern like those associated with certain activities in your life, such as getting dressed in the morning and driving to work. These mindless patterns indicate that you are acting without conscious thought. You are relying on past experiences to handle your needs in the present. 

One of the most obvious ways in which these patterns express in your writing is through the use of worn-out phrases. These can be clichés, but they can also be buzzwords that are thought to be stylish or trendy for your particular target audience. There are two problems with trendy and stylish phrases or words: 

 •  everyone else has used them – many times! Your audience has become immune to their original intent. Consequently,
    your message is lost.
 •  sometimes it is taken for granted that the meanings of such words/phrases are known by all when the truth is that no one
    has bothered to define these terms in so long that their meanings are vague to most of your readers. Again, the full impact
    of your message is lost.

Another way in which mindless patterns emerge in your writing is through the repetitive use of your own pet phrases. These phrases are peppered through article after article without your even realizing it. In a manuscript I read recently, a writer used the word basically followed by a comma in nearly every paragraph. It was not only a mindless pattern for him, it represented lazy writing on his part; he was unwilling to take the time to be creative in his writing.  

To avoid these mindless patterns as a writer, you must stay in the moment. Be aware of every word you write. Make the conscious choice to be creative in how you express your thoughts. After all, writing is not about the number of articles or manuscripts you complete: it is about the message within each work and the uniqueness with which you express it.

©2010 Dannye Williamsen  
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You can find many explanations of the writing process. Some are very technical and detailed-oriented. As a writer, you have probably figured out already that everyone has their own style and their own approach. It has a lot to do with your personality. Some writers need to outline their entire presentation before beginning. Some writers jot down a few points and start writing. Some writers rely on their intuitive connection to assist them in their writing, choosing to allow ideas to flow more freely.

Whatever category you fit into, there is one basic description of the process that is relevant for everyone, whether you are more analytical or more spontaneous. 

•  Every piece of work starts out with an idea. It is an idea that you have created. It doesn’t matter what sparked it: you now have a seed idea. You will now take this seed idea and use your own unique approach to the writing process to launch your work.

•  The next stage in the process is the bring out the potential of this idea.

If you are what Robert Pirsig (Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance) calls a “classical” thinker, you may choose to sit down and write a detailed outline, carefully developing this seed idea into its fullest expression, before you ever begin the actual presentation itself.

If you are more of a “romantic,” you are less methodical. You’re more of a free spirit, choosing to live in the moment. So you may decide to jot down a few possibilities about how to expand your idea and trust in the moment. If you are an intuitive writer, you may take your idea and start writing, allowing your intuition to guide you.

You may be a little bit of both, but it doesn’t matter which approach you take as along as you carefully nurture your idea so that it develops into the message it was intended to express. 

•  The final stage in the process is to prune the outgrowth of your seed idea. Pruning, if done right, will produce a powerful and meaningful message.

During this stage, regardless of your approach to writing, you should read your talk over carefully. Take one paragraph at a time and check for grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Then check for syntax: the organization of words, phrases, and clauses in a sentence can deliver the power you’re seeking or neutralize your point entirely. Next, make sure that your sentences within a paragraph are in the best order for making your point. Next, determine if any sentences should be cut. Finally, make sure your paragraph is the next logical step in the fleshing out of your idea. 


In their execution, these three stages incorporate more detailed steps found in others’ discussions of the writing process. I feel, however, that if you can keep the “big picture” in mind while you’re writing, you’ll be okay. My explanation offers you a structure within which you can do your work – details and all – without losing sight of what you’re trying to accomplish.

©2010 Dannye Williamsen 


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Writing is more than putting words on paper. It is the birthing of ideas. When a child leaves the womb, it is beautiful to the mother despite its being covered in the unappealing remains of its sojourn in utero; however, the dispassionate bystander may react only to appearances, unable to see beyond the superficial. Unless you learn to “clean up” your writing, your potential readers could all remain dispassionate bystanders, unwilling to see the beauty in what you are trying to express.

If you desire others to truly experience your writing, then you must develop an internal relationship with the process. Writing is not like sitting down at a table filled with pieces of a puzzle and struggling to find the ones that fit together, trying first one and then another. Writing is the building of an emotional and intellectual relationship with the idea you are trying to express. In other words, it is an internal process.

As you begin to write, take your time: do not speed write. Take the time to experience each sentence. Read it aloud or to yourself and allow your mind to lead you into the next sentence. I know it sounds crazy, but it does work. Allow yourself time to “feel” what you’re writing. When you do this, your intuition kicks in, and you will often find yourself following a path that had not occurred to you before that moment. Speed writing gives you a false sense of accomplishment, which is nullified by the time you spend trying to make sense of this jumble of ill-thought-out sentences.

Your writing is your creation. You are giving birth to it: so treat it as a living organism. Give it the opportunity to develop “in a manner analogous to the natural growth and evolution characteristic of living organisms.” Nurture your seed idea. Give it the time and attention it deserves so that it develops into an expression of your unique voice, one that is unambiguous, rational, and speaks to your intended audience.

There are “tricks” for improving your writing that you will learn along the way. One of the methods I have always used is reading my work slowly, staying totally in the moment, and listening for what I call the “hiccup.” The “hiccup” is when there is a break in the logic chain of ideas. If you were reciting the alphabet and skipped from b to d, a listener would immediately home in on the fact that you left something out. If you started at the wrong end of the alphabet, the listener would notice this, too, because they would not be able to easily follow your recitation. When listening to your own writing, you should listen for the missing piece or for an unsound presentation of ideas.

Writing is usually about selling an idea. Therefore, you are actually presenting an argument or a persuasive discourse designed to influence the thoughts and/or behaviors of others. To accomplish this, you must dot your i's and cross your t's so that your readers will understand what you’re saying, not focus on a point you omitted, or become distracted by poor grammar, spelling, and punctuation. So, clean up your writing from the inside out – from the idea to the presentation.        

©2010 Dannye Williamsen 

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