If this year is anything like last there’ll no doubt be several round up, look back, and monthly highlights posts being published in the next week or so.

I thought I’d capitalise on this mood of looking back, reflecting, and celebrating what’s been good for a year-end group writing project: Simply The Best.

Here’s how it works:

1. Select the one post from your archive that you think is your best piece of 2008

2. Write a post about it, including the link

3. Complete this sentence as part of the post.  “This post is simply the best because…”

4. To make it more challenging, the explanation needs to be 30 words or less. [You don't need to count the words 'this post is simply the best because...']

5. When you’re done, link back to this post, and leave a comment please to be doubly sure I get it.

6. Post your contribution by 24th December 2008

I’ll then do a round up piece some time before the New Year, including a) the link to your best piece b) the 30 word reason you chose it.

I’m hoping this will allow us to compile a list not just of some of the best articles published on the web in 2008, but an insight into how different bloggers define what is ‘the best’.

If you’ve any questions, please ask away.

Otherwise, I look forward to reading your entries.

Joanna Young, The Confident Writing Coach
Because our words count

Related posts:

1. Simply Experimenting: The Results of My Writing Experiment Group Writing Project
2. Connecting Words: group writing project
3. Are Your Hearts Beating Faster? Group Writing Project Reminder

Avoid the elaborate, the pretentious, the coy and the cute. Do not be tempted by a twenty-dollar word when there is a ten-center handy, ready and able. (Strunk and White)

There’s no shortage of writing advice out there telling you to keep your writing simple, to use plain language, and to avoid jargon like the plague.  So why do so many people continue to ignore that good advice?

A conversation around the theme of simplicity got me thinking about this question.  What was it about complex, hard to read words that people were so stubbornly attached to?

A research study* looked into the way word choice changes the assessments we make about someone’s intelligence.  Students were asked to rate the intelligence of writers based on essays that they’d written, and make recommendations about their suitability for admission for graduate study.

The original versions were made more complex by substituting orginal words with their longest applicable thesaurus entries.

The results? The simpler the essay, the more likely it was the author would be rated as intelligent, and recommended for admission to the graduate school.

The author of the study (Daniel Oppenheimer) concludes:

“The pundits are likely right: write clearly and simply if you can, and  you’ll be more likely to be thought of as intelligent.”

So why is it so hard to put the writing advice into practice?  In the same article Oppenheimer mentions that:

• 86% of students at Stanford admitted to using more complicated language in their essays to make their work sound more valid or intelligent

• Two thirds of the students said they’d used the thesaurus to choose words that are more complex so the content was more valid or intelligent

Some of the possible reasons that occurred to me include:

• Desire to prove your topic is complex by using complex words

• Fear of betraying lack of (classical) education

• Natural desire to copy the language patterns of others

• Little encouragement to use ‘ordinary’ words

• Lack of time to ‘translate’ complex words used round about you into everyday words

• Longer words keep subjects impersonal - reducing potential for personal criticism & attack

• It’s the way people above you write - so you assume it’s the ladder to success

What about you?  Can you see any hidden (presumed) benefits of using long words that might explain the attachment?  Have you ever found yourself changing a ten-center word for a twenty dollar one to achieve a particular effect?

Joanna Young, The Confident Writing Coach
Because our words count

* Article details:

Consequences of Erudite Vernacular Utilized Irrespective of Necessity: Problems with Using Long Words Needlessly Daniel Oppenheimer, 2006 (full research article)

The Secret of Impressive Writing? Keep it Plain and Simple (summary of article at Science Daily)

Hat tip to the (new) legal writer for pointing me towards the article: Use plain English, appear smarter (and more persuasive)

Photo Credit: The Long Book by Emborg on Flickr

Related posts:

1. KISS excess words goodbye

You must break out of your current comfort zone and become comfortable with the unfamiliar and the unknown (Denis Waitley)

Thanks to all of you who shared the ways you were breaking out of your current comfort zone with your contributions to the ‘Results of My Writing Experiment’ group writing project.

Some of you tried new forms - or wrote about  what happens when you do.  Other posts were reflections on what happens when you try new things - or how to get yourself unstuck when you find yourself the wrong side of the comfort zone.

Included in the list of contributions are two guest posts on the experimenting theme, and a series of posts on what it’s like to write a novel as part of National Novel Writing Month.  These were written by a long-term friend and supporter of this blog, Karen Swim, and deserve a place here.  For one, I doubt she had time to write an entry, for another, I know you’ll find them of interest.

The Results of My Writing Experiment: Contributions

The first piece of fiction at Ulla Hennig’s weblog: Old and New - A Story from Berlin

Then the big War came, and the bombs came down. One after the other, its fellow houses were shattered into pieces. Oh, what a thundering and terrible noise that was!

Lillie Ammann reflects on the introduction of book reviews and author interviews at her blog: The Results of My Writing Experiment

I posted my first book review, ironically a review of a book on how to write reviews, The Slippery Art of Book Reviewing. I learned a lot from reading and reviewing the book and consider it a success

Kate Baggott shares a practical writing tip: Learn a Sentence in a Foreign Language

Now, whenever I get stuck, I try to learn one sentence in a different foreign language. The brain tingling has never been as strong as it was that day in the Hindi class, but it does break the block.

Kay Martin from Thrive Christians shared a poem in the comment box.

This is how she describes how she came to write the piece, plus the first stanza:

I’m back to fulltime writing after two decades of too busy with life to write. My writing muscles have been flabby. I am working with a prison ministry developing a newsletter for all inmates in the entire state.

After a great weekend in a large maximum women’s facility a friend encouraged me to write a poem. I’ve never tried poetry, but I loved the experience. I’m hooked. This was quite a surprise to me.

Here is the first poem … ever from my heart.

Freed On The Inside

Church on the inside
Doors slam shut, you’re locked inside
Praise & Preaching coming to the inside,
But freedom came to me on the Inside.

I shared what happens when good advice goes out the window, and finding my way out of the writing rabbit hole.

This is an experiment, I told myself.  The words are familiar but the format and the media is not.  You’re exposing yourself to a new set of readers.  That’s a good thing - but it throws up all those imagined voices that the inner critic loves to whisper in my ear.

Robert Hruzek brought us all to a shuddering halt with a guest post on Dead Ends.  This was part of a 3-part writing experiment, with linked posts at the Middle Zone and another at Scrambled Toast. [When do you think you'll be repeating that particular experiment Robert?!]

Hey, I’ve been there. I’ve spent literally hours sitting in front of a screen or piece of paper and agonized over just what the heck I wanted to say. We’ve all done it, right? But I ask you; why do we put ourselves through that?

Brad Shorr shared some of the writing experiments he’d tried at Scrambled Toast, his Blog Laboratory.

Trying new approaches keeps my writing fresh and keeps me alert for new perspectives on topics I cover in my Word Sell writing/marketing blog. Some say that predictability and narrow topic focus are desirable for blog content, but I try to give my readers something new to think about, or at least smile about.

Karen Swim - with many thousands of others - has just completed her first novel as part of the huge writing experiment that is National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo)

She shared her journey from intention through to completion in this fascinating series of posts.

Write a Novel in 6 Months… or 30 Days

Trick or Treat?

Paralyzing Perfectionism

Sha Na Na No - In the Key of Thanks

I Yam A Writer

Last night around 11 pm, I realized that I was less than 1500 words away from my goal. Was I seriously going to pull this off?

With visions of yams and a stress free Thanksgiving in my head, I leaned in and went for it! Right around midnight I had typed the final period on my first draft.

I uploaded my obfuscated text (thank you YWriter for including this function) to the NaNo word count validator.

Confetti fell, bells rang and the screen blinked YOU WON! Actually the confetti, bells and blinking were only in my mind but hey you know anyone who even attempts this is deserving of bells and confetti, don’t ya think.

So the screen is flashing and I did what any winner would do, I started bawling. Yep, that’s right I cried. Go figure, I have had the same reaction at the end of every marathon I’ve run (well that might be from the pain but you get the picture).

Finally, from Robyn McMaster at Brain Based Biz: As a Writer - I Can

Would you say you’re a fairly good writer? If your immediate response is, “no,” you may hold a myth about yourself, as I did. Notions of Robyn as writer… never! In high school I wrote with a textbook style - complying with course requirements. Adequate but boring! Recent doctoral studies required adding terms “experts” in my field recognize. So, I struggled in writing about discoveries and findings.

Interestingly, I began to reject the earlier myth about myself when I began to blog. By playing with ideas and experimenting with writing strategies, and thinking, “I can,” the myth began to fade away.

Thank you, everyone, for your contributions to this project.

And to anyone who’s still wondering if they’ll ever say those magical words “I Yam a Writer”… the deafening answer from November must be this:

Yes you can.

Joanna Young, The Confident Writing Coach
Because our words count

Thanks to Bo for sharing the Waitley quote.

Related posts:

1. Simply The Best: Group Writing Project
2. Are Your Hearts Beating Faster? Group Writing Project Reminder
3. Connecting Words: group writing project

The finest language is mostly made up of simple unimposing words. (George Eliot)

If you’ve been following Confident Writing for any time now you’ll probably have realised that I’m a fan of simple writing styles.

Simplicity doesn’t just make for the finest of language but helps you to capture big ideas, express powerful emotions, and get clear on your point.

You’ll find most readers count simplicity as a virtue too

So I’m delighted that simplicity is going to be the theme for December:

Simplicity: Writing with plain, simple language.  The value of brevity.  Learning how to keep it simple.  Unlearning grammar rules in order to write with clarity and confidence.  Sticking to the point.  Being clear what you’re trying to say.  Saying what you mean and meaning what you say.

It seems appropriate for this wintry time of year (here) - lots of bright light and clear outlines.

Coming up I’ve got:

• More great quotes
• Another group writing project
• Plus a whole lot more I haven’t got round to planning yet!

Is there anything in particular that you’d like me to cover as part of ’simplicity’?

PS If you’re new to Confident Writing, you should know that I write to a monthly theme.  They’re mainly based on the ingredients of confident writing, but I also use them to explore new avenues by using themes like “leaps and bounds“, or “experimenting“, which has just drawn to a close.

Joanna Young, The Confident Writing Coach
Because our words count

Photo Credit: Winter Branches, by Joanna Young on flickr

Related posts:

1. Writing with simplicity
2. The ingredients of confident writing

Asking Questions for a Change: How To Ask Purposeful Questions

Asking Questions for a Change

It’s free.  Just click to download the pdf file.

If you could spread the word with an e-mail, a stumble, a link or a tweet out… it would be much appreciated.

Joanna Young, The Confident Writing Coach
Because our words count

PS If you missed them the first time round I’ve published two other e-books:

Powerful Writing in 30 Words or Less

The Courage to Hear Yourself Sing (e-book on authentic writing)

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Silent gratitude isn’t very much use to anyone. (Gertrude Stein)

So thank you, everyone, for your readership, comments, links and support.

And Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the U.S. who’s enjoying the holiday today.

I was going to stop there … but there’s a group writing project running this week on 7 things I am thankful for http://tinyurl.com/5sfywq - by @lgedeon

I wasn’t going to post my response here - because I didn’t have space - so I wrote it on Twitter instead.  It got a positive response, so I thought I’d share it again here.

An extra thanks to Becky McCray who picked this up from Twitter and posted it at Out Standing in My Field. (”Behind my house is a real wheat field. When I took a picture sitting in it, I decided to use that old pun for the title of my personal blog.”)

I gave it social media focus: 7 social media things I’m thankful for

1. The opportunity to learn each day from material freely shared, generously given, in this place we call the blogosphere

2. Learning, joyfully, with a most unusual and entertaining set of authors at JJL www.joyfuljubilantlearning.com

3. Flickr. The chance to share a window on my world, and peek into yours. Not to mention the positive feedback people there give you.

4. The creativity, inspiration, learning, nonsense and fun that comes from conversations with all of you on Twitter

5. Knowing a community of people who’ll go out of their way to do something like project comment 100 for a friend http://tinyurl.com/68b5ch

6. My blog readers. Where’d I be without them you?

7. Having a network of friends online who have become just that: friends. Thank you.

Photo Credit: Thanksgiving is many circles of love by controltheweb on Flickr.  If you’ve a moment do click through to the site to read the commentary on each of the circles!

Related posts:

1. 12 Reasons To Enjoy Writing With Gratitude

[Note: This here post, as it says right up there on the label, is Part 3 of a 3-part series (finally!). The topic is “Dead Ends”. To read Dead Ends, Part 1 or Dead Ends, Part 2 (highly recommended, if I do say so myself), please click on one of those cute little links.]

The Curse of the Deadline

Have you ever faced a writing deadline, and found yourself completely at a loss as to what to write? Do you break out into a cold sweat when facing a blank computer screen?

Are you frustrated that you and your muse never seem to have the same working hours? And what about Mary Lou? (OK; I made up that last one about Mary Lou.)

Well, take heart, Bubba; you’re not alone. Rest assured these and many similar situations have faced every writer who ever lived since the art of writing was first invented sometime around the 4th millennium.

Yup; I think we can all agree that sufferin’ from writer’s block is a lot like the fella who took this photo must’ve felt. You can’t go right, left, back or forward. All you can do is come to a complete stop, and then Bubba, you’re stuck!

So you’re probably askin’ yourself, “Alright, wise guy; what am I supposed to do when I hit a dead end while writing?”

It’s a fair enough question, and just to demonstrate how smart aleck I am, I’ll give you my answer in words of one syllable. Are ya ready? Get out your pencils folks, ‘cause this is gonna be worth writin’ down. OK, here it is:

You… stop (sound of coming to a screeching halt).

A Simple Technique

Hey, I’ve been there. I’ve spent literally hours sitting in front of a screen or piece of paper and agonized over just what the heck I wanted to say. We’ve all done it, right? But I ask you; why do we put ourselves through that?

I’ll tell ya; although I’m not the most experienced writer out there (far from it!), one thing I’ve discovered is that the best thing I can do when the ol’ muse takes a coffee break is to take one myself. That’s right; I get up, move around, read the paper or a favorite book – hey anything that will jog those little grey cells will do the trick.

Personally, I’ve found that reading a favorite book or playing a game with Mrs. MZM is a great way to get my mind out of the circular rut it’s in. It never fails; while I’m busy doing something else, sooner or later it all clicks (sound of clicking noises), and then suddenly the whole thing falls into place!

This post is a case in point. Up until the moment I started actually writing, I had no idea what I was going to say. I mean, it’s not that I was rushed; I had almost a month to work on it!) But lo and behold, in the process of doin’ other stuff, one day it just… hit me! (sound of dull thud)

Hey, if you’re like me (and sincere condolences if you are) then once that happens, you’d better get me in front of a keyboard, ‘cause Bubba, whatever’s in there is comin’ out! (sound of terrified scream)

So if you find yourself suffering from a bit of writer’s block, then in my opinion, one of the best things you can to do is (and you can trust me on this) stop trying. Go do something else. Let your subconscious mind do its thing while you keep busy (or heck; even catch a nap). You’ll be surprised how such a simple thing can completely change your writing life!

Trust me, it really works!

What About You?

Have you ever experienced writer’s block? What did you do? How long did it last, and what was the trigger for how you broke through (assuming you did)? Care to share your favorite block-busting techniques with the rest of us?

We’d love to hear ‘em! Just take a moment to pop ‘em in the comment box. We’ll leave the light on.

This is part 3 (finally!) of a 3 part writing experiment inspired by my friend Joanna Young. Looking for the other two parts of this experimental blog series? Hey, no problem! Just follow these links:

Dead Ends, Part 1 (at Middle Zone Musings)

Dead Ends, Part 2 (at Scrambled Toast)

Dead Ends, Part 3 (You just read it, Bubba!)

Photo: Dead End, by Robert Hruzek

Robert Hruzek

Robert Hruzek is an ordinary fellow with an extraordinary sense of the absurd. Apparently back when talent was being allocated, he missed his helping of propriety and ended up with a double dose of a sense of the ridiculous.

Fortunately (and before his head exploded) he found relief from the dreaded SHINE (Seeing Humor In Nearly Everything) Syndrome through his writings at Middle Zone Musings.

Don’t worry ‘bout a thing, folks; he’s feeling much better now.

No related posts.

Thesaurus: wordfinder, wordbook, synonym dictionary

Writer: author, wordsmith, man/woman of letters, penman, novelist, essayist, biographer, journalist, columnst, correspondent, scriptwriter, playwright, dramatist, dramaturge, tragedian, poet; informal: scribbler, scribe, hack

To be honest I haven’t used a thesaurus for quite a few years now, and I tend to advise people to use them with care.  They can lead you into the temptation of looking for a complicated word when a plain English version would do.  Buying a new thesaurus wouldn’t have been top of my wish list - which meant I was doubly lucky to get send this as a review copy to look at.  I’d never have found it otherwise.

This thesaurus is nothing like the foostie copy of Roget’s thesaurus that I’ve had since I was in school.  (For an explanation of foostie you’ll need a dictionary of Scottish slang not a thesaurus.  Still, one book can’t have everything.)

What the book’s like: In essence, a modern day thesaurus.  It includes ordinary everyday words and suggests other words you can deploy - to get just the right effect, to make a hint, create an association, or avoid using an overused cliche.

It will give you plain word alternatives as well as the fancier synonyms that need to be used with care - especially if you’re not 100% sure what they mean.  The thesaurus will though give you an example of the word being used to try and keep you out of trouble.

To give you an idea of the look of the thesaurus, here’s the extract on experiment:

I used it most recently to finish editing a piece of work: to find alternatives when I’d used a word once too often, and to check that I was using words in just the right way.  (A thesaurus will give you a different sense of that appropriateness of use than a dictionary will.)

Some quotes: Dotted throughout the book are word notes giving you a more detailed introduction to and explanation of a word.  Here’s an example, picked at random, of what they say about ‘woo’:

Court sounds too aristocratic and medieval; seduce is overly limited to the carnal objective.  That leaves woo.  It’s true that woo sounds a little goofy, but that might be ameliorated by more frequent use, or could even be considered a useful bonus connotation in a word for an activity that can put anybody in danger of making a fool of themselves.

Learning points: This book is a great reference source.  It’s reminded me of how much fun words can be, and how much pleasure there can be in finding just the right one.  I know there’ll be learning points aplenty as I dip in and out to check words, and explore new ones.

One thing to improve it: Have to confess, I can’t immediately think of one

Who it’d be good for: writers, students, anyone who’s interested in words.  The book would also make a great gift for someone you know who fits into any of those categories

Thumbs up/down: A definite thumbs up.

More About the Book

You can buy it from Amazon, current price $26.40

It’s hardback (and heavy!).  1128 pages

Other reference books for writers

Brad Shorr recently reviewed the Chicago Manual of Style.  In an ensuing conversation he mentioned that it might be interesting to gather up information on the reference books we use.  Are there any that are must haves on your bookshelf?  Or others that are top of your wish list?

Joanna Young, The Confident Writing Coach
Because our words count

No related posts.

She generally gave herself good advice (though she seldom followed it)

Chapter 1: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

I found myself down a writing rabbit hole the other week.  I was trying to finish work on a book of writing tips, culled from the best of Confident Writing.  I was two weeks beyond my self-imposed deadline (the end of October) and I was struggling to get it done.

As I felt myself falling further down the rabbit hole I realised with a wry smile that I was happily ignoring all my best advice.

I was, amongst other sins:

Procrastinating hopelessly: spinning away fruitless hours neither writing nor doing anything else useful

Stuck in a stuck state: rather than doing something to break state I was wallowing in a state of stuckness

Attached to my own words: compiling a ‘best of’ means letting go of things that are rather less than best.  Trouble was, once I’d put them in to the first cut I was loath to let them go. (’Well they are quite good, it would be a shame to lose them altogether’ she wheedled.  Yes, like Alice, I talk to myself.  Don’t you?)

The last point did eventually give me the key though.  I rememberd something I’d written way back on the 5 things you can do with the words you didn’t use.  It included (quite good) advice to let them go, and store them for a different time to use them again.

I suddenly realised that the words I was attached to really didn’t belong in this book.  But I could do something else with them (put them into a free e-book, coming soon.)  This realisation meant I could cut them, quick.  The act of letting go, of cutting the words that needed to be cut, helped me to put my editor’s hat on and see the words from my readers’ point of view, rather than my own.

Working on the free material made me realise something else too.  I didn’t have any problems finding the time and the motivation to edit the e-book and get it ready to publish here.  I’d written two before.  I had the format set up. I knew what I was going to do with it.  I knew the audience (all of you: friends and supporters.)  If pepole didn’t rate it, no bother, I wasn’t asking them for money anyway.

Ouch.  I’d hit the nail on the head.

Working on a free e-book was easy.  It was like blogging.  I was safely in my comfort zone.  Finishing the book to publish, market and sell was an altogether different proposition.  Moving out of our comfort zones throws up all sorts of fears - which is why we start procrastinating, and prevaricating, and staying safely stuck.

Fortunately I do sometimes know how to take my own medicine.

Once I’d recognised the problem it was easier to work out what to do.

This is an experiment, I told myself.  The words are familiar but the format and the media is not.  You’re exposing yourself to a new set of readers.  That’s a good thing - but it throws up all those imagined voices that the inner critic loves to whisper in my ear.

Luckily for me I’d already worked out a way to beat the inner critic.  Focus on your purpose: it’ll trump your fears.

So that’s what I did.  I focused on my purpose: to share my ideas, to find new and better ways to help people write with confidence, to get to know a new set of readers.

The first draft is finished, and I’m now into a different, more practical stage.  Working out how best to get it published.

I don’t know what the final result will look like, or how it will read.

But I’ve already learned from the experiment - and that for me’s a result.

This piece is a contribution to this month’s Group Writing Project: The Results Of My Writing Experiment.

If you’d like to take part you can write and publish your piece any time up to the end of November. Entries could include:

• Looking back on something you tried, and what you learned from it
• Writing about something you want to experiment with and what you hope will come from it
• Sharing the results of a writing experiment you tried - or are prompted to try by this project!

I’ll include a round up of entries early next month.  To make sure your piece is included link back to the original post and leave a comment there to make sure I don’t miss it.

Joanna Young, The Confident Writing Coach
Because our words count

Photo Credit: Down the Rabbit Hole by Valkyrieh116 on flickr

Related posts:

1. Simply Experimenting: The Results of My Writing Experiment Group Writing Project

Listening to other people’s phone conversations is one of the strangest things we have adjusted to in modern times.  Listening to other people’s business deals, meal plans, lovers’ tiffs, fights with neighbours, worries about a bill that’s not been paid, complaints about a colleague who’s driving you crazy, detailed (detailed) arrangements about a night out, arguments with children, arguments with parents, tearful putdowns, sorrowful reproaches… we hear it all.

It’s so much noise.

I hope, hope, hope that blogging doesn’t become the same kind of noise pollution.  At least online we have the choice whether or not to listen.  Not so on the train.

To avoid adding to the noise I’m keeping this short.

If you want a reminder of the noise of other people’s conversations… and a smile, here’s a classic clip from Dom Joly’s mobile phone man.

I’m on the train.  Enjoy.

Rules of the Competition

Topic. The topic is Cell Phone Users and Abusers. What cell phone behavior drives you crazy? What strange cell phone experiences have you had? How are cell phones (or “mobiles”) helping society … or hurting it? These are the topics we’d like to explore. (Please keep your posts G-rated.)

Deadline. All contest posts must be published on or before Friday, December 5.

Submission. Please include a link to this post in your entry. Please leave a comment with a link to your entry on this post as well.

Prizes. There are EIGHT prizes in all for a total pot of $1000. We will have ONE $500 winner, THREE $100 winners, and FOUR $50 winners. Winners will be selected RANDOMLY on Monday, December 8.

Background

One of Brad’s clients, Dr. Mike O’Malley, has written a book called Cell Hell - 55 Cell Phone Users You’d Like to Silence. In an effort to promote his book, he’s generously agreed to put up the money for this blog contest.

These are seriously good prizes.  Anyone who enters has a chance of winning, and since pretty much everyone must have some experience of mobile phone uses and abuses… what’s stopping you from taking part?

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• Win Up to $500 Blogging about Cell Phone Users and Abusers!
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