July 20, 2009
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Writing Well
It’s not easy to write. Hmm… it’s not easy to write well. I tell myself this is only a blog. I don’t have to adhere to any standards. I don’t have a style manual to follow. My only tools are a dictionary and a Thesaurus. I also glance at “The Elements of Style” by William Strunk every so often. I do try to proofread my entries before I submit it. But there are days when I’ll just quickly jot my thoughts down and submit it. You, my poor readers, will have wade through a lot of sloppy stuff to find the essence of my thoughts.
It’s just a blog – isn’t it? It’s just an online journal and I’m just writing for myself. Style doesn’t count – it’s the act of writing that counts. My readers will understand that blogs don’t have to adhere to any standards.
But I try to compose my thoughts carefully before I submit it. I believe I have a responsibility to write well. Writing is a craft and it’s not an easy craft to learn. I’ve learned to appreciate this in the past few years. Every so often, I wish there was a real Xanga editor who would review and critique my work. Perhaps my work will be returned with markups and constructive criticisms. Maybe this should be part of the perks if you are a Premium subscriber. I can just imagine the exchanges with my editor.
“There are 62 blogs today about growing up Asian and gay. What makes yours more compelling to read?”
“Matt, are you writing a novel or a blog? Go look up the word concise.”Perhaps my editor will be like the infamous Chef Gordon Ramsey of Hell’s Kitchen fame.
“What the f*ck is this crap? Who the hell is going to read this?”
“^$%&#*#!% if your blog was a meal, your readers will get food poisoning! Get the hell out of Xanga!”Ok – maybe not. I don’t think my fragile ego can handle that. I know there’s more to writing than good grammar.
Word by word, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph – I’ll eventually learn this craft.
Comments (29)
I would probably not enjoy there being a Chef Ramsey of xanga! I can’t stand people yelling at me…
Well, Mr.Matt- thought you already had a personal editor!
My blog, for me is just a personal diary and I have never shied away from writing anything intimate (even if a infinite number of people can read it!). Through my blog… I want to document my life so that I can look back and refresh my memories. Often times, I just laugh at myself thinking about how silly I was!
As such, I don’t think too much about my writing style.
LOL … I think nasty coaches are only good in gyms. Then again lots of people do endure some grueling pain working as analysts at investment banks for some rather “unpleasant” bosses hoping to eventually earn big bucks!
As per proofreading …I think it depends on the time of day, say, I notice more spelling and grammar mistakes when I blog at night and it annoys me (the perfectionist in me). On the other hand I am not a tough judge on other blogs, as I do know it is a blog, not a newspaper. As long as it’s not an incoherent or rambling entry … Oh well.
Oh man, that would certainly be interesting if there was actually someone that would go around critiquing our blogs. It’s like English class all over again!
@Sorrows_xx_Soliloquy - yeah, it would be very intimidating.
@Dezinerdreams - I’m always nervous about writing intimate stuff there and having others read it even though I’m anonymous. Your recent travelogue is great!
@TheLatinObserver - I think we are similar readers. I think the stuff that really turns me off is when people use texting style as a form of writing.
@Roadlesstaken - hee hee… the nightmare continues!
You need to do something about being so self critical
Seriously.
@Wangium - actually I’m not. I really do want to improve my writing both for personal gain and professionally. I proof read proposals at work and get really annoyed at high paid marketing folks who can’t write. Ugh…
I’m sure no one on here wants you to “Get the hell out of Xanga!”
I hope not this event would transpire,¹ [ahy][wood;unstressedwuhd]hate to [klohz] my Xanga membership.² Can I suggest the following book: e.g., ‘Accomodating Brocolli in the Cemetary or why can’t anybody spell?‘³†
¹ I used to proofread and edit manuals, I don’t want to open my email and see this. Red is my frienemy.
² This would answer my question of whether I can be even more detached from the outside world.
³ Sorry I just messed up your nice comments with my nonsense, but the book is ferrealz~. haha.
† Boy, that was difficult and required a lot more references than a normal comment would require. I should post this as my entry…
(Oh no, it took out all of my strikethroughs and such. boo. I’ll post it on my site.)
@tomatoboi - hee hee… I hope not.
@piyapong - thank you – I just went over to your site.
You’re a beautiful writer, Matt. Your entries are always thoughtful and well-composed. It never hurts to desire to improve your craft, but you certainly are already a master of it.
@christao408 - you’re very generous with the complements Chris. I am not at “Master” level yet. I don’t know why I’ve been thinking about writing lately. It just seems to be an obsession.
I don’t agree with your 2nd paragraph. I think style counts a lot, and is a reflection of the person.
Man if Xanga allowed me to edit other people’s blogs I’d never leave the computer.
You’ve always been a good writer though!
you always been a good writer…as for me, when i post on xanga, i just write whatever is in my head…no proofreading or editing. i get enough of that at work…
@christao408 - compliments… not complements – oh I hate it when I make these errors.
@CareyGLY - lol… yeah, not even you could keep up especially with the number of blogs you subscribe to. Thanks for the kind words.
@icebladz - I do a bit of proofreading and editing at work too. At the end of the day, I don’t even want to think about words. Thanks for the compliments.
I feel the same way! I know my Xanga is an online journal just for me, but at the same time, I write for an audience (what little audience I have). I don’t want people just quickly clicking out of my site.
@LyricalJunkie - yeah, it’s an interesting balance. While I write primarily for myself – I’m also aware that there are others reading my stuff too.
@ElusiveWords - Did I say you were a master?! Whoa! Hold your horses … not with spelling errors like that! (Just giving you a hard time, Matt)
lol at the gordon ramsay part.
well, you have written things that i can even picture in my head, even if i’m nowhere near a computer. i think it’s those lingering feelings that i get from reading some of your entries that tell me you have written very good posts.
i’ve tried to go all anal about my grammar, punctuation and whatever the other things are called (pace?), but i find that it doesn’t result in a good post. i think it’s only when i have this feeling that i need and want to write, will it result in a post that i would proud of. or i’m probably just lazy haha.
Have you actually read the entirety of The Elements of Style? I want to start writing fiction and Stephen King recommends it in On Writing. I was just wondering if it helped you at all.
@polowhatever272 - I have once – it’s a small book. I just use it for reference. It’s really more for grammar and it has helped me. You can use it for everyday use or for work. Good luck with your writing!
The Elements of Style is a classic and a great resource. The Chicago Manual of Style is also a great resource, though more academic in focus. Matt, you are a really good writer. Your posts are very well written and always worth reading.
@Toro69 - thank you, I appreciate your feedback and the recommendation for the Chicago Manual of Style. I was looking at that book a few months ago.
So Matt, did you indeed edit and re-edit even this post?
I’m just curious of course… you write wonderfully. I always
enjoy my time reading what you’ve decided to share.
Thanks for the visit and comment to my pulse. I greatly appreciate
your support.
Be well,
*~matthew~*
@bleuzeus - hahaha…yes I did. I took out a paragraph that didn’t really add anything. I appreciate your kind words and support.
HAHA, love the Gordon Ramsay – Hell’s Kitchen part of this blog…
It is a blog! I would just not worry too much about what others think and write however you like to write! It’s all about you.
YOU?? worried about your style of writing?? HELLOOOO!! have you read my blogs?? YOU could definitely teach me a thing or two on writing.
@rudyhou - lol…. I’m not really worried. But I do want to write well – it’s sort of an interesting challenge for me. I’m still very much a student of writing.