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Authors: Gary Provost

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3. Think About What You Have Written

It’s very easy when you are locked in the passionate embrace of the writing muse to write something that sounds really dumb. The writer routinely includes the banal, the inaccurate, and the just plain stupid in early drafts simply by forgetting that what one meant to say is not always what got written down.

But when the passion cools a bit and the writer spreads his or her papers out on the table, curious phrases will suddenly show themselves: Did she mean to write, “There was literally an ocean of people ...”? Of course not. But she did. Did he intend to write, “He could care less ...”? No. He meant to write, “He couldn’t care less.”

You will make mistakes in your early drafts. That’s okay. But before you type a final draft, let at least a day pass, and then think carefully about what you wrote before turning to your typewriter. You may find that what you thought was brilliant prose on Tuesday borders on the moronic by Friday. On the other hand, you may discover that what seemed trivial when you wrote it is, in fact, profound.

4. Ask Yourself These Questions

Before typing a final draft, ask these questions:

1. Is it clear from the beginning what the paper is about?

2. Does each paragraph advance the subject?

3. Do the important ideas stand out clearly?

4. Are more details, examples, or anecdotes needed?

5. Is the information sufficiently clear?

6. Are there sweeping statements that need to be supported?

7. Do any technical terms need explanation?

8. Is there needless repetition?

9. Is the tone consistent?

10. Are any of the sentences too involved to follow with ease?

11. Are any of the words vague?

12. Are there grammatical errors?

13. Are there punctuation errors?

5. Follow These Rules of Form for Titles

Before typing a final manuscript, review these rules for titles:

1. The title of a book-length manuscript should be typed on a separate page, together with the author’s name. Set the title at the very center of the page. The author’s name goes below the title.

2. Titles of short manuscripts should be centered at the top of the first page of your paper or story.

3. Capitalize titles in the following manner:
The Needs of Some Chickens
The Ballerina: A Study of America’s Most
Beloved Dancers
Of Mice and Men

Prepositions that have fewer than four letters should not be capitalized unless they are the first word of the title. Similarly, only capitalize definite and indefinite articles if they are the first word of the title.

4. Use italics (underlining) for titles of books, magazines, movies, and plays.

5. Use quotation marks around the titles of articles, short stories, poems, songs, and other short pieces of writing.

6. Prepare a Perfect Manuscript

If you are proud of the words you have written, you will want to present them in the best possible manner.

Use 8½” x 11” white bond paper of good quality. Don’t use onion skin or erasable paper—the print will smudge.

Use a clean, black typewriter ribbon. If the keys of your typewriter are dirty, clean them with a brush.

Leave wide margins—at least an inch on all sides of the paper.

Indent five spaces for a new paragraph.

Double-space between lines.

After typing your paper or story, look for typographical errors. Correct small errors with a pencil. Large errors, such as a missing sentence, may force you to retype a page. Use your judgment.

7. Use Common Sense

I write often about writing, and that can be terrifying. Sometimes I feel as if I’m standing in front of a firing squad and The Captain will give the order to shoot as soon as I have violated my own advice. Have I used too many words to tell you not to use too many words? Is my voice too passive when I tell you to use the active voice? Is my grammar faulty when I tell you to bone up on your grammar?

It is not hard to imagine a legion of mean-spirited readers out there scanning my every word with a magnifying glass, all of them poised to leap on the first sign of contradiction. Off to their typewriters they will run, and soon my mailbox will be bent from within by a bulging bundle of letters, all of which begin, “Dear Mr. Provost, on page such and such you said so and so, but just thirty-two pages later you said so and so and such and such. Are you a moron?”

No, I’m not. Honestly. I am—dare I say it—an artist. And that is my escape hatch. Writing is art, not science, and when I finish a piece of writing, I do not review every single one of my tips. I ask, have I communicated well? Have I pleased my readers, have I given them something that is a joy to read? Have I entertained them, informed them, persuaded them, and made my thoughts clear to them? Have I given them what they wanted?

And these are the questions you must ask about all that you write. If the answers are yes, you have succeeded. If the answers are no, you have failed. Writing well is what counts.

The tips in this book encompass much of the accumulated knowledge about what writing techniques work best, which patterns of language most successfully reach and hold readers. But like all tips they should be considered carefully before being acted on.

So don’t use the active voice “because it’s the right way.” Don’t write with strong nouns and verbs “because you’re supposed to.” And don’t maintain consistently good grammar “because only stupid people don’t.” Tips, not laws. Think about these tips. Apply them generally. They will guide you to successful writing.

And do something else. Accept the fact that there is good writing and bad writing. There is writing that runs, and there is writing that plods. There is writing that wakes up readers and writing that puts them to sleep. So turn to this book from time to time. Stretch your vocabulary. And, most important, develop your ear for the sound of written language. When you have done these, you will have the knowledge and the wisdom to apply the best tip of all: Use your own common sense.

Signet

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