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Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Is There Really A Right Way to Write Anything?



It depends on a reader's 'tastes.' I'll come back to that in a moment. But hey, there are right words and grammars. Some people have unique ways of conversing and getting their points across. Some people write differently from how they speak. There is correct English writing and then there is jargon. The question isn't about what grammarphobes and typo-pickers look for. The question is if there is a right method that one must follow to write the right way. In my opinion, one mustn't follow a structure in order to write well. But a structure helps in order to understand what good writing is. Recently I was reminded of something I learned in college. It is a common writing structure, which I do not follow. You will notice this if you've read anything I've written.


I write as though I'm talking or arguing with someone or an audience. Some of my posts, short or long, are tales of interesting things that I noticed or something that happened to me. Even what I'm writing right now doesn't follow the well-known writing structure.


I've had the opportunity to work with an amazing group of writers who contribute to popular blogs. It became obvious that we couldn't collaborate on the same work with multiple people typing. While our goals were the same, we happened to tell the same stories differently. We had to come up with ways to execute our work and combine them. We didn't want it sounding like a story told by someone with different personalities. I enjoyed hearing our "writing sounds," which were specific to us. For example, I might choose to use the word, "ecstatic" and my co-contributor might prefer the word, "happy" in the same sentence.


Also, we know that the language we use for a romance novel isn't the same for a dissertation. But there are many ways to write romance and dissertations. The best way is relative to the reader. That's why it boils down to the reader's taste. What one reader finds appealing may be atrocious to another. What one professor finds informative may be lacking to another. So, is there really a right way to write?


One person told me once that I should make my blog readable by using the structure below. This will clearly not work with the way I tell stories but I'll share it with you if you want to try it.


The Opening

     Thesis and Introduction

The Body

     Topic sentences with (proofs and supports)

     Transitional conclusion (restate thesis)

The Final Conclusion


I write for the reader's enjoyment and I stay in the moment. I want my writing to flow naturally. I don't want it to be clipped and too polished. But I do pay attention to using the right verbiage, syntax, and transitions. One should feel free to write the way they're comfortable writing. I'll be happy to hear your thoughts in the comments section.

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