WORDS ON THE LINE by Philip Vassallo

Breaking the Bonds of the New Commonplace

2012-02-08T11:30:00.000-05:00

Photo by Philip Vassallo

[NOTE: This post originally appeared on AMAShift, the blog of the American Management Association.]

The eighteenth-century French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau began his famous book The Social Contract in 1762 with the sentence, “Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.” Oh, doesn’t that statement hold so true 250 years later! We are tethered to our smartphones and held captive by every social networking platform—all of us trying to find the next best thing that we can parlay into a new venture while drifting in an unstable economy and uncertain marketplace.

A look at recent headlines shows that digital communication and social media are changing not only the way we do business but the way we think. The last American bookstore chain is fighting for its survival. Apple is assuring us that textbooks as we know them will soon be extinct. Even cursive writing is facing its demise. Newspapers, themselves, are facing the same fate. Fighting these trends in our own organization is like trying to empty the ocean with a beach pail. Worse, to ignore them is like sticking our head in the sand.

Ours is the Age of Two Realities, with apologies to Charles Dickens. It is the best of times, it is the worst of times, it is the age of communication, it is the age of miscommunication; it is the epoch of access, it is the epoch of detachment, it is the season of knowledge, it is the season of ignorance, it is the spring of upstarts, it is the winter of bankruptcies, we have everything before us, we have nothing before us, we are going direct to success, we are all going the other way—you get the point. Like it or not, these are our times.

Driven by an I-don’t-want-to-miss-the-party mindset, many people are signing up on more than a dozen social media sites to ensure their word gets out and their business keeps pace with these constant changes—all the while wondering whether they’re doing the right thing. The truth is, who really knows?

Nevertheless, we can all follow these four best practices to continually feel that we are doing social media and social media are not doing us:

Create specific objectives. That means put them in writing—in your marble notebook, iPad, or bathroom mirror, wherever. The goal might be to get your message across to new clients, or to stay in touch with associates, or to announce new business opportunities. Include a content marketing plan with content contributors, sources, and scheduling: what will you write or post, how often, and for whom?

Set time restraints. This imperative is at the heart of any time management course you have ever taken or will take. As a small business struggling to be seen in the vast universe of information overload, I have established the rule of no more than one hour during nights following speaking engagements (which amount to 12-hour days) and three hours on off days. Set your own strict limits as they suit your business initiatives and stick to them, adjusting only after carefully reviewing your social media plan.

Follow the rule of There-Are-No-Rules. Think of social media marketing as going to school. We’re all still learning as we do our thing—even the e-gurus. If the “experts” checked out what they said a couple of years ago—no, a couple of months ago—you can bet they’d want to retract certain statements. Need I mention floppy disks, zip drives, CDs, VHS tapes, DVDs and other dead technologies to bring this point home? This reality means that we have to guard against fixed ways of decision making and overdoing the tendency to use routine communication models as the e-commerce terrain shifts interminably.

Enjoy the journey, Here I’m borrowing from AMA President and CEO Edward T. Reilly’s parting words in his video pep talk that kicks off all of AMA’s classroom courses. Understand that website-builder and blogging tools are still loaded with kinks that have even expert IT engineers scratching their heads. Still, you will find a lot of fun out there as you research, hyperlink to other sites, and create your own art while developing content. You will make lasting valuable connections as time goes on and perhaps establish new ways of reaching out to your audience that experts haven’t thought of. Just ask Amanda Hocking, whose novels went viral and took her from obscurity to best-selling author.

And then, just get started. Try out some things and see what works—and what doesn’t. At worst, you’ll discover it isn’t for you. At best, you will have found a new way to connect with people —which can’t be a bad thing, in these disconnected times.

What Style Is, from a Century Ago

2012-02-04T09:45:00.000-05:00

Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch (1863-1944)
author of On the Art of Writing (1916)

I have often recommended books on writing style, notably Artful Sentences, The Art of Styling Sentences, and Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace. Opinions on style are as numerous as there are readers of books, and such impressions have appeared in print for a long time. Remember George Orwell's 1946 essay "Politics and the English Language"? It's 66 years old, but English professors still refer students to it.

In this vein, I would suggest a reading of selected portions of Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch's On the Art of Writing (1916), which comprises a collection of lectures Quiller-Couch delivered in the University of Cambridge nearly a century ago. Here are some gems from those lectures:

The perfection of style is variety in unity, freedom, ease, clearness, the power of saying anything, and of striking any note in the scale of human feelings, without impropriety. (Part II, Paragraph 10)
I started by proposing that we try together to make appropriate, perspicuous, accurate, persuasive writing a hall-mark of anything turned out. (II, 11)
We laid down certain rules to help us in the way of straight Prose: (1) Always always prefer the concrete word to the abstract.(2) Almost always prefer the direct word to the circumlocution.(3) Generally, use transitive verbs, that strike their object; and use them in the active voice, eschewing the stationary passive, with its little auxiliary its’s and was’s, and its participles getting into the light of your adjectives, which should be few. For, as a rough law, by his use of the straight verb and by his economy of adjectives you can tell a man’s style, if it be masculine or neuter, writing or ‘composition.’ ...(4) Prefer the short word to the long. (5) Prefer the Saxon [English language] word to the Romance [Latin languages]. (VI, 20-26)
You will never begin to understand literature until you understand something of life. (X, 32)
This then is Style. As technically manifested in Literature it is the power to touch with ease, grace, precision, any note in the gamut of human thought or emotion. (XII, 34)

While some of Quiller-Couch's ideas hold true today, writing has changed dramatically a century later in light of globalization, technology, and social networking. So stay tuned.

Thinking Deeply About Thinking

2012-01-28T18:00:00.001-05:00

Daniel Kahneman’s premise is deceptively simple. We have twomodes of thinking, which he calls System 1 and System 2. System 1 operatesautomatically, quickly, and effortlessly; System 2 operates deliberately,systematically, and painstakingly. System 1 intuits; System 2 computes. System1 reacts involuntary; System 2 makes choices. While we use System 1 during mostof our waking hours, System 2 relies on System 1 for suggestions based onexperience. In a sense, this method is how two minds become one. Excelling inthe world demands quick thinking, so our natural capacity to make judgmentsbased on System 1 is an indispensable attribute. After all, we tend to believeour impressions. In effect, Systems 1 and 2 work like well-oiled gears in ahigh-efficiency machine for most of us.

Once Kahneman quickly establishes the distinctions betweenSystems 1 and 2, he devotes most of the nearly 500 pages of Thinking, Fast and Slow to biases theycreate and the missteps they engender. Using numerous actual and theoreticalanecdotes from his own experience and popular culture, as well as engagingtests for the reader, the author continually returns to WYSIATI (what you seeis all there is), a term he uses to explain how we generally make sense of theworld—usually with success but possibly to our detriment.

WYSIATI helps us to quickly size up new situations and makecorrect snap judgments based on reality. However, biases abound from this operating system. We see the world asmore logical and predictable than it really is, and, against the advice of theproverbial Wall Street disclaimer, we rely on past results as indicators offuture results.

Kahneman, a Nobel laureate in economics, details how thesedistortions cause us to approach decision points with overconfidence, to framesituations improperly, and to rely solely on best-case scenarios, among manyother missteps. He lays out a long list of “illusions” that drive our thinking,including an inaccurate assessment of our understanding or skill, an unreliabledependence on memory, and a misguided belief in pundits—all leading to errantjudgments and poor results.

One of most revealing points of Thinking, Fast and Slow is that System 1 and System 2 are notalways in agreement. At least three facts confirm this condition. For one, says,Kahneman, “We believe that duration is important [System 1], but our memory[System 2] tells us it is not. The rules that govern the evaluation of the pastare poor guides for decision making, because time does matter.” Second, we areinclined to judge our past by the peak-end rule, when our experiences were attheir highest or lowest, creating a distorted picture of the past and aseriously flawed projection of the future. A third indication of the dissonancebetween Systems 1 and 2 is our susceptibility to hindsight, which alsomisrepresents our actual understanding of past and present events.

Thinking, Fast andSlow is rich with insights about how and why we think. Anyone fascinatedwith language will find a lot of hidden treasures in this book. Language,insists Kahneman, is an antidote to fallacious thinking: “Ultimately, a richerlanguage is essential to the skill of constructive criticism.” I could notagree more.

It's Not Just About the 5W/H

2012-01-24T15:15:00.000-05:00

It's just not enough to start a complex document by asking the proverbial who, what, where, when, why, and how. If you're writing a hard-news article for the company newsletter or a root-cause analysis, then the 5W/H would be a terrific start. But more often than not, writers need to stress only the how, when, and where or omit the who, what, and why altogether for scientific, political, or legal reasons.

Asking questions is a big part of critical thinking and a necessary step of quality writing. In "The Art of Asking Questions," Ron Ashkenas, writing for the Harvard Business Review Blog Network, suggests three areas to ask questions for improved managerial effectiveness: about yourself, about your plans and project, and about your organization.

Asking these questions would help to develop rich, audience-focused content for their proposals, reports, analyses, white papers, and blogs. Planning messages is a key to efficient writing, so take the time to plan-by-asking and break through writer's block.

AMA Shift Is Out There

2012-01-21T11:00:00.000-05:00

I have become a fan of AMA Shift, a blog published daily by the American Management Association. AMA Shift highlight issues of importance to business leaders by producing thought-provoking, useful, and entertaining commentary from faculty members, staff, and friends.

Here are at least three reasons that you might want to check into AMA Shift:

"Conquering the Email Burden" by Robert Tanner provides excellent links to counter email overload.
"Five Dangers of Brainstorming" by Hazel Wagner suggests remedies to the dangers of forgetting to quality control creative ideas.
"Step Away from Your Mobile Device: Strategies for Digital Detox" by job interview coach and career development specialist Pamela Skillings, makes compelling points about how smartphones have become an appendage and what we can do about it.

The Benefits of "How to Read a Book"

2012-01-17T13:30:00.000-05:00

A reading of the highly instructive How to Read a Book would show that after 70-plus years, the book still applies to an e-reading world. It was first published by Mortimer J. Adler in 1940 and was last revised with Charles Van Doren in 1972, which seems like ancient history, especially in light of the reading revolution. Yet as we click on links and skim through headings of text in our iPads, Kindles, and Nooks, the four levels of reading and the various stages within those levels described in the book still reflect the reading experience. The truth be told, most adults still need instruction in how to read critically, and this book shows us how.

In How to Read a Book, Adler and Van Doren begin with the notion that reading is far from the passive activity many educators claim it is. They lay out in great detail the four levels of reading as elementary (word, sentence, and paragraph recognition, vocabulary development), inspectional (learning the basis and content of the book), analytical (interpreting and critiquing the author’s viewpoint), and synoptical (finding the relevance of the book, clarifying questions, defining issues, discovering relevant bibliographies). Most readers need not worry about the synoptical level if they read for quick information or pure entertainment. However, an awareness of the inspectional level, when the Adler and Van Doren say we should perform a structured skimming through the book, would save us a lot of reading time if done systematically. This book details such a system.

The authors employ a recursive approach, restating their earlier major premises in relation to new ones as the book advances through the four levels. They also provide in-depth guidance for reading practical, literary, historical, scientific, philosophical, and social science books. Readers and reading instructors will find most useful the four basic questions to answer at the heart of active reading: What is the book about? What is the author saying? Are the author’s ideas true? What can we make of the ideas in the book? The authors even detail what they consider to be three kinds of notes one can take during inspectional reading: structural, to understand the content; conceptual, to consider the author’s concepts in concert with one’s own; and dialectical, to merge related ideas from other books.

Those who choose to disagree for its own sake (think Washington, D.C.) would do well to practice the three conditions of general criticism outlined in How to Read a Book: first, understand before criticizing; second, criticize without being contentious; third, disagree on items that are remediable. Once readers are prepared to disagree, they would find helpful the conditions to satisfy for well-conducted controversy (pages 154-155) and the four remarks to make in disagreeing with the author (page 156).

In any Mortimer Adler book one will find many side benefits as well. His trenchant observations about his subject matter and his highly quotable style are among them. Here is one of this comments that stuck with me: “Common experience is available to all men and women just because they are alive. Special experience must be actively sought and is available only to those who go to the trouble of acquiring it.” It's simple, clear, and corroborated observations like these that make How to Read a Book a reading pleasure.

Travel to Get Bitten by the Writing Bug

2012-01-15T18:15:00.000-05:00

A view from above Piazza di Spagna, Roma.
The Keats-Shelley House is on the left.
Photo by Georgia Kostares.

During my 70 or sovacations through 27 American states and 23 countries or territories over the past 38 years, one thing has been consistent in my writing life: I have never failed to journal. For some reason, writer's blockhas never existed when I'm traveling. Perhaps it's the mind-awakening sense ofadventure. Maybe it's the freedom from mundane distractions. Or it could be anurge to report about new sensory experiences. Whatever it is, at age 20, I took the adviceof one of my college professors, Paul Cherry, who said, “If you want to be awriter, you have to travel.” After all, isn’t that what Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Neruda, and Isak Dinesen did?

Carl Sandburg House, Flat Rock, North Carolina.
Photo by National Park Service.

One of the great pleasures of traveling is visiting the homes of writers or museums dedicated to them, such as those of William Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon, John Keats in Rome (pictured above) Nikos Kazantzakis in Myrtia, Crete, Carl Sandburg in North Carolina (pictured across), and many more. Just search your favorite writers. At these locations, first-hand insights are available on these writers' intellectual development, interests, and creation process.

So the next time you take a trip, research writers. You may find yourself writing nonstop. Of course, you don’thave to leave your home in Amherst to write well—just ask Emily Dickinson.

Get Cultured Fast: Outline of Great Books

2012-01-12T01:30:00.000-05:00

If you want to be morecultured in a day, I recommend a highly useful and enjoyable website. On PublicBookshelf.com,you’ll find Outlineof Great Books, Volume 1.

There you’ll find overviews of under a thousand wordson a broad variety of topics across millennia of literature, including Herodotus’s History;Edward Gibbon’s Declineand Fall of the Roman Empire; Plato’s Apology,Republic, and Symposium; Aristotle’s Ethicsand Politics; Epictetus’s Discourses; Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations; Thomas More’s Utopia; Machiavelli’s ThePrince; Rene Descartes’s Discourseon Method; Thomas Hobbes’s Leviathan; Benedict deSpinoza’s Ethics; John Locke’s Essay Concerning Human Understanding;Jean Jacques Rousseau’s The Social Contract; Adam Smith’s TheWealth of Nations; Immanuel Kant’s TheCritique of Practical Reason; Thomas Paine’s The Rights of Man;John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty; and Herbert Spencer’s FirstPrinciples of Sociology, among many others.

Need I say more?

“How to Write Fast Under Pressure” Gets Another Good Notice

2012-01-07T21:00:00.000-05:00

In “Writing Fast Under Pressure,” anarticle by Amy Laine for Squidoo, the author has some useful ideasfor writing a paper fast. She mentions Howto Write Fast Under Pressure as a helpful resource, which is available in print and Kindle editions. Laine writes:

The bookHow to Write Fast Under Pressure by Philip Vassallo is an easy-to-read, step-by-step guide that introduces and teaches methods for a writer tobecome a speed writer while still improving their overall quality of theirwork.

WORDS ON THE LINE Begins Seventh Year Today

2012-01-04T17:30:00.124-05:00

Welcome to the 437th post on WORDS ON THE LINE, which celebrates its seventh anniversary today, making this blog one of the longest-running Internet resources for business and technical writers. I'll celebrate the occasion by giving you an overview of the blog, as it has been modified since you last visited.

TOP
At the top are my biography, a link to my user profile, and a header which you can click on to return to the homepage.

LEFT SIDE
Down the left side of the blog are the last seven posts in reverse chronological order. These items cover writing tips, grammar rules, practical applications of writing theory, relevant book briefs, writers' references, recommended websites, and news about my work. At the end of each post, you have an opportunity to comment or to share the post by email or on Facebook, Twitter, or Blogger.

RIGHT SIDE
Down the right side of the blog are user-friendly connection tools:

Search Box – to find any topic covered in the blog over the past seven years.
Links to Phil – to connect to me through my professional services website, Twitter, Amazon book briefs, LinkedIn, and other formats.
Blog Archive – to research blog posts by date.
Labels – to research blog posts by topic.
Books by Phil Vassallo – to link to Amazon to purchase one of my books on work-related writing.
Educational Sites – to link to great learning and informational resources.

BOTTOM

At the bottom are links to the most popular WORDS ON THE LINE posts.

I hope you find the blog useful and welcome you to share it with friends and coworkers. To your writing success!

PhilVassallo.com Has New Look and Improved Content

2012-01-02T18:00:00.001-05:00

PhilVassallo.com is completed revamped. You’ll notice there a cleaner look and extensive updates to courses I offer, clients I have served, and books I have read.

This website is a client-driven one, as I have tailored to address specific inquires about my corporate writing, editing, instructional design, training, and coaching services. My contact points appear at the footer of each page to expedite communication with me.

Six Websites to Immediately Bookmark and Continually Check

2011-12-29T11:45:00.207-05:00

As this post is my last of 2011, I am recommending six websites, in no particular order, which are designed to educate, entertain, and inspire. They have achieved these objectives for me, so I hope you find them just as helpful. Some have appeared on this blog before, but they are worth a second or third notice.

FORAtv provides live and recorded lectures, interviews, debates, and panels on business, environment, politics, science, technology, and culture from leading thinkers around the world. Founded in San Francisco in 2005, FORAtv boasts a stunning range of content partners and syndication partners.

TED (Technology, Education, Design) has as its tagline "Ideas Worth Spreading." It started in 1984 and now broadcasts talks by world renowned speakers on dievrse topics. TED features two annual conferences, the TEDTalks video site, TED fellowships, and the annual TED Prize.

Learn Out Loud is an audio book and podcast site devoted to languages, literature, philosophy, politics, religion, science, technology, and travel, among others topics. Most of the content comes with a cost, but its ever-expanding database of free readings, lectures, webcasts, and webinars are worth downloading onto your smartphone or listening to by streaming. Several of these are semester length for those seeking in-depth content.

Big Think offers a seemingly endless array of blogs, articles, and videos on topics of global and urgent interest from the most influential academics, literati, and politicos on the scene today. Check out the site's Idea Feed for ground-breaking spins on breaking news based on three principles: significance (How will this idea change the world and impact your life?), relevance (What groups and individuals does this idea most affect?), and application (How can this idea change the way you think or act?)

Academic Earth contains courses and lectures by professors from Berkeley, Columbia, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford, Yale, and other major universities on virtually every major subject area you're likely to find in higher education. Some recent topics: literary theory, stock market simulation, the development of thought, and Paul's ministry.

Do Lectures founded in 2005 by David & Clare Hieatt and based in Wales, has as it premise, in its own words, "people who Do things can inspire the rest of us to go and Do things, too. So each year we invite a set of people down here to come and tell us what they Do. They can be small Do’s or big Do’s or just extraordinary Do’s. But when you listen to their stories, they light a fire in your belly to go and Do your thing, your passion, the thing that sits in the back of your head each day, just waiting, and waiting for you to follow your heart."

Here's to a 2012 of good health, self-realizing success, and important work at the service of others.

When in Doubt Leave It Out? I Think Not!

2011-12-23T12:15:00.001-05:00

The old journalism maxim, "When in doubt leave it out," might work well in reporting news, but it might be counterproductive to principles of writing fast under pressure. Fair-minded reporters would not want to slander their subjects or jeopardize their reputation by writing statements they cannot verify, so they would do well to strike such thoughts from their news stories.

As a tip for writing fast under intense deadlines, however, the adage is not as useful. The idea of composing quickly is based on creativity, not criticism, so writers who are planning and producing that first draft should take a no-holds-barred approach. Say as you're writing the first draft of a proposal for upper management, a compelling but unsubstantiated idea pops into your head. Why leave it out so early in the writing process? Write it down and flag it as a point for confirmation. Why risk deleting and forgetting it now when it can potentially lead to other great ideas to support your message? You can always strike it later if need be.

How to Write Fast Under Pressure examines this and numerous other tips for the business and technical writer. It is available in print and electronic formats.

Points about Speaking and Listening from a Master Communicator

2011-12-16T20:00:00.006-05:00

Mortimer J. Adler's How to Speak How to Listen makes several instructive points for the practical person seeking a theoretical framework as well as the novice professional speaker and meeting participant. These suggestions also connect well to writing at work.

Adler suggests an order for introducing into a presentation Aristotle's time-tested tripartite of persuasion as follows: ethos (credibility), pathos (emotion), and logos (logic). In addition, he examines two indispensable considerations of speech preparation, once again borrowing from Greek: taxis (the structure) and lexis (the language).

Some of his observations are memorable:

"Always risk talking over (your audience's) heads."
"Truly great books ... are the few books that are over everybody's head all of the time."
In speeches, "On the one hand, the language employed and the sentences constructed should be clear without being plain. On the other hand, they should have a certain elevation above the ordinary without being obscure."
"The most prevalent mistake that people make about both listening and reading is to regard them as passively receiving rather than actively participating."
"To disagree before you understand is impertinent. To agree is inane."

Reading and Writing: Two Activities of Endless Delight

2011-12-09T17:15:00.003-05:00

The coffee cup is empty, but the reading never ends.

I remember baseball player Pete Rose, in the midst of his legendary National League record 44-game hitting streak, saying, "I'm not the fastest runner and I don't have the strongest arms, but by legs and my arms are my greatest assets."

That's the way I feel about my reading and writing abilities. I may not be the fastest reader or the most skilled writer, but I am forever grateful for those skills, which have been not only my livelihood but my means of better understanding the world and deepening my perspective on the purpose of existence.

I wake up an hour earlier than I have to for the privilege and pleasure of reading the book of the day. I'm one of those people who read six or so books at a time. While I'm at it, I keep nearby my notebook, the low-tech type, to list observations about my reading, to jot notes on a program I'm designing for a client, to capture an otherwise fleeting creative idea, or just to document recent experiences.

Taking a break from note taking.

I read and write with my daily cup of coffee or occasional glass of wine, on the beach or in bed, in silence or with background music, or whenever, wherever, and however I can. Sometimes I erupt into a euphoric state just because I have the gift of reading and writing. If you feel the same, count yourself lucky; if you don't, think of all there is to learn.

Why and How I Teach Writing, Part 12: Self-renewal

2011-12-04T23:45:00.012-05:00

Socrates (469 BC - 399 BC) photo by Eric Gaba

“Examining both myself and others is really the very best thing that a man can do, and life without this sort of examination is not worth living.” (Socrates in Plato’s Apology, 38a)

In the spirit of Socrates’s observation on the eve of his execution, I continually renew myself as a writer, teacher, and assessor by answering seven questions with specific responses in the general areas of myself, my field, and my clients. Each question begins: What have I done lately to …

deepen my subject-matter knowledge?
improve my teaching skills?
cultivate my own writing?
improve in my teaching tips?
contribute ideas to the fields of writing, teaching, and learning?
help people develop their writing?
reaffirm my commitment to writing, teaching, and assessing?

Why and How I Teach Writing, Part 11: Self-development

2011-11-27T20:15:00.023-05:00

Teachers need to learn and trainers need training to expand their knowledge and to cultivate their skills. The more I learn, the more I bring to my educational situations as a consultant, writer, trainer, coach, and teacher. Therefore I have two full-time jobs: teaching and learning. I structure my learning opportunities eclectically and by diverse means.

DomainsThe areas in which I continually seek learning areas fall into seven broad areas:

Training – topics, trends, and innovations in the training and consulting business. This area has kept me on top of new approaches to virtual and asynchronous deliveries as well as coaching, classroom training, and webinars.
Client – the concerns, endeavors, and practices of the industries and disciplines of my clients. Working with project managers has led me to read about the critical path method, with scientists to review clinical research, and with humanitarian professionals to study global efforts to reduce poverty, promote gender equality, and lead peacekeeping efforts.
Discipline – theory and practice on the art of writing. Regardless of how much I write about writing and teach writing, I discover new theories and approaches to instruction.
Academia – fields that have applications to the writing discipline. Learning from writing-across-the-curriculum research, science, history, literature, journalism, philosophy, and the arts provides plenty of new ideas that I can connect to my clients’ writing needs.
Business – topics of business leadership, management, marketing, investment, and real estate. These areas are all a part of the complex web of fields that directly affect my clients.
News – world and national, and local governmental, political, cultural, and sporting events. Being informed of world affairs affords me a deep reservoir of timely cultural references.
Electives – my own non-business interests. Lately, these have included the topics of creativity, linguistics, neurology, theology, and yoga.

Sources
I learn whatever I can from reading books and articles; attending lectures, seminars, and webinars; watching videos, documentaries, and feature films; and discussing ideas with students, clients, and friends. Social gatherings are great opportunities to learn, so I always keep a notebook or smartphone nearby to take notes and followup.

Why and How I Teach Writing, Part 10: Follow-up

2011-11-20T22:15:00.007-05:00

Following up with clients about their writing skills is essential in ensuring the integrity of my consulting practice. Here are four ways I follow up:

1. Offer additional coaching. Writing needs change as clients move into new positions that require more technical or managerial writing.

2. Respond to all queries. Current and even former clients write or call with specific questions about grammar, reference books, or websites. I respond to all of them.

3. Address their issues on this blog. Often questions directed to me become the source of a blog post. Those posts seem to be the most popular on WORDS ON THE LINE.

4. Suggest additional courses. Many of my clients have taken more than one of my courses, and some as many as six in different areas (e.g., grammar, email, business writing, technical writing, executive summary writing, and persuasive writing). I see their improvement with each course they take.

Why and How I Teach Writing, Part 9: Coaching

2011-11-13T22:15:00.002-05:00

Coaching, or one-one-instruction, is a constant part of my consulting. Whether I am working with a junior associate or an executive, I apply these standards to my coaching:

Pre-coaching

1. Diagnose the issue. Through diagnostic tests (usually several writing samples from the client’s collection and an assignment I create), client interviews and questionnaires, and, if appropriate, feedback from the managers, I learn the client’s writing strengths and needs.

2. Determine the coaching goals. I articulate the coaching objectives based on two sources: my assessment of the diagnostic and the client’s stated desired outcome.

3. Create rich content. I develop content specific to the writing the client does and that addresses the coaching goals.

Coaching

4. Stick to the plan. While staying flexible to detect other areas of need as they arise during the coaching, I ensure that the goals remain foremost on the coaching agenda.

5. Provide continual feedback. Every piece of writing and every writing observation that the client makes is valuable in the coaching situation. I use it all to tie into the goals and to move the client to the next logical step in the coaching process.

6. Raise the bar. Those next logical steps should spiral toward greater mastery. Repetition for the sake of busy work is unproductive; therefore, successive assignments graduate in complexity and competence level.

7. Assess honestly. I try to keep the assessment positive, but I know my reputation is on the line when I give feedback. I summarize both strengths and weaknesses with each writing activity.

Post-coaching

8. Provide a roadmap. Once the coaching concludes, I refer the client to print and electronic resources for continued improvement

9. Check in occasionally. – In fact, the coaching does not conclude; once a client, always a client. I contact former clients periodically to see how their writing is doing and provide guidance for further development.

Why and How I Teach Writing, Part 8: Leading

2011-11-06T22:00:00.000-05:00

In this and the next post, I discuss the difference between training in a group or a one-on-one context. I devote this post to training groups. Let’s start with this point: I train in writing. I train in managerial, leadership, sales, and technical skills only as they relate to the written word; in other words, I do design and deliver courses the following areas:

Managerial – executive summary writing, proposal writing, analytical reports
Leadership – speech-writing, white papers, business plans
Sales – PowerPoint decks, customer service correspondence
Technical – blogging, writing root cause reports, writing audit reports, writing procedures

Having made this point, I remain focused on group dynamics when training in onsite or online courses that involve multiple participants. My attitude about working in this context is quite the opposite of a typical college professor (although I have taught in the university context as well), who takes the position that if students fail, that’s their problem. I feel responsible for the learning of people who attend my workshops; if they do not get it, then that’s my problem.

I need to engage all my program participants. A simple way to achieve this goal is keep in mind these ideas:

Teach a point briefly, give them a practice opportunity, and debrief on the point.
Group participants diversely throughout the workshop so that they all get to learn from each other.
Divide groups for assignments by pair, trio, and quartet. More four could be a crowd and take too much time for learning the teaching point.
Give plenty of writing opportunities, since that’s why they’re in the workshop.
Ask plenty of questions to which you do not know the answer. Speak to their experience so that they can apply the learning point and you can learn something from them.
Expect of them no more than you would expect of yourself. Use realistic timeframes to complete assignments and give assignments that make you work as hard as they do. Do not give them a writing assignment for which you will not give them feedback.

Why and How I Teach Writing, Part 7: Lecturing

2011-10-30T21:15:00.001-04:00

I try to apply these 13 maxims whenever I lecture.

Know thy audience. Address the people before you, not some imagined, idealized group. They are giving their precious time to hear what you have to say; make it worth their while by tailoring your presentation to their concerns.
Respect thy audience. Even if they’re kindergartners, assume they know as much as you—if not more. Be grateful they’re there and remember that you’re there to serve them.
Address a central issue. Avoid taking on the universe in the brief time allotted. Tell the audience the question you will answer or the issue you will address.
Map the lecture. Let the audience know upfront where the lecture is heading. Give a brief overview.
Keep it brief. Hit the supporting points immediately. People do not want to hear experts drone endlessly as if engaged in a monologue.
Pace yourself. This tip does not contradict the previous one. People need to hear what you say, and some do not efficiently process information they hear. Take your time.
Tell war stories. People enjoy hearing the well-placed illustrative anecdote. Keep it brief and ensure that it drives home a key point.
Use humor. We all appreciate someone who can make us laugh. When appropriate, bring humor into the presentation.
Use visuals. Allow pictures—but not paragraphs—to dramatize or support what you’re saying. Pictures are more memorable than words.
Rely on verifiable facts. Whatever you say, be prepared to cite the source because you will be challenged.
Engage the audience. Let them participate, even letting them become co-lecturers if it makes sense. Look for opportunities to give them individual or team exercises and debrief on all such activities.
Appreciate the silence. If your question to the audience results in a dead silence, wait for a response. Maybe the question is so profound that people need time to reflect on it. Never answer your own question.
Deliver on all promises. If you say, “I’ll speak for five minutes,” then don’t speak for six. If you say, “I will prove that by the end of this lecture,” then prove it. Be your word.

Why and How I Teach Writing, Part 6: Equipment

2011-10-23T13:45:00.004-04:00

These days we write nearly exclusively on computers and smartphones, most often by email. For this reason, I request computers for course participants, as well as a computer with PowerPoint and a projector for myself. I also ask for a flipchart to show examples and highlight points not appearing in the PowerPoint or manual.

Having an internet connection in the facility also proves beneficial so that participants can email their writing assignment to me, and we can then project it to the entire class for review. I also browse helpful websites for writers during the course. Interestingly, those who might at first find such a critique of their work nerve-wracking later say how helpful the experience was.

Why and How I Teach Writing, Part 5: Materials

2011-10-16T06:30:00.019-04:00

When I first became a writing consultant, I worked for someone who encouraged me to use gag handouts, usually malapropisms, spoonerisms, palindromes, anagrams, and other such nonsense. Her theory (and that of many trainers) was that course participants want—no, need—to enjoy themselves to learn. Out came her diagrams showing how by stimulating those fun-loving endorphins, we would spur the learning experience exponentially.

So why do I call such handouts nonsense? Because they are. I keep away from them, as well as silly koosh balls, slinkies, and other toys of the day. I simply do not buy into the theory. I have a great time teaching, and I want people in my courses to enjoy themselves too. But companies pay a lot of money and participants put a lot of their work time into my courses for one reason: to improve their writing skills. So if anything I do detracts from their learning, out from the course it goes. People still have fun in my classes because we consistently seem to find our common sense of humor through looking at the relevant topic discussions and writing activities. Life and the language we use to express our experience are funny enough without wasting times and money on foolish jokes and toys. We’re obsessed by our smartphones as it is—do we need more distractions?

Relevance, interactivity, collaboration, challenge: these are my core four training deliverables. If I give participants these four, then the fifth deliverable, enjoyment, falls naturally into place—even for the greatest of workaholics or loafers. In planning my courses, materials are supreme in enabling me to achieve the core four. I generally use the following course materials:

manual – which includes the course outline, resource list, learning points, writing models, and practice activities, all laid out in chronological order
book – a related resource that reinforces all the learning points in greater depth
articles – essays other authorities or I have published that support the learning
job aid – a bookmark listing the key takeaways and my contact points
presentation – a PowerPoint deck keeping time of the teaching points and activities by presenting a visual representation of the most important ideas
timeline – for my own use only, a minute-by minute, sequential breakdown of the course timing

One more point about materials. Some trainers feel that they should not hand out materials until the point in the course that they’re used. I disagree. The more you give participants, even weeks before the course the more involved they become.

Why and How I Teach Writing, Part 4: Practicing

2011-10-09T22:15:00.001-04:00

An unprepared teacher can’t fool even a kindergartner. Lecturers, professors, actors, or talk show hosts who think they can “call it in” when delivering a presentation will confront a bored, confused, or hostile audience. Even expert presenters need to practice, so I live by these six practice principles:

Allow enough practice time. Although I like to prepare for presentations just hours—and even minutes—before delivering them, I allow far more time days before the presentation. I have heard stage directors and actors say that they need one hour of rehearsal time for each minute of the play. Obviously, busy presenters just don’t have that kind of time. I do not keep a time formula for practice, but I do abide by this fundamental premise: Practice until I can do the whole thing by memory.
Time the presentation. This tip is critical. Time management problems happen in an instant; therefore, I break down the presentation by topic or activity in blocks of time. I then calculate the entire time and make additions and subtractions to conform to my allotted presentation time.
Select audience questions carefully. I want to make these questions challenging enough to engage the audience, easy enough not to intimidate them, and purposeful enough that I can reinforce my points. I practice my responses when getting the answer I want as well as the opposite.
Pilot the presentation. Since I am in a one-person business, I rarely get such an opportunity. However, I never pass on it if it is available, and I don’t shy from asking friends or colleagues to sit through at least the part of my presentation where feedback would be helpful. They appreciate my respecting their opinion and never hesitate to tell me what they think I’m doing wrong—and most often they’re right.
Visualize the audience. I try to think of myself as an audience. What would I want from the presentation if I need it for my job? If I were attending grudgingly only because my boss required me to? If I were a know-it-all? If I had a political axe to grind? If I were attending with a friend and saw it as an opportunity to socialize? If I were a slow learner? A fast learner? A nonnative speaker just learning the language? Someone fixated on my smartphone? I have had all these sorts in my presentations, so I try to strike a balance that addresses such a mixed bag.
Practice for contingencies. These include the projection screen being unavailable, gaining time because the audience moves quicker through the presentation than expected, losing time because of fire drills or tornado evacuations, getting the wrong location or the wrong time, being asked at the last minute to reduce or expand my presentation time, and dealing with disruptive people. All of these and more have happened to me, so I remind myself that I need fillers for expanded time and shortcuts for contracted time.

One final point: Practice is a great way to overcome stage fright. Many a panic-stricken presenter has told me, “I’m glad I practiced; it was the only thing that got me through.”

How and Why I Teaching Writing, Part 3: Planning

2011-10-02T06:45:00.042-04:00

Image by Christopher McCarthy

A teacher or trainer with a clear and complete plan is likely to succeed. Good planning requires me to think deeply about what students need and how I can help them meet their own goals. My approach to planning is based on winning an OSCAR: objectives, system, content, arrangement, and review—all at the service of my students. [Note: In this post, I make no distinction between the terms “teacher” or “students,” preferred by academics, and the terms “trainer” or “participants,” preferred by businesspeople, because the planning I describe here is imperative and similar in either context.]

Objective – I set goals for students to meet these five criteria:

Actionable – The objective must be a do (e.g., write, revise, create), not a know (e.g., learn, understand, know), so that students can prove by example that they have learned.
Attainable – The objective should be realistic, one that the students can achieve during the course. Attaining this goal increases the likelihood that they will replicate it back at their office or home.
Challenging – The objective should also make students stretch themselves, as writing success comes from hard work. The more challenging the task, the greater the sense of accomplishment.
Assessable – The objective needs to be measurable; therefore, the task needs to be specific (e.g., separate ten sentences into three paragraphs in a logical order, each starting with the main point).
Applicable – Whatever I teach has to be relevant to why students are there. Since most of my teaching is to corporate employees, I try to use actual examples of student work-related writing samples.

System – Being flexible in the class means being prepared with different ways of teaching a point, even if I don’t need to use those different methods. My system should include a good mix of lecture, class discussion, individual work, and teamwork. Also blended learning comes into play. When feasible, I provide in-class, coaching, and online learning opportunities, both synchronous and asynchronous, before, during, and after the course.

Content – I choose content not based on what I know but on what my students need to know. This means that I need to profile the learners to the extent that I can. Why are they coming to the class? What do they know? What do they want to learn? How can they use it on the job? Depending on the answers to those questions, I select from my library the most relevant content and research additional useful material.

Arrangement – The material needs to evolve in a way that helps learners build on previous learning. I sequence the course content to help students handle increasingly challenging situations. In general, I teach a point, let them practice, debrief on the point, and transition into a related more complex point.

Review – Activities must include many opportunities for students to practice what they are learning. We learn to write by writing not just by listening and speaking. In planning the course timing, I aim for at least a 50-50 split between lecture/discussion and individual writing/team review assignments. I also allow time for questions about related material that may not be in the course content. If it’s related, I should address it during the class; if it is not, I should address it during the break or after the class. Finally, I reflect on contingencies. If running ahead of schedule because of fewer questions, I reemphasize content through additional practice opportunities; if running behind schedule because of more questions, I determine what content I can de-emphasize without missing a vital teaching point.

With those five guiding principles, OSCAR, I know I will leave nothing out, I will deliver to my audience something of value, and I will address their concerns as the course progresses.

Why and How I Teach Writing, Part 2: Assessment

2011-09-25T14:45:00.003-04:00

Writing assessment involves deep judgment that requires complex thinking and diverse experience. But informed as writing assessment may be, it is human judgment, replete with the assessor's inclinations and biases.
To ensure that my evaluation is as objective as possible in a subjective discipline, I adhere to these principles:

Evaluate writing from both formative and summative perspectives. Formative evaluation calls for me to evaluate writers from where they are; summative evaluation calls for me to evaluate the quality of the writing.
Evaluate for a standard and consistent skill set. I assess based on four general areas--purposefulness, completeness, organization, and style--each of which encompasses a range of subordinate skills.
Use a sensible rubric for assessing writing. A scale of 1 to 10 is not helpful because I know of no one who uses the entire scale. The letter grade system is for the academic world. I use a qualitative assessment that gives the writer a clear signal: strong, needs improvement, etc.
Assess writing over a number of assignments. Let's say writers do poorly on a proposal. Assigning an analytical report or instructional message that the same writers complete successfully may suggest that they are otherwise good writers who are just learning how to write a proposal.
Determine what to teach based on the writing assessment. I readily break from my game plan if the writing quality shows that I should. For instance, is the next topic is organization and the writing is showing tone problems, then tone moves into the agenda.
Make the assessment positive. Realizing that people build on their weaknesses by using their strengths, I show writers those strengths as building blocks toward improvement.
Suggest behaviors that can improve the writer. People learn to write better by writing more, but they also need to read more. I suggest books, articles, and websites to help them improve.

Why and How I Teach Writing, Part 1: Motivation

2011-09-18T13:00:00.089-04:00

People noticing my education level and publication record may say that writing is easier for me than it is for them.

Not true. Writing remains a challenge for me whether I'm working on a book, a course, or an email. Writing is not easy. Sure, some people write better than others, but writing at work is a skill that can be learned. It is a necessary ability for employment and promotion. It is a primary responsibility of most corporate employees, whether they are writing procedures, policies, reports, analyses, or proposals.

For those reasons and more, I teach writing. In the coming 11 posts, I will explore some writing principles I live by to keep me committed, engaged, and informed as a teacher.

Conditional Mood: Speculative vs. Predictive

2011-09-11T05:30:00.002-04:00

In a grammar class, I'm likely to ask, "Why are the following three sentences correct?":

If I knew you needed me, I would have helped.
If I were you, I would apply for the job.
If you have a question, I will answer it.

Notice the if-would combinations for sentences 1 and 2 but the if-will combination for sentence 3.

Most people in my class know the three sentences are grammatically correct but cannot explain why. The usual answer I get is, "Sentence 1 is in the past, sentence 2 is in the present, and sentence 3 is in the future, so we need will for the future." But these sentences have less to do with time, or tense, than they have to do with our state of mind, or mood. Here are the facts:

Sentence 1 cannot be in the past because it never happened (I did not know you needed me).
Sentence 2 is not in the present because it cannot be (I cannot be you).
Sentence 3 is a condition likely to happen in my mind (I will answer your question).

Sentences 1 and 2 have conditions that cannot be met, so we use the speculative if-would combination. The condition in sentence 3 is likely to happen, so we use the predictive if-will combination.

Great Ideas a Must Bookmark

2011-09-04T14:00:00.002-04:00

The Great Ideas, led by American philosopher Mortimer J. Adler, and their companion The Great Books, offer a solid overview of the major concepts from biology, education, ethics, law, literature, mathematics, medicine, philosophy, politics, psychology, science, and theology. The reading list you'll find there covers the classics of Western literature which have shaped how we learned and what we think. It's an invaluable resource that will keep you occupied for years to come.

Arbitrary Grammar Rules: Breaking Them

2011-08-29T08:30:00.006-04:00

Sure, rules of sentence structure exist. But if all writers follow them slavishly, we would not have sentence fragments like these in well-known books and essays:

My birthday a year ago when he had twenty-five nights left to live. (Joan Didion, from The Year of Magical Thinking)
To return to the convoy about to depart. (Viktor E. Frankl, translated by Ilse Lasch, from Man's Search for Meaning)
But for what purpose? (Martin Luther King, Jr., from Letter from a Birmingham City Jail)
Semitic? Semiotic? Jews and the science of signs? (Walker Percy, from "Why Are You a Catholic?" in Signposts in a Strange Land)

The point? Know the rules first and break them sparingly for dramatic effect.

Arbitrary Grammar Rules: Pronoun Agreement

2011-08-22T00:15:00.007-04:00

The rule used to be that a gender-nonspecific singular noun needed a masculine singular pronoun for agreement. Example:

A reporter must understand his ethical responsibility.

The rule changed to subvert what some construed as a male-dominated mindset. In 1975, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) published a position statement, Guidelines for Gender-Fair Use of Language, allowing for this new pronoun:

A reporter must understand his or her ethical responsibility.

So we solved the gender-exclusivity and created a new problem—awkwardness, as seen in the example below:

A reporter must understand his or her ethical responsibility, and if he or she has any doubt about the truth of a story he or she is covering, he or she should consult with his or her editor.

What solutions would the NCTE offer to such awkwardness? For one, make the original noun plural:

Reporters must understand their ethical responsibility, and if they have any doubt about the truth of a story they are covering, they should consult with their editor.

Another solution is to eliminate the disagreeable pronouns altogether:

A reporter must understand the ethical responsibility of the job, and if in doubt about the truth of a story, should consult with the editor.

Easy enough, but the issue continues when employees refer to their organizations:

XYZ, Inc. cares about its employees.

Corporate employees frown upon referring to their company as an it. They remedy the situation in several ways:

XYZ, Inc. cares about their employees. (This solution is grammatically incorrect, but many employees knowledgeable about the rule do not care, as they believe the problem is not theirs but the grammar snobs'.)

XYZ, Inc. management cares about the employees.

At XYZ, Inc., we care about our employees.

The moral? Just as we avoid strange people and places in certain situations, we might want to steer clear of this arbitrary grammar rule.

Writing for the Web Online Course Ready to Go

2011-08-15T23:30:00.001-04:00

I recently completed designing the American Management Association's Writing for the Web course based on its successful classroom version. The course will run four consecutive weeks on the same weekday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. US Eastern time. I will be leading the first two offerings:

September 12, 19, 26, October 3 (Mondays)
November 28, December 5, 12, and 19 (Mondays)

The program focuses on writing skills needed for creating clear, concise online content, but it also looks closely at search engine optimization, social media platforms, blogging, and websites.

You can register by clicking here.

Books by Philip Vassallo

Three Books, Three Looks at Writing

2011-08-08T05:00:00.108-04:00

A frequently asked question I get is, "What are the differences among your books on writing?" Here are my one-sentence answers:

How to Write Fast Under Pressure focuses on techniques for overcoming writer's block and generating ideas by planning creatively, drafting quickly, and rewriting efficiently, whether you are a business or a technical writer.
The Art of E-mail Writing concerns writing email at work with special attention to getting to the point, addressing your reader's concerns, organizing your ideas, coming across professionally, and managing your email system.
The Art of On-the-Job Writing describes the qualities of the writing product and the steps of the writing process in the natural order that they should emerge to an effective writer in any profession.

I hope this helps, but if you have further questions, I'm just a post or an email away.

Books by Philip Vassallo

Connecting the Opening and the Closing

2011-08-01T18:00:00.001-04:00

If your written proposals, justifications, and analyses are anything like mine, then your first drafts are weak in the opening and strong in the closing. At first crack, I often lack a solid introductory paragraph, but my conclusion usually summarizes the key issues and highlights what’s at stake for the reader. For instance, I might open a proposal with a weak opening, like so:

This is a proposal for switching to the HearMeNow Smartphone for our project managers.

After crafting a strong case in the body of the message by detailing the nature, causes, and impact of communication problems that project managers experience in the field and by noting options with a comparative analysis, I might conclude with a far superior closing, such as:

HearMeNow clearly is the superior choice because of its diverse business applications, expansive area coverage, unmatched carrier service, and prolonged battery life—all of which are vital for project managers, who are often in the field for up to ten hours in a workday. Approving this proposal for all 11 project managers would result in receiving a deep volume discount of 33 percent for the smartphones and the monthly service.

So my closing is a heavyweight and my opening is a 98-pound weakling. I bring it all home at the end but fail to focus the reader on the significance of the issue upfront, where it really counts.

Not a problem.

All I need to remember is that the opening and closing are powerfully connected. Both places are where the purpose shows up. Maybe I can use something from the closing in the opening. With that thought in mind, here is how I might align them:

Opening: Replacing our project managers’ mobile phones with HearMeNow smartphones would provide them with a more robust, reliable, and economical system for sharing data and accessing the executive offices from remote locations.

Closing: HearMeNow clearly is the superior choice because of its diverse business applications, expansive area coverage, unmatched carrier service, and prolonged battery life. Approving this proposal for all 11 project managers would result in receiving a deep volume discount of 33 percent for the smartphones and the monthly service.

Taking my lead from the closing, I now have an opening that summarizes the business issue and previews the details to follow. As a side benefit, my stronger opening helped me eliminate from the closing two clauses that would have merely repeated what I already said in the body: “all of which are vital for project managers, who are often in the field for up to ten hours in a workday.”

When revising, be sure to align your openings and closings!

Books by Philip Vassallo

How to Write Fast Under Pressure
The Art of E-mail Writing
The Art of On-the-Job Writing
The Inwardness of the Outward Gaze: Learning and Teaching Through Philosophy

A New Look and a Quick Tour

2011-07-25T07:00:00.017-04:00

Those who have loyally checked into WORDS ON THE LINE over the past six-and-a-half years will notice a new look. Blogger by Google has made quite a few formatting improvements to this site, reinforcing my commitment to stick around.

For those of new to the site, you will notice that you can view this blog in multiple ways:

In the Left Column

Read the seven most recent posts in reverse chronological order.

In the Right Column

Search any topic from 412 posts on this blog by writing your keyword in the search box.
Learn about me by clicking on my name.
Review other links to me, including my website, Twitter, book reviews, and news.
Click on any of the labels, or blog topics, sized by frequency of posting
Click on posts by date
Click on sites that I frequent for information and inspiration

Feel free to link this site to anyone you think would benefit from reading it.

Books by Philip Vassallo

How to Write Fast Under Pressure
The Art of E-mail Writing
The Art of On-the-Job Writing
The Inwardness of the Outward Gaze: Learning and Teaching Through Philosophy

Arbitrary Grammar Rules: Splitting an Infinitive

2011-07-18T11:00:00.021-04:00

Grammar snobs who have been living in linguistic caves for all too long have an unfounded problem with splitting an infinitive, that is, placing an adverb between the two words that make the root form of the verb (e.g., to play, to sing, to write). Therefore, they find prohibitive writing phrases like to helpfully advise, to cautiously speak, and to happily walk.

The silliness of applying such a rule to every sentence shows up in these examples:

Split Infinitive: We plan to quickly finish this project for the Executive Vice-president.
No Split Infinitive: We plan quickly to finish this project for the Executive Vice-president.
No Split Infinitive: We plan to finish quickly this project for the Executive Vice-president.
No Split Infinitive: We plan to finish this project quickly for the Executive Vice-president.
No Split Infinitive: We plan to finish this project for the Executive Vice-president quickly.

Few people would prefer Sentence 2 or 3 because of their ambiguity or awkwardness; however, those who favor Sentence 3 or 4 to Sentence 1 have no reasonable semantic or syntactic ground on which to stand. The fact that the adverb is closer to the verb it modifies—the adverb is embedded in the verb—enhances its clarity.

Split Infinitive: She was hoping to efficiently go through the store with her children in tow
No Split Infinitive: She was hoping efficiently to go through the store with her children in tow.
No Split Infinitive: She was hoping to go efficiently through the store with her children in tow.
No Split Infinitive: She was hoping to go through the store efficiently with her children in tow.
No Split Infinitive: She was hoping to go through the store with her children efficiently in tow.
No Split Infinitive: She was hoping to go through the store with her children in tow efficiently.

Sentences 2, 5, and 6 pose clarity problems, but Sentences 3 and 4, which may be favored, are actually not as clear or fluent as the split infinitive.

So what should you do when confronted with a split infinitive during the editing phase? Exactly what I’ve said many times before in this blog: read your sentences aloud for fluency. You’ll figure it out.

Arbitrary Grammar Rules: Sentence Beginnings

2011-07-11T10:45:00.005-04:00

Here is another rule that we can do without: Do not begin a sentence with a conjunction such as and, but, or or. Some of the best English-language writers begin sentences with conjunctions. Others agree with me:

Grammarian.com: It offends those who wish to confine English usage in a logical straitjacket that writers often begin sentences with “and” or “but.” True, one should be aware that many such sentences would be improved by becoming clauses in compound sentences, but there are many effective and traditional uses for beginning sentences thus.

Daily Writing Tips: English teachers used to preach that one should never start a sentence with conjunctions like and or but. Does this rule still apply today? Not entirely. It is already acceptable to start sentences with such conjunctions.

Books by Philip Vassallo

Arbitrary Grammar Rules: Sentence Endings

2011-07-04T14:45:00.009-04:00

Since I still get the question, I should cover the rule that many experts have already answered: Can you use a preposition to end a sentence with? (I suppose I could have written, "Can you end a sentence with a preposition?" but I couldn't resist.) Here's the short answer: Yes.

And now for the longer answer: Only a grammar snob or an inexperienced writer would hold fast to such an arbitrary rule. Even the Oxford Dictionary Online sees no point in this rule. True, we would do well to make our sentences more concise, as in these sentences:

Wordy, Awkward: What should I do this for?
Concise, Fluent: Why should I do this?

Wordy, Awkward: Where does this go to?
Concise, Fluent: Where does this go?

But in the sentences below, the sentence ending with the preposition is better than the alternative:

Awkward: To whom should I give this?
Fluent: Whom should I give this to?

Awkward: At what are you looking?
Fluent: What are you looking at?

Books by Philip Vassallo

127, uh, 139 Influences: A Postscript

2011-07-03T09:00:00.003-04:00

I could have added so many more categories and hundreds of more names to those people who have affected my thinking and communication skills. As it was, over the past 9 weeks and 12 posts, I overran my promise of 120 influences and ended with 127, adding 7 names to the last 3 categories (2 artists, 2 composers, and 3 musicians). All this did was make me want to start the list all over again to add a dozen or poets, dramatists, philosophers, and so one. But I have to stop somewhere.

Yet I won't stop not quite there but here. I should close on those a final dozen folks who have lived and learned and worked with me and had the greatest influence on my thinking. Unlike the previous 12 posts, whose influences appeared in alphabetical order, these influences appear in the order that they came into my life: Frank Vassallo, my father, for his remarkable storytelling; Elizabeth Hitz, my sister, for her aspirations to all things intellectual; Joseph Vella, my uncle, for his work ethic; Matthew Loscalzo, a neighborhood friend, high school classmate, and college classmate, for his remarkable leadership skills; Robert Doyle, a high school teacher who introduced me to music and art in its truest sense; Charles Lynch, an English professor in my undergraduate years, for showing me that great literature is not limited to the past; Georgia Kostares, my wife, for reminding me that selflessness and loyalty to family transfers to the writing discipline; Harry Kamish, my professional mentor, for his acumen and boundless knowledge; John Hitz, my brother-in-law, for the value he places on scholarship; Robert Delisle, a professor at Lehman College, for his perspective on children-centered education; J. J. Chambliss, a graduate professor at Rutgers, for his depth of intellectual inquiry; and Michael Bartlett, a spiritual mentor, for exemplifying how to walk the talk.

Books by Philip Vassallo

How to Write Fast Under Pressure

The Art of E-mail Writing

The Art of On-the-Job Writing

The Inwardness of the Outward Gaze: Learning and Teaching Through Philosophy

120 Influences, Part 12: Musicians

2011-06-28T13:47:00.001-04:00

Once again, I could not narrow a top ten list from these thirteen:

Miles Davis, the trumpeter whose records from Blue Period (1951) through Seven Steps to Heaven (1963) are all jazz classics.
Bill Evans, one of the most influential jazz pianists ever. Any of his trio albums will do.
Stan Getz, known as "The Sound" for good reason. His tenor saxophone is immediately recognizable.
Dizzy Gillespie, who with Charlie Parker created a new music and extended his singular trumpet prowess to small groups and big bands as a worldwide ambassador of jazz.
Glenn Gould, playing the entire Bach solo piano collection, including Goldberg Variations (1955 and 1982 recordings), The Art of Fugue, The Well-Tempered Clavier, Inventions and Sinfonias, French Suites, English Suites, Partitas, and Toccatas.
Stephane Grappelli, whom I saw perform numerous times, would put a smile on anyone's face with the first note he played on his legendary violin.
Yo-Yo Ma, a cellist whose skill on the cello, passion for an astounding range of music, and credibility about nearly anything is unmatched.
Charlie Parker, the alto saxophone giant, co-founder of Be-Bop, and generator of Afro-Cuban music.
Oscar Peterson, Mr. Jazz, who played his piano in every format and with every jazz artist imaginable over a 60-year career.
George Rodriguez, a friend, leader of The New Swing Sextet, and vibraphonist committed to all things Salsa and who taught me to appreciate his music.
Sonny Rollins, the Saxophone Colossus, his tenor has engaged me in live performance from Montreux, Switzerland to Carnegie Hall.
Andres Segovia, the master who brought dignity to the guitar as a classical instrument and played in the greatest concert halls into his nineties.
Toots Thielemans, who jazz harmonica just captured my imagination three decades ago, and I've never let go of him since.

120 Influences, Part 11: Composers

2011-06-23T10:30:00.000-04:00

Here's another list I couldn't keep to just ten:

Johann Sebastian Bach: The father and the master of all composers. Everyone musical owes something to him. I shall listen to his solo pieces for piano, violin, and cello forever.

Ludwig van Beethoven: Yes, Symphony 9, but my favorites are his string quartets, especially his last four, no. 13 in B-flat (opus 130), no. 14 in C-sharp (opus 131), no 15 in A (opus 132), and no 16 in F (opus 135).

Frederic Chopin: His works for piano are the standard. His complete works for solo piano by Arthur Rubinstein and Vladimir Ashkenazy are readily available.

Bob Dylan: The prolific troubadour of the past half-century. Of his 50-plus albums, his first six remain all-time standouts: Bob Dylan (1962), The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963), The Times They Are a-Changin' (1964), Another Side of Bob Dylan (1964), Bringing It All Back Home (1965), and Highway 61 Revisited (1965).

Duke Ellington: The greatest American composer of the twentieth century and perhaps of anywhere ever. Listen to any of his suites: Black, Brown and Beige, Liberian Suite, Such Sweet Thunder, Afro-Bossa, Far East Suite, Latin American Suite, New Orleans Suite, Afro-Eurasian Eclipse, and Toga Brava Suite. And these are just for starters.

George Gershwin: The romantic, inventive prodigy who crossed jazz, musical, and classical genres to unforgettable success and popular appeal. His songs are great, but so are Rhapsody in Blue and Porgy and Bess.

Antonio Carlos Jobim: He exported bossa nova to the world, and countless musicians have performed his masterpieces, including Agua de Beber, Aguas de Marco, Chega de Saudade, Corcovado, Desafinado, Dindi, Garota de Ipanema, Insensatez, Samba de Uma Nota So, So Danco Samba, Triste, and Vou te Contar.

John Lennon and Paul McCartney: I don't want to argue who wrote what; it's all about the voluminous, memorable music they produced in such a short timeframe.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: So many of the world's most creative people have been inspired by his music. Check out his piano sonatas and concertos as well as his later symphonies (no. 31 in D "Paris"; no 35 in D, "Haffner"; no, 36 in C, "Linz"; no. 38 in D, "Prague"; and no. 41 in C, "Jupiter").

Cole Porter: The chief of Tin Pan Alley, the consummate composer of some 800 songs, the best known of which are All of You, Anything Goes, Begin the Beguine, Cheek to Cheek, Do I Love You?, Every Time We Say Goodbye, I Get a Kick Out of You, I Love Paris, In the Still of the Night, I've Got You Under My Skin, It's All Right with Me, Just One of Those Things, Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love), Let's Fly Away, Let's Misbehave, Love for Sale, Miss Otis Regrets, Night and Day, Too Darn Hot, What Is This Thing Called Love?, You Do Something to Me, You'd Be So Easy to Love, You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To, and You're the Top.

Richard Rodgers: He wrote the most melodic music, whether working with Lorenz Hart (Bewitched, Blue Moon, I Didn't Know What Time It Was, Isn't It Romantic, Johnny One Note, The Lady Is a Tramp, Lover, The Most Beautiful Girl in the World, My Funny Valentine, There's a Small Hotel, You Took Advantage of Me, This Can't Be Love, and Where or When) or Oscar Hammerstein (Bali Hai, Climb Every Mountain, Do-Re-Mi, Getting to Know You, Hello Young Lovers, I'm in Love with a Wonderful Guy, If I Loved You, It Might As Well Be Spring, My Favorite Things, O What a Beautiful Morning, Shall We Dance?, Some Enchanted Evening, The Sound of Music, You'll Never Walk Alone, and Younger Than Springtime).

Paul Simon: He kept stretching the boundaries of folk-rock with hundreds of songs over five decades. Most memorable are America, The Boxer, Bridge over Troubled Water, Cecilia, El Condor Pasa, Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover, The 59th Street Bridge Song, Graceland, Homeward Bound, I Am a Rock, Kodachrome, Loves Me Like a Rock, Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard, Mother and Child Reunion, Mrs. Robinson, Old Friends, and The Sound of Silence.

120 Influences, Part 10: Artists

2011-06-18T18:15:00.000-04:00

Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose stunning retrospective at the Brooklyn Museum in 2005 expanded my definition of what art is.

Pieter Bruegel, whose detailed allegorical renderings such as Landscape with the Fall of Icarus, Children's Games, The Triumph of Death, The Tower of Babel, Massacre of the Innocents, and Peasant Wedding say more than hundred thousand word books.

Romare Bearden, whose dramatic representation of his culture through vivid color and a potent blend of abstraction and realism continues to amaze me.

Chuck Close, whose eight 7' X 9' black-and-white portraits of photographs of the late 1960s would have been enough, but his constant production and self-renewal in spite of paralysis from a spinal artery collapse in 1988 make him the ultimate artist's artist.

Salvador Dali, whose surrealism and subject matter, which I learned of in my high school years, still fascinate.

Keith Haring, whose public art I experienced as it happened in 1980 and 1981 on New York City subways. The seemingly endless exhibition was entertaining. At every subway stop, I would search for his signature white chalk on matte black paper childlike drawings.

Edward Hopper, whose art was the perfect representation of twentieth century detachment most Americans felt in the face of increased technology and sprawl.

Jacob Lawrence, whose distinctive depiction of the African-American experience is evident in all his work, starting with his 1940 Migration Series.

Claude Monet, who Impressionist illustrations from lily ponds and foot bridges to the London Parliament Building and the Grand Canal of Venice are sheer magic.

Edvard Munch, whose blending of somber portrait and dark Norwegian landscape mesmerizes the heart and soul.

Pablo Picasso, whose association with Cubism so downplays his prodigious achievements.

Diego Rivera, whose allegorical murals made him a twentieth century reincarnation of Bruegel and da Vinci, and whose politics so easily married his art.

I know I know I know. I said I mention only ten influences per discipline, but that would be cheating and lying. I couldn't resist these twelve.

120 Influences, Part 9: Educators

2011-06-13T14:00:00.002-04:00

Harold Bloom, for his commitment to classic literature over three millennia from The Iliad to Angels in America.
Jon Amos Comenius, for writing four centuries ago The Great Didactic, which foresaw education as we know it today.
John Dewey, for providing the principles underlying The Child and the Curriculum, Democracy and Education: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Education, Experience and Education, Art and Education, and Art as Experience.
Janet Emig, for her research in the writing process in The Composing Processes of Twelfth Graders.
Paulo Freire, for his liberating ideology about what constitutes a real education and the teacher's and student's roles in it.
S. I. Hayakawa:, for his landmark work in general semantics, especially with Language in Thought and Action.
Maria Montessori, for her attitude about children and her knowledge of the best way to educate them.
Marcus Fabius Quintilianus, for Institutio Oratoria (Institutes of Oratory), "the book" on educating the young from birth to adolescence.
Bertrand Russell, for The History of Western Philosophy, The Problems of Philosophy, and Religion and Science, all helpful in understanding the purpose, development, and uses of philosophy.
Frank Lloyd Wright, for making modern architecture an art and a science.

120 Influences, Part 8: Philosophers

2011-06-08T20:30:00.000-04:00

Thomas Aquinas: He reconciled Christianity with the wisdom of the Ancients in his masterwork, Summa Theologica.

Aristotle: He covered every topic and even invented some: astrology, botany, ethics, logic, metaphysics, poetics, politics, psychology, rhetoric, zoology. And he has influenced how we all think.

Confucius: His work on our oneness with nature, obligation toward morality, and imperative for self-development in the Analects remain standards nearly for more than two thousand years.

Rene Descartes: His quest for absolute certainty and clarity through the Cartesian method in Meditations on First Philosophy and Discourse on Method can serve as an introduction to formal philosophy.

Immanuel Kant: He had so much to say about the duality of human nature, and his categorical imperative remains the last resort of much reasoned argument today.

Soren Kierkegaard: His Fear and Trembling and The Sickness Unto Death ushered in existentialism, which has influenced a lot of my own writing.

Friedrich Nietzsche: Just reading the maxims of the philosopher of nihilism is a pleasure. What he says about the will and the conscience in its encounter with aesthetics despair is still relevant. Beyond Good and Evil, The Genealogy of Morals, and The Birth of Tragedy are good starting points.

Plato: His Republic may be the most quoted philosophical text, and his Dialogues on beauty, wisdom, truth, valor, honor, and many other attributes are the foundation of Western thinking.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau: He shed light on humans in their natural state corrupted by human conduct in Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, The Social Contract, and Emile.

Jean Paul Sartre: We are thrust into this world. We encounter nothingness. We are despair. Yet we are doomed to act. His philosophy (Being and Nothingness), drama (No Exit), fiction (Nausea), and essays (Situations, Parts 1-10) made him the household name of existentialism.

120 Influences, Part 7: Orators

2011-06-03T12:30:00.000-04:00

Clarence Darrow: His fiery rhetoric and compassion won me over at an early age. Read his summation speeches at the trails of Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb (1924), John T. Scopes (a.k.a. "Monkey Trial," 1925), and Ossian Sweet et al (1925).

Mohandas Gandhi: His words and deeds exuded selflessness, sacrifice, and peace. Reading his words is a stimulating intellectual exercise; hearing him speak them is a spiritual experience.

Jesus of Nazareth: His wisdom has influenced billions of people, Christian and non-Christian, for two millennia.

Helen Keller: That this deaf and blind woman chose to speak is a testament to her courage. That she spoke eloquently for the disabled, women's rights, peace, and the poor is a legacy matched by so few. She is a constant reminder that we should not be too proud of our accomplishments, as they pale in comparison to hers.

John F. Kennedy: He was the right speaker at the right time: charming, vigorous, eloquent, and insightful. He used his skills for good and bad, leading the US to space, upping the confrontational ante against the Iron Curtain, aggravating an unwinnable war, and inspiring volunteerism at an unprecedented rate.

Martin Luther King, Jr.: His sermon-style presentations are peerless, and he was quite a writer as well. His universal themes of peace and equality are enduring.

Abraham Lincoln: He was just the grounded, forward-thinking spokesman for unity that the United States needed during its Civil War. His speeches are gems.

Barack Obama: His rhetorical skills and speech-writing ability transcend politics. Many of his addresses will make the all-time lists of most rhetoricians.

Socrates: His approach to problem solving, debating, and teaching remains a standard for many educators and writers today. Read Plato's Apology, Crito, Gorgias, Meno, and Protagoras, and Republic to get a taste of the rhetorical style of Socrates.

Alan Watts: Listen to his compelling, witty, instructive podcasts on Eastern philosophy. Never a dull moment.

120 Influences, Part 6: Film Directors

2011-05-29T23:30:00.000-04:00

Ingmar Bergman: There is Ingmar Bergman and then there is everyone else. The greatest director and screenwriter ever, but I place him only in this category to keep true the theme of 120 influences. My favorite eight of his are Persona, Hour of the Wolf, Shame, The Touch, Cries and Whispers, Scenes from a Marriage, Face to Face, and Autumn Sonata.

John Cassavetes: My favorite American film director. Films like Faces, Husbands, A Woman Under the Influence, Opening Night, and Love Streams show what a master of improvisation he is.

Francis Ford Coppola: A giant. The Godfather Trilogy is just the beginning. The Conversation and Apocalypse Now are masterpieces too.

Elia Kazan: Gentlemen's Agreement, A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, East of Eden, and his brilliant labor of love, America, America have influenced millions of people.

Akira Kurasowa: If he made only Ikiru, I would have put him on this list, but he also filmed Dodes'ka-den, Ran, and many other great stories.

Stanley Kramer: His The Defiant Ones, On the Beach, Inherit the Wind, and Judgment at Nuremberg arrived at times in my life to help shape my moral code.

Sidney Lumet: He was a premier director in the Golden Age of Television, and his classic films include Twelve Angry Men, Long Day's Journey into Night, The Pawnbroker, Fail-Safe, The Hill, Serpico, Murder on the Orient Express, Dog Day Afternoon, Network, Equus, and The Verdict.

Mike Nichols: After establishing a reputation as a funny man, he began a legendary directing career 45 years ago. He is responsible for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Graduate, Catch-22, Carnal Knowledge, Wit, and Angels in America.

Julian Schnabel: First a great artists and then Basquiat, Before Night Falls, and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. He is inventive and radiant.

Fred Zinnemann: High Noon, From Here to Eternity, A Hatful of Rain, A Man for All Seasons, and Julia show what a stunning range he had.

120 Influences, Part 5: Screenwriters

2011-05-24T21:30:00.000-04:00

Woody Allen: Averages a screenplay a year over the past half-century, each one giving a load of laughs, a glimpse into Allen singular worldview, a lesson or two about the human condition.

Richard Brooks: Wrote terrific screen adaptations (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Elmer Gantry, The Professionals, In Cold Blood, Looking for Mr. Goodbar) and even better as a director.

Bo Goldman: One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Melvin and Howard, Shoot the Moon, and Scent of a Woman, and many more have earned him every major screenwriting accolade.

Ben Hecht: Check out his page on imbd.com. It’s impossible that you have not been thoroughly entertained by at least a dozen of his 157 screenwriting credits. How did he do it?

Charlie Kaufman: Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Synecdoche, New York (an all-time favorite) catapult this genius to the top of my list.

Waldo Salt: He touched me at many times in my life: as an adventurous child (The Flame and the Arrow), a disillusioned teenager (Midnight Cowboy), an inquisitive college student (Serpico), and an ambitious, young married man (Coming Home).

Alvin Sargent: After a stunningly successful career in TV (Naked City, Ben Casey, Route 66, Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Doctors and the Nurses), he turned to writing excellent films, including Gambit, The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing, Julia, and now, in his late eighties, continues with the Spider Man series.

Rod Serling: I love this man for The Twilight Zone (yes, I watch the New Year's SyFy marathon), but his Requiem for a Heavyweight remains one of the greatest screenplays.

Robert Towne: His screenplays of The Last Detail, Chinatown, and Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, as well as his uncredited script doctoring of Bonnie and Clyde, The New Centurions, Shampoo, The Missouri Breaks, and Heaven Can Wait, should put him on anyone's Top Ten.

Lina Wertmuller: The Seduction of Mimi, Love and Anarchy, and Seven Beauties are her masterpieces.

120 Influences, Part 4: Dramatists

2011-05-19T18:30:00.000-04:00

Edward Albee: He is a student of language, an admirer of our dark side, and a master of dramatic tension. Recommended are The Zoo Story, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Tiny Alice, A Delicate Balance, All Over, Three Tall Women, The Goat or Who Is Sylvia?, and Occupant.

Anton Chekov: You might need to reread the first act of his plays and keep a scorecard to link the characters with their motivations, dialogue, and actions, but the experience is well worth the effort. His most widely read and seen plays--and for good reasons--are The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, Three Sisters, and The Cherry Orchard.

Horton Foote: The mythical Wharton, Texas serves as the setting of many of Foote's plays. He made an enormous mark in the Golden Age of Television with 30- and 60-minute teleplays, such as The Trip to Bountiful, and in film, with the adapted screenplay of To Kill a Mockingbird and the orginal screenplay of Tender Mercies, both Oscar winnersw for him. But his 60+ plays are priceless, starting with his 9-play Orphan's Home Cycle (Roots in a Parched Ground, Convicts, Lily Dale, The Widow Claire, Courtship, Valentine's Day, 1918, Cousins, and The Death of Papa).

David Mamet: This Chicago native can make profound statements about who we are from seemingly random conversations. His imagination can be brutal and his dialogue vulgar, but Mamet is a consummate artist of the stage. Try American Buffalo, Edmond, Glengarry Glen Ross, Speed-the-Plow, Oleanna, and Race.

Eugene O'Neill: The Father of American Drama. It all starts with him, and here is a partial list of his 50+ plays: Beyond the Horizon, Anna Christie, The Hairy Ape, Desire Under the Elms, Strange Interlude, Mourning Becomes Electra, Ah, Wilderness!, The Iceman Cometh, Long Day's Journey into Night, and A Moon for the Misbegotten.

Harold Pinter: Something is always happening that between the lines or about to happen of Pinter's plays. Relationships between people, ideas, words, and actions

William Shakespeare: Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Richard III, The Merchant of Venice, The Taming of the Shrew, King Lear and 30 more plays are what world considers the standard by which to measure every other play. No argument.

Sam Shepard: One of the most produced playwrights in American history, Shepard is a poet of the rocker, the nomad, and the West. Seeing or reading Action, Buried Child, Curse of the Starving Class, True West, Fool for Love, and A Lie of the Mind will make believers, as will watching the Wim Wenders film Paris, Texas, for which he wrote the screenplay.

Tennessee Williams: He never stopped working as a playwright, poet, fiction writer, and essayist, even when he was no longer the darling of the stage. He did not care how small the theater was, as long as he continued producing. The author of The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire, Summer and Smoke, The Rose Tattoo, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Orpheus Descending, Sweet Bird of Youth, The Night of the Iguana, In the Bar of a Tokyo Hotel, and 70 more short and long plays.

August Wilson: His Pittsburgh Cycle, one play per decade of the twentieth century about the African-American experience, is the greatest achievement of American drama. He did not simply write ten great plays; he exposed the roots of a culture like no anthropologist, historian, psychologist, or sociologist could. Read Wilson's work not in order of composition, but in order of chronology within the Cycle: Gem of the Ocean (1904), Joe Turner's Come and Gone (1911), Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (1927), The Piano Lesson (1936), Seven Guitars (1948), Fences (1957), Two Trains Running (1969), Jitney (1977), King Hedley II (1985), and Radio Golf (1997).

120 Influences, Part 3: Poets

2011-05-14T22:30:00.001-04:00

Billy Collins: He is known for his humor, but he is also a great speaker, reader, and educator.

e. e. cummings: Quirky structure, yes. Small themes, indeed. But what a master of simplicity and observer of human nature.

Emily Dickinson: Sudden, lyrical, unconventional: a true American poet.

John Donne: This seventeenth century British poet and essayist is peerless. "Devotions upon Emergent Occasions" are as close to Scripture as a writer can get.

T. S. Eliot: His "The Waste Land" and "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" transformed English poetry and for decades set the standard for the literature that followed.

Robert Frost: He is deserving of all the accolades. His quality remained high through all his volumes of verse.

Allen Ginsberg: "A Supermarket in California," "Sunflower Sutra," and especially "Howl" are classics of the latter half of the twentieth century.

Pablo Neruda: Mystical, magical, stunning, life-affirming. Read "Ode to Ironing" and "The Dawn's Debility"; then read them all.

Theodore Roethke: Start with "The Waking," "In a Dark Time," and "I Knew a Woman." Roethke is to poetry what Thelonious Monk is to jazz.

Robert Penn Warren: I could have listed Warren as one of my top novelists, essayists, and educators, but his poetry has touched me most. Metaphysical, imaginative, pure.

120 Influences, Part 2: Novelists

2011-05-09T23:15:00.002-04:00

William Faulkner – Just a read of the Collected and Uncollected short stories of this favorite son of Mississippi should be enough to prove why Faulkner won the Nobel Prize.
Ernest Hemingway – Despite all the criticism, he has received from revisionists, feminists, and critical theorists, Hemingway remains the master of the declarative sentence. Read his Complete Short Stories.
Hermann Hesse – Hesse taught me the mystical possibilities of the novel through Damien, Siddhartha and Steppenwolf.
Nikos Kazantzakis – The Cretan’s work and beliefs caused his excommunication from the Greek Orthodox Church. Any of his works will do as a starting point, but The Fratricides is my favorite, but read any of his books for a singular Greek flavor with universal themes, including Freedom and Death, The Greek Passion, The Last Temptation of Christ, and Zorba the Greek, among others.
D. H. Lawrence – An English novelist of sensuality, spirituality, and physicality, as evidenced in Lady Chatterley’s Lovers and Sons and Lovers.
Henry Roth – Sure this literary genius had a 45-year case of writer’s block, but Call It Sleep, written when Roth was 27, is a masterpiece. Enough said.
J. D. Salinger – Catcher in the Rye, which I read in the eleventh grade, has had an enduring effect on me and most people who have read it, at least in the first 40 years since its publication in 1951. Also check out Salinger’s Nine Stories.
John Steinbeck – He could describe people emerging from the Californian landscape as if they were one with the natural world. His narrative and characters in Tortilla Flat, Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath, and East of Eden are unforgettable.
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. – His quirky blend of psychology, science fiction, and pop culture has enormous appeal with young readers. Player Piano, The Sirens of Titan, Mother Night, Cat’s Cradle, and Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children’s Crusade are good starting points.
Richard Wright – Native Son. Fear. Fate. Flight. Enough said. The great American novel.

120 Influences, Part 1: Essayists

2011-05-04T00:30:00.003-04:00

James Baldwin – The preeminent black writer during the Civil Rights movement, Baldwin possessed a rich style, unorthodox and unpredictable viewpoints, and an unending commitment to social justice. Get started with his Collected Essays and The Cross of Redemption: Uncollected Writings.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi – This Claremont Graduate University professor and psychologist is the author of Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience and Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention, two seminal books on what makes the creative mind tick.
Joan Didion – Considered by most to be a masterful sentence writer, Didion has been the go-to analyst of American culture for more than a half-century. Her We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live: Collected Nonfiction is a compilation of her first seven nonfiction books.
Will Durant – His work on history and philosophy is nothing short of monumental. Most educated people do not read in a lifetime what this man wrote in his. Read his The Story of Philosophy and co-authored 11-volume magnum opus Story of Civilization, if you have the time.
Albert Einstein – Don’t let the genius of this man fool you. Read Ideas and Opinions to see how well Einstein writes on so many topics.
Edward T. Hall – This sociologist has volumes to say about how we communicate across cultures with and without language. Beyond Culture, The Silent Language, and The Hidden Dimension offer excellent insights into the human condition.
Robert Hughes – This brilliant Australian’s essays sent me to the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Museum of Modern Art on numerous occasions to see retrospectives of Richard Diebenkorn, Arthur Dove, Edward Keinholz, Bill Viola, and many other artists I would not have known if it were not for Hughes’s engaging prose. He writes expertly on politics (The Culture of Complaint: The Fraying of America) as well as art (Nothing Is Not Critical: Selected Essays on Art and Artists).
Pauline Kael – She could be ruthless in her attacks on directors and actors, but she was always smart and entertaining. Kael was the movie critic of her generation to read, and her successors have borrowed immensely from her work Her 1991 5001 Nights at the Movies is an ultimate guide to the movies.
Paul of Tarsus – Whether you are a believer or not, how can anyone living in a Western culture ignore Paul’s literature? The best way to get started on his contributions to the New Testament is at Bible Gateway.
Thomas Sowell – Regardless of one’s politics, Thomas Sowell, Professor at Stanford University and Fellow at the Hoover Institution, is a mind to reckon with. Sowell has written prolifically and masterfully on issues of racial equality, childhood development, and international politics for decades. Recommended are his Preferential Policies: An International Perspective, The Vision of the Anointed: Self-Congratulation as a Basis for Social Policy, and A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles.

120 Influences—An Introduction

2011-04-29T05:30:00.000-04:00

In the next 13 posts and over the next two-and-a-half months on WORDS ON THE LINE, I will discuss major influences on my thinking throughout my life. I will group ten of each in the following categories:

Part 1: Essayists

Part 2: Novelists

Part 3: Poets

Part 4: Dramatists

Part 5: Screenwriters

Part 6: Film Directors

Part 7: Orators

Part 8: Philosophers

Part 9: Educators

Part 10: Artists

Part 11: Composers

Part 12: Musicians

I had to consider some issues in creating these lists. These 12 categories indicate the disciplines that most interest and influence me. I do not include numerous categories, such as politicians, psychologists, scientists, sociologists, and theologians, even though these categories have also had a great effect on my thinking. But some people from these disciplines appear under other categories. As examples, psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, scientist Albert Einstein, and sociologist Edward T. Hall appear as essayists, and politician Barack H. Obama and theologian Martin Luther King, Jr. appear as orators. Also, I would likely place into two categories some influences, such as Duke Ellington (composer and musician), Harold Pinter (playwright and screenwriter), Robert Penn Warren (essayist and poet), and Allan Watts (essayist and philosopher); however, I limit these influences to the one discipline in which they had the greatest impact on me.

Books by Philip Vassallo

How to Write Fast Under Pressure

The Art of E-mail Writing

The Art of On-the-Job Writing

The Inwardness of the Outward Gaze: Learning and Teaching Through Philosophy

Like the Day I Was Born: 40 Poems, 40 Places, 40 Days (e-book)

Staying Creative, Part 7: Read

2011-04-24T23:15:00.000-04:00

On this blog many times before, I have encouraged voracious reading for finding inspiration, improving style, honing subject-matter expertise, and keeping a creative edge when dealing with writer’s block. Then why should I end this series on staying creative any differently?

I have heard people say that reading is a passive activity. Maybe for passive types, but not for engaged readers and definitely not for writers, who find reading to be entertaining, educational, and, above all, a starting point for many of their creative works. Without having read Romeo and Juliet and The Tempest, Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard would not have written Shakespeare in Love, for which they won an Academy Award for best original screenplay. If there were no Virginia Woolf writing Mrs. Dalloway in 1925, there would not have been Michael Cunningham’s The Hours in 2002.

Let’s extend this point to business. Without having good proposals as reading references, the proposal writer would have a far more difficult time crafting a persuasive message to her upper management. By reading high-quality trip and conference reports, the writer would not have a standard to emulate when reporting on a seminar he attended.

You get it? Read. It’s a gift that never stops giving, whether you’re reading the newspaper, a magazine, or a book. It's a great way for a writer to stay creative.

Books by Philip Vassallo

How to Write Fast Under Pressure

The Art of E-mail Writing

The Art of On-the-Job Writing

The Inwardness of the Outward Gaze: Learning and Teaching Through Philosophy

Like the Day I Was Born: 40 Poems, 40 Places, 40 Days (e-book)

Staying Creative, Part 6: Change Your Ways

2011-04-19T10:00:00.002-04:00

You’ve heard of the who, what, when, where, why, and how (5W&H) of reporting, but I like to think of these six keys as my approaches to the writing process—ways that can soon become stale even though I am a creature of habit. I use the 5W&H as gauges for how fresh I’m being as a writer. Each word generates a different question to answer:

Who are my interviewees for articles, the characters of my plays, or the subjects of my poems? If they are always the same, I’m not expanding as a writer. To overcome this creative ennui, I'll try using any of the techniques I mentioned in the previous five posts.

What are my genres, topics, and themes? If I write only nonfiction for long stretches, I feel stifled. While nearly all the income I generate as a writer is from nonfiction, shifting to drama for a short play or poetry for a verse or two occasionally brings me back to nonfiction with a fresh outlook, approach, and style.

When do I write? I need to be as productive as possible at the time that I write, so I periodically must assess the best time of day for to work. Typically, I like the morning hours, but my consulting practice takes up most of my daylight time. In a busy week, I will schedule an early or late evening hour to write.

Where do I write? My business office can be stifling with its clutter, so a change of scene can generate a burst of creative ideas. I’ll move to another room or to a library or to a coffee shop. When I'm on business trips, hotel rooms are great places for uninterrupted writing.

Why do I write? Sometimes I write to explore creativity, or reveal a truth underlying an issue, or reflect on my own beliefs, or examine the consequences of an action by a person or group of people, among many other reasons. If I am repeating myself too much, then it’s time for a change. I'll often find the means for a change by reading, but more about that in the next post.

How do I write? As I write almost exclusively on a computer these days, I notice a benefit from breaking away briefly for my old-fashioned notebook, where I sketch characters, layout scenes, and structure books, chapters, essays, or arguments. I might see something on the page that was hiding right under my nose on the screen.

Try using the 5W&H to stay creative—and be open to changing your ways.

Staying Creative, Part 5: Prompt Yourself

2011-04-12T22:00:00.006-04:00

You can compare writing prompts for writers like an automatic pilot light for a gas stove. Some of us prefer a wood burning stove for our heat. But we have to chop down the tree, split the wood, stack the bundles near the house, stuff the logs in the oven, light a match to them, stoke the fire, and keep feeding more logs as fire dissipates. So most of us prefer the ease of flipping a switch, turning a knob, or igniting the pilot light, and presto—here comes the heat for as long as we need it. We writers are the wood-burning-stove types. We have to get the idea, muster the inspiration, draft laboriously, revise paragraphs, edit sentences, change words, correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling, and probably somewhere down the line rewrite the whole darn thing.

Writing prompts might ease the pain. If you do a web search on “writing prompts,” you’ll find a seemingly endless list of topics you can use as springboards for getting started in the writing process. They range from single words to paragraphs, from nonsense to insights.

You can get started clicking on the weblinks below. Some are for schoolchildren, but even they’re helpful for adults:

Can-Teach Writing Prompts

Creative Writing Prompts

Jefferson County Tennessee Schools Prompt Generator

Writer’s Digest Writing Prompts

Writing-Lesson-of-the-Month Prompts

Staying Creative, Part 4: Get Away from Words

2011-04-05T23:15:00.002-04:00

To have a way with words, you sometimes have to stay away from words. Walking away from words to your music player may soon bring you right back to the writing, refreshed and simmering with ideas. I would compare this momentary departure to going on a vacation from work and returning raring to go.

Music is a great stimulator of creativity. American novelist Edmund White once noted, “I’ve never willingly written a word without listening to music of some sort.” Karl Barth, the Swiss theologian, would delight in the music of Mozart as he composed his magnum opus, the 13-volume, 8,300-page, 6 million-word Church Dogmatics. Many writers these days write with their headphones literally shooting music into both sides of their brain. I used to need silence myself, but I now find that listening to non-vocal music, especially my favorites—classical and jazz—while writing inspires energy and generates ideas.

The next time you are struggling through a tough writing assignment, try listening to your favorite instrumental music and see if it helps move you along. But be sure that you’re not distracting others or blasting out your eardrums.

Staying Creative, Part 3: Link the Unlinkable

2011-03-29T07:00:00.002-04:00

A lot of research says that creative people see connections among things that most other people do not. Put together post-war Italy, the movie business, the Catholic Church, male friendship, and the last bond of a life mentor, and you have Giuseppe Tornatore’s masterpiece film Cinema Paradiso. Connect the Eric Whitacre unique choral work Lux Aurumque with 185 voices from around the world in a virtual environment, and out comes a lush performance that has become an Internet sensation. Combine our a New York poet in the late twentieth century dying of AIDS and the English writer Virginia Woolf at the turn of twentieth century, and voilà: Michael Cunningham’s inventive novel The Hours. Weave together close-up photography and abstract painting, and the result is Chuck Close’s stunning color portraits. No doubt about it: Great works of film, music, literature, and art have in common the creator’s talent for linking the unlinkable.

This practice also applies to business. Consider what former AT&T CEO Michael Armstrong said in an interview with Charlie Rose that was aired on November 18, 1998:

“(The company that can) globally have a common, seamless architecture … of features and functions and services that can go around this globe … and can offer that service the best, the first, is going to win.”

At that time, the BlackBerry had not yet entered the market. The iPod, the iPhone, and the iPad were a few years down the road. Yet Armstrong already knew that his developers imagined the possibility of connecting nearly every data delivery and storage system imaginable into a palm-sized device that could allow the owner to wirelessly, quickly, and globally make phone calls, e-mail, instant message, chat, and browse; make and view videos and photos, play games, schedule appointments; use as an alarm clock, calendar, compass, flashlight, and stopwatch; manage applications usually reserved for desktop computers; and store vast amounts of data. The hard-to-imagine is for the consumer; the make-it-happen is for the producer.

What does this idea mean to writers at work, whether they’re composing short stories or client proposals? Engage yourself and your readers by seeing connections among disparate points. Join any two people, places, events, or objects in the same place at the same time or, for that matter, in the same place at different times or different places at the same time. Something interesting is bound to happen.

Staying Creative, Part 2: Associate Freely

2011-03-22T22:00:00.002-04:00

As a college student, I heard from a writing instructor this tip: “Just write about anything without stopping; this kind of free association will lead to something.” I was skeptical. Until that moment, I had learned that my job as a writer was to compose a perfect first draft from a specific prompt in a given time, usually 15 to 30 minutes. Who had time for such nonsense? How can writing about anything possibly lead to something?

It turned out that this piece of advice was one of the best tips that I have ever heard—and one of the best tips that I can give to developing writers.

What I was taught before that lesson was to stick around until some authority imposed on me a writing topic and to respond on demand with an unrevised, unedited draft before the class was over. That procedure might work well in a classroom to sort the fast writers from the slow ones, but it does not necessarily sort the exceptional writers from the unexceptional ones.

Good writing takes time. You can read interviews of hundreds of successful, famous writers who will say that they spend a good amount of time researching, sketching ideas, and rewriting—none of which fall in to the drafting step of the writing process.

When in a writing bottleneck, try free association, an easy and fun technique that has worked for me and countless others numerous times. It can be revealing for business and technical writers in a funk or for fiction writers at an impasse in a story line or character development. Just as important, this extra step will not waste time but save it. It sure beats staring blankly at the computer, playing video games, or walking away from the computer when struggling with writer’s block as a writing task is due. Before trying free association, or writing about anything to lead to something, you might want to follow these guidelines:

Lower your standards. You might be your own worst critic, so you’ll want to expand your tolerance for nonsense. Accept irrelevant ideas, inaccurate information, poor organization, illogical transitions, dreadful style, grammatical mistakes, and poor spelling. You will catch all these issues during the rewrite.

2. Broaden your vision. This does not mean that you should look far and wide for ideas to write about; it means that you should broaden your perspective of what is acceptable to write about. If a proposal for buying a smartphone is your topic and you’re stuck with only memories of your last trip to the Canadian Rockies (as I once was), then write about that hike up a mountain trail past that glacial lake. All roads lead to your topic.

3. Enjoy the game. Free association is truly about play. Allow yourself the luxury of having fun. No one is writing for you, nor is anyone watching you write, and for now you are writing to no one but yourself. So what do you have to lose? Delight in the ideas that pop into your head and follow them with your fingers as you document all that you imagine.

Here is a brief excerpt of a free association exercise I did on a smartphone proposal, which did include a passage about the Canadian Rockies!

Three weeks in the Canadian Rockies. Awesome. Seven national parks in twenty days: Jasper, Yoho, Mount Revelstoke, Glacier, Kootenay, Waterton Lakes, and Banff. Not quite a thousand miles of driving and far more than a hundred miles of hiking. Up dense forests leading to clearings at the edge of mile-high mountains overlooking pristine lakes radiating from glacial flour. No one in sight. Amazed that I was able to receive a phone call half-way up from Lake Louise from a client, the US Navy. The signal didn’t work at ground level near some populated areas, but here I am talking to a Navy SEAL based in Virginia Beach some 2,500 miles away. Crazy. I can’t even get someone in Manhattan from my mobile phone when I’m riding a New York City Transit subway, but I’m on subways for only a few minutes at a time. That’s why I need a smartphone, so I can communicate by voice or text from remote areas with clients whenever and wherever they need me.

The last sentence was the beginning of my proposal. The stuff before it, which made for nice memories, was for my scrapbook. Those 144 words before the last sentence took me just three minutes to write, but it got me going.

Staying Creative, Part 1: Brainstorm

2011-03-15T05:30:00.007-04:00

Starting with this post, I cover seven ways for writers to keep their creative juices flowing. Before offering the first tip, I should define writers and creativity.

I am referring not only to writers of fiction, essays, plays, and poems, although many of you who see yourself as falling into these categories would also benefit from this series. I also mean business, technical, and reportorial writers, those administrative, technical, and professional staff who must write every day, many even more than writers of the so-called creative realm. Frankly, I consider all writers—on-the-job writers as well as storytelling writers—creative writers if they are to survive successfully in a career of pounding the keyboard of their computer to communicate with people.

As for creativity, I do not necessarily mean the conveying of profound ideas on the order of a Kazantzakis, de Beauvoir, Chekov, or Neruda, although profound ideas do come from creative minds. By creativity I mean the creating of words on a screen or on a page that were never before created in just that same order to that same audience by you or anyone else. Yes, I do believe that creativity is necessary for writing a proposal to management, responding to challenging questions from prospective employers, composing a commendation of coworkers for a job well done or a speech honoring family members at a special occasion. If these messages are not canned—if they are to be original—then they demand creativity.

So here is my first of seven tips: brainstorm. List all the ideas that come to mind related (or even unrelated) to your topic. Do not judge whether your ideas are good, bad, or somewhere in between. Just generate ideas. You can move, add to or delete them later. For example, right now I’m looking out a window into the dark at 5:15 a.m. Never mind that I’m in an unattractive hotel room. I need to write a description of this area for you before daylight arrives, so I’m pretty much working from memory but I can hear plenty, including the roar of traffic from a nearby highway and a couple of hotel workers passing by chatting, presumably in Hindi.

My brainstorming results in the following unorganized list. Note that some of these observations are from earlier glances out the window in broad daylight, as I can’t see much.

loud traffic

three tractor trailers in parking lot

chain link fence separating hotel from highway

clump of birch trees in area between fence and highway

six maple trees running across the from entrances of a dozen room doors

80-stall parking lot one-quarter occupied

half the cars are campers, vans, or pickup trucks

6-by-8-foot lit hotel sign elevated on a 20-foot pole for viewing from highway

tiny room with two tables and eight chairs downstairs serving continental breakfast

stale donuts and passable coffee

occasional chirping of a bird despite the northeast cold

sound of workers loudly chatting in Hindi

At this point, I’ve run out of ideas, so I now have two choices:

Cut and paste them in a logical order, adding and deleting as I see fit to continue my list until I’m ready to write a few descriptive paragraphs.

Start my draft immediately from any of the 12 points that move me forward.

I might not use all 12 points; in fact, I might not use any at all by the time I’m finished. But I am so ready to write, just itching to keep my fingers moving. I get the feeling that I am talking to everyone I ever met, but it’s just little old me sitting alone in a hotel room writing at a laptop and being creative.

Videojug Short Videos for Writers in a Rush

2011-03-08T05:45:00.001-05:00

Videojug is just the sort of website designed for people who want to learn in a heartbeat. Claiming over 60,000 free, professionally produced how-to videos to help viewers “get good at life,” Videojug offers videos on writing on specialized writing topics that run anywhere from one to five minutes. Topics include letters of apology, application, complaint, condolence, fundraising, persuasion, rejection, retirement, and sympathy.

These videos are worth a view if you are new to the business world because the videos are methodical and easy to follow.

Books by Philip Vassallo

How to Write Fast Under Pressure

The Art of E-mail Writing

The Art of On-the-Job Writing

The Inwardness of the Outward Gaze: Learning and Teaching Through Philosophy

Book Brief: "Reading Like a Writer" by Francine Prose

2011-03-01T05:30:00.005-05:00

Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them by Francine Prose. Harper Collins, 2006. 288 pages.

Francine Prose is a lover of books who found an eternal literature classroom by reading the masters of prose. She is also a terrific writer who uses engaging anecdotes and examples to cover such topics as character, dialogue, and narration, as well as the more technical matters of paragraph development, sentence structure, and word choice. She spins one interesting yarn after another through references of great literary passages. In the process, the author proves that command of language and inventiveness of human elements surpass plot in captivating readers. The subtitle of the book rings true: either the bibliophile or the neophyte author will benefit from reading it.

"Daily Writing Tips" Chock Full of Ideas

2011-02-22T07:00:00.001-05:00

Daily Writing Tips provides numerous suggestions for a broad range of writing topics, including unnecessary words, bogus grammatical rules, number expression, and composing reference letters. The site is suitable whether you write, business messages, technical documents, fiction, essays, or poems.

Books by Philip Vassallo

Line Up Those Ducks

2011-02-15T06:15:00.002-05:00

Understanding parallel structure of sentences, lists, or headings helps create clear, concise, reader-focused messages. An excellent post on this topic appears in Daily Writing Tips, a useful website for writers whether they are composing short stories, essays, business proposals, technical reports, or scientific papers. There the seven examples of problematic parallels reveal how many ways we can lose focus of our ideas.

Here is an eighth example:

Non-parallel: Our organization provides help for the homeless, housing, meals, and innovative career counseling services.

Problem: Of the four provisions, only housing and meals are parallel, or conceptually consistent. The first, help for the homeless, is actually an umbrella term for the other three, so it does not belong in the list. As for the last provision, the modifiers suggest that the housing and meals fall short in quality of the career counseling, which is innovative. Solution:

Parallel: Our organization provides innovative services to the homeless through housing, meals, and career counseling.

"The Glamour of Grammar" a Helpful Book

2011-02-08T05:30:00.003-05:00

In this occasionally humorous, more often racy, and frequently insightful book, Roy Peter Clark settles many debates about age-old grammatical arguments on issues such as composing fragments, using serial commas, splitting infinitives, beginning sentences with conjunctions like "and" or "but," and ending sentences with prepositions. Also, his sensible tips on style, including a review of left-, mid-, and right-branching cumulative sentences, are helpful for developing writers. If you can forgive Clark's alternately self-absorbed anecdotes and pedantic narrative, you will get a lot from The Glamour of Grammar: A Guide to the Magic and Mystery of Practical English, especially since he favors more a descriptive than a prescriptive approach to grammar.

Clark shares some of my thoughts on the grammar snobs who hold to ludicrous, arbitrary rules of style, so I will write about some in the coming posts.

Spying on New Words

2011-02-01T05:15:00.003-05:00

New words are constantly popping up in our lexicon, so it's nice to know that a website devotes itself to tracking them: Wordspy. Billed by its producer Paul McFedries as "the word lover's guide to new words," Wordspy lists some fresh words by combing newspapers, magazines, books, and websites for any coinage it can find—and the results are sometimes funny (googleganger, shelter porn, mom cave), often practical (blizzaster, landscaper), and invariably helpful. What do those words mean? Look them up in Wordspy!

Books by Philip Vassallo

Keep a Notebook

2011-01-25T22:45:00.006-05:00

A notebook is an indispensable tool for a writer. It serves for me at least three purposes, what I call my three R’s: recording, reflection, and reflex.

The most obvious of these purposes is recording. Realizing that the human mind can remember only so much, many writers keep a notebook simply to document events they attend, conversations they overhear, sentences they read, foods and drinks they taste, street scenes they see, and other sensory stimuli they experience. Those notes might very well become key pieces to a puzzle creative writers are trying to solve in a poem or story they’re crafting, but they help corporate writers just as much for white papers and proposals they’re composing.

As for reflection, I’ll let novelist and essayist Joan Didion do the talking. In her essay “On Keeping a Notebook,” she writes that she uses her notebook not to write literally, as if she were taking a photograph. “The point of my keeping a notebook has never been, nor is it now, to have an accurate factual record of what I have been doing or thinking.” Rather, she is concerned with “How it felt to me: that is getting closer to the truth about a notebook.”

Finally, reflex is all about making writing as natural as possible. The more we write, the better we get at it, so by journaling or keeping a notebook, writers make their task more automatic, more habitual, like breathing.

George Orwell's "Why I Write" a Primer for Aspiring Writers

2011-01-18T19:45:00.002-05:00

George Orwell's 1946 essay "Why I Write" is a masterful mix of autobiography, politics, and writing instruction. Aspiring writers would get from this article at the least an inspirational gem and possibly a modus operandi.

In this 2,700-word, highly readable reflection, Orwell implies that the nature of a writer and the drive to write reveal themselves at an early age: “I knew that I had a facility with words and a power of facing unpleasant facts.” He writes that he began writing poetry at age four or five and published in a local newspaper his first poem at eleven. An overarching theme in the childhood segment of this piece is the value of modeling one’s style after admired writers.

Orwell’s four great motives for writing prose are what he calls sheer egoism, aesthetic enthusiasm, historical impulse, and political purpose, concluding: "What I have most wanted to do throughout the past ten years is to make political writing into an art. My starting point is always a feeling of partisanship, a sense of injustice. When I sit down to write a book, I do not say to myself, ‘I am going to produce a work of art’. I write it because there is some lie that I want to expose, some fact to which I want to draw attention, and my initial concern is to get a hearing."

And that he achieved supremely. Despite dying at age 46, Orwell wrote voluminously on causes of social justice, and he did so with great style to boot, most famously with Animal Farm and 1984. My favorite quote from the essay comes in the final paragraph: "One can write nothing readable unless one constantly struggles to efface one’s own personality. Good prose is like a windowpane."

The Reading-Writing Continuum

2011-01-11T19:45:00.004-05:00

You do not have to look too far to find excellent readers who do not write much or who are not excellent writers. But the reverse is impossible. To excel at writing, one has to read voraciously, eclectically, and thoughtfully.

Truth be told, quality reading and writing are inseparable. The illustration shows how many strong writers approach their craft. First, they read to find inspiration, generate ideas, rewrite notes, seek corroborating details, check facts, or borrow from their previously written material. Next, they draft all their thoughts to get a rough idea of what they're trying to write. Then, they read aloud to catch the stream of logic and to detect ambiguity, repetition, and awkwardness. Finally, they write again for clarity, conciseness, grace, and vigor.

So excellent writers read to write and write to read. They need to answer not one question but two: What have you written lately? and What have you read lately?

Happy Anniversary, Words on the Line!

2011-01-04T23:00:00.001-05:00

Today is the sixth anniversary of the Words on the Line blog. I celebrated it by presenting a national webinar called How to Write a Darn Good E-mail for the American Management Association, and by committing to keep this blog alive for as long as it helps writers. My other writers' resources include:

Topics of interest to writers: http://twitter.com/PhilVassallo
A growing list of book briefs: http://LinkedIn.com/PhilVassallo

Here's to your writing success in 2011!

Books by Philip Vassallo

Getting Creative, Part 7: Read My Posts on the Writing Process

2010-12-31T00:30:00.000-05:00

One final tip—actually twelve—for getting creative: review my 12-part series called “Breaking Writer’s Block,” which ran in this blog from May 24 to July 7, 2009. You are sure to find some tips there to help you in your writing process:

Books by Philip Vassallo

How to Write Fast Under Pressure

The Art of E-mail Writing

The Art of On-the-Job Writing

The Inwardness of the Outward Gaze: Learning and Teaching Through Philosophy

Getting Creative, Part 6: Create a Prompt Library

2010-12-27T18:45:00.004-05:00

Writing prompts are a fun way to get started in writing. The topics are bountiful, so create a library of them for whenever you are contending with writer’s block. Here are a few examples:

From the Ifs, Ands, and Buts File:

IF I had only a notebook and a pen AND were stranded in an igloo with an Inuit family BUT had no mobile phone coverage …
IF my mother and father met three years after they did AND were living independent, single lives BUT were both extremely successful at their jobs ….

From the People, Places, and Things Files:

An elderly NAVAHO WOMAN standing outside the SUPERMARKET was selling GIRL SCOUT COOKIES …
My DENTIST bumps into me in the GRAND CANAL of Venice drinking bottled WATER

From the Animal, Vegetable, or Mineral File:

A RABBIT would not let go of the CARROT it was chomping on as it scampered to the barn during a HAILSTORM …
The TAXICAB DRIVER drove past a CORNFIELD, he realized he was on the wrong side of the MOUNTAIN …

From the 5W & H File:

The person WHO invented the wheel …
WHAT is least likely to happen to me if I won the lottery is …
WHERE the country’s next military deployment will be …
WHEN human evolved from their former species, the knowledge they took …
WHY President Richard Nixon did not destroy the White House tapes is a matter of …
HOW Captain Edward John Smith died aboard Titanic in 1912 …

From the 3A File (Analysts, Artists, and Athletes):

SIGMUND FREUD had little to say to ANDRÉS SEGOVIA when DAVID VILLA scored another goal against Austria because ...
ALBERT EINSTEIN postulated that LEONARDO DA VINCI and MUHAMMAD ALI understood their craft as well as did his because ...

Books by Philip Vassallo

Getting Creative, Part 5: Introduce Random Folks

2010-12-23T16:45:00.000-05:00

What if President Barack Obama met Chairman Mao Zedong in Majorca? Or Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda met astronaut Virgil Grissom in Aruba? No let’s stretch these scenarios some more: What if Obama met Johannes Sebastian Bach in eleventh-century India, Zedong met Francis of Assisi on the Christopher Columbus-skippered Santa María in the Atlantic Ocean in 1492, Neruda met Genghis Khan in an Internet café in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 2004, and Virgil Grissom met El Greco at the Parthenon in Athens in 430 BC? What would these characters say to each other? How would they interact in their new environment?

Maybe you have nothing to write about concerning these historical figures, or maybe you couldn’t care less to write about them. But if you’re in a writing funk, it might be a great idea to introduce random characters to each other to see how they would interact in a time and environment unfamiliar to them. Maybe you’d get Obama talking to Bach not about American politics or Baroque music but about the reasonable price of food in Calcutta. Maybe Zedong would ask Francis not whether he agrees that Communism is an antidote for Christianity but whether he knows of antidotes to seasickness during their journey to the New World. Maybe Neruda and Khan would not analyze twentieth-century Spanish poetry and thirteenth-century Mongolian empires but would complain about how surfing the Internet does not compensate for the severe cold and total darkness of Alaskan winters. Maybe Grissom and El Greco would not exchange ideas on spaceflight or painting but they would talk admiringly of the Athenian view from the Acropolis. And those ideas—the price of food, the remedies for common illnesses, the weather, and the panoramic landscapes—are what drive narratives and preoccupy characters in fiction.

I am not suggesting that you write an entire treatise on such anachronistic encounters. Not even an entire paragraph. Just enough—whatever it takes—to make connections to the characters in the places and times you have placed them. You are likely to borrow some of their dialogue for your own characters.

Books by Philip Vassallo

Getting Creative, Part 4: Work Differently

2010-12-19T23:30:00.000-05:00

I consider myself a creature of habit. Many of us do, but we’re more flexible, more adaptable, than we might think. When we wake up a few minutes late, we don’t refuse to get out bed and wait until tomorrow when we wake up on time. When an emergency or tragedy strikes, we don’t say to ourselves, “But I had plans momentarily, so I will keep them.” When our bosses tell us that we need to show up 15 minutes early or stay an hour late to meet a pressing business need, we don’t say, “Sorry, but my work mind functions only from 9 to 5.” We deal with situations as they pop up, often in spite of our best-laid plans.

The same goes for our writing system. If you notice that you’re just not producing at the same level as usual, then maybe the problem is not you but your system. For instance, I well know that I create best early in the morning, even before sunrise, but my work as a writing consultant often demands that I leave the house as early as 5:30 a.m. When this is the case, I need a Plan B, which, needless to say, is to write at night. I have a Plan C and a Plan D as well. If I hit the late evening too tired to write anything creatively, I turn to those moments in the writing process that do not demand much creativity: revising, editing, and proofreading. Or I do some planning by researching more about my topic.

So how can you work differently? Listen to music when you’re writing, or turn off the music if you always listen to music. Find a different time to work, or a different place. Start on an entirely
new topic unrelated to your current writing project. Spend more time reading or researching and less time drafting, or spend more time drafting but at different intervals. Try longhand writing when staring at the computer is not cutting it. Take a walk or do some other exercise before and during your writing. The possibilities are limitless, depending on your system. Breaking routine can unlock the door to your next burst of creativity.

Books by Philip Vassallo

How to Write Fast Under Pressure

The Art of E-mail Writing

The Art of On-the-Job Writing

The Inwardness of the Outward Gaze: Learning and Teaching Through Philosophy

Getting Creative, Part 3: Try Something New

2010-12-15T18:30:00.000-05:00

When I was in a college journalism course, the professor assigned the class to report on a new experience. As a jazz fan, I already had plans that weekend to see Lance Hayward, one of my favorite jazz pianists, perform at his regular spot in New York’s Village Corner. On at least a half-dozen occasions I had enjoyed his swinging style and absolute mastery of the keyboard, so I was not about to change my plans. But I could not report on the event because it was not a new experience.

Then it dawned on me: While his music was not new to me, his personal life was. I would interview him between his sets, and if he declined to be interviewed I would write about his refusal and how it made me feel. I couldn’t go wrong. I remember listening to his set in complete anxiety, wondering how I would approach this musical genius, doubting I had the courage to even ask him for an interview, and feeling upset for not having planned the questions to ask him if he did grant the interview.

Long story short, I did ask him, he agreed, and I totally bombed as the interviewer. I did learn where he was born (Bermuda), how long he lived in America (“seven years”), for how long he was blind (“for as long as I remember”), and why he turned to jazz (“I didn’t turn to jazz; I turned to music”). But I mostly stammered, hiccupped, and blundered through those eternal five minutes, ending the conversation at the bar as uneasily and abruptly as I had begun it. I was so embarrassed that I left the Village Corner before he began his next set.

I went home and wrote an honest account of how a tongue-tied novice interviewer failed at this task at uncovering the life of someone he idolized but still succeeded at keeping alive for himself the mystery of the interviewee’s musicianship. My professor gave me an A on the report. He wrote, “You wisely refrained from dwelling on Hayward’s answers to your trite questions, but you described your passion—if not his—for a music that is always a new experience for you, which is what jazz is.”

Wow. In other words, my professor was telling me that a mediocre writer’s mediocre account of a mediocre experience could still unearth something new, something worthwhile, something memorable. And here I tell the story thirty-seven years later.

And I tell the story as reminder to do something new, something outside your comfort zone, to have something interesting to say. It could be an interview of a 92-year-old neighbor, a description of a remote corner in a community park, a reaction to a library shelf that you have never explored—it doesn’t matter, as long as it is new. You’ll see what happens: your fingers will not keep up with the images your brain evokes as you try to capture the experience. Your creativity will explode.

Getting Creative, Part 2: Oppose Yourself

2010-12-11T10:30:00.002-05:00

Writers tend to have strong convictions. They feel strongly about an issue and write tirelessly about it, pouring their every emotion and baring their soul until they reveal the heart of the matter at hand in its simplest, profoundest truth.

This is not always a good thing. Such a mindset can be the culprit of an intellectual tunnel vision that shuts out contradictory evidence and opposing viewpoints from sources equally credible as the ones supporting their opinion. Worse, writing from the same perspective can cause a boredom that stifles creativity.

As a way of keeping the creative fire burning, whether writing fiction or nonfiction, think from the perspective of your nemeses. If you are a die-hard Democrat, then imagine what life must be like for Ann Coulter or Rush Limbaugh. If you dislike baseball, reflect on the life of a spouse or child of a major league player. If you cannot fathom a life without literature, consider how a typical day would go for one of the millions of people in the world who cannot read. If you hate Nazis, Ku Klux Klansmen, or Skinheads, pretend that one of their members is your beloved brother or daughter. After all, no one—not Adolf Hitler, not Idi Amin Dada, not Osama bin Laden—thinks he is engaged in doing wrong; he thinks he is right or at least is more than justified for doing wrong. Get into those heads, take something interesting from them, and use it as a springboard for a new essay or story.

This is the kind of thinking that led to making Michael Corleone in The Godfather such a compelling character. He is not just a ruthless, vengeful, power-mongering murderer; he is also a family man devoted to his family and friends—just like the best of us. Dr. Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs is not merely a sadistic serial killer; he is a charming, cultured, intellectual gentleman—the sort of man we would welcome into our home.

You can oppose yourself by resisting knee-jerk-response prose quite easily. Suppose your anti-abortion stance makes you so frustrated with abortion clinics. Walk a metaphorical mile in the shoes of an abortion activist, not necessarily as she is politicking for abortion rights, but as she walks her son to school or cooks up a terrific Thanksgiving supper for dear friends. Those are the contradictions that create dramatic tension and mesmerizing narratives.

Books by Philip Vassallo

Getting Creative, Part 1: Never Stop Working

2010-12-07T22:15:00.001-05:00

I want to end this year with a collection of tips to spur writing creativity. Writers never have a day off because they write from experience and they are always experiencing—even dreaming when they sleep. So let’s start with those sleeping and idle hours.

Tip 1: Keep a recording device with you at all times. Pen and paper, a mini tape recorder, or a smartphone will do. I use an old fashioned 200-page, 9 ¾" X 7 ½" lined, stitched notebook. You’ll never know when a good idea will hit you. In fact, creative people will say that from periods of deep relaxation come their greatest eureka moments, so all times means all times and all places—the bedside, the restaurant, the car, the beach, whenever and wherever.

Tapping into your creative mind does not mean straining to think; it just means writing down what you’re thinking about. No idea is insignificant. Comments you hear in passing while waiting in line at the bank, during phone conversations, while listening television commentators, and especially when reading are all fair game. So are the sights you see, from an elevator floor to the deep woods, as are the sounds you hear, the odors you smell, and the flavors you taste. Some of what you experience every day will show up in your next article, story, or play. Record them.

AMA Webinar Another Success

2010-12-05T10:30:00.000-05:00

The American Management Association ran my popular webinar, How to Write a Darn Good E-mail, once again on December 3, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Other scheduled dates are January 4 and March 31. The program focuses on the following points:

Get started quickly
Write attention-getting subject lines, openings and closings
Create clear, concise e-mail that gets results
Maintain a professional tone
Polish your e-mail to perfection
Discover the do’s and don’ts of e-mail

Signing up for this webinar is easy and inexpensive. The value is there, I assure you—as a thousand others who have tuned in before would tell you.

Books by Philip Vassallo

Reverso a Helpful Website

2010-12-03T19:45:00.001-05:00

I ran into another useful site: Reverso, a free translation, grammar, conjugation, dictionary, and thesaurus service. The site comes courtesy of Softissimo, a French-based publisher of linguistic technologies and multilingual solutions for corporations, governments, and consumers. It is easy to use and rich with practical advice. It’s definitely worth a look: www.reverso.net.

Books by Philip Vassallo

Voice, Part 11: Changing Active to Passive

2010-12-02T21:45:00.000-05:00

In this final post of the active-passive voice series, I’ll turn to how to change active voice to passive voice.

In the November 1 post, I gave three reasons for preferring passive voice. If you find yourself in one of those situations, simply focus on the people or things that are acted upon by making them the subjects of the sentence. Examples:

Active: The fire department is extinguishing the fire.
Passive: The fire is being extinguished.

Active: The lab technician examined the specimen.
Passive: The specimen was examined.

Active: Fred might make a mistake.
Passive: A mistake might be made.

The bottom line: Know the difference between passive and active, know when using one is better than using the other, and know how to transpose sentences either way. I wish you good luck—or good luck is wished to you.

Voice, Part 10: Changing Passive to Active, Method 5

2010-11-28T21:00:00.000-05:00

A final way of changing passive to active voice is to simply delete the passive verb. While you will not always be able to use this method, you should be on the lookout for such opportunities. Examples:

Passive: You are advised that you owe JoJo Management, Inc. $1,200 in rent.
Active: You owe JoJo Management, Inc. $1,200 in rent.

Passive: It was brought to my attention that you are submitting your reports late.
Active: You are submitting your reports late.

Passive: You are requested to direct your comments to Phil@PhilVassallo.com.
Active: Please direct your comments to Phil@PhilVassallo.com.

Voice, Part 9: Changing Passive to Active, Method 4

2010-11-24T20:30:00.001-05:00

You can also change passive to active voice by making the passive verb an adjective. Examples:

Passive: We will speak with the team that has been deployed.
Active: We will speak with the deployed team.

Passive: Farah has been trained as a researcher.
Active: Farah is a trained researcher.

Passive: The company allows travel to that country only for staff who have been vaccinated.
Active: The company allows travel to that country only for vaccinated staff.

Voice, Part 8: Changing Passive to Active, Method 3

2010-11-20T19:15:00.000-05:00

A third way of changing passive to active voice is to make the passive verb a noun:

Passive: You will be interviewed tomorrow.
Active: Your interview occurs tomorrow.

Passive: The way people are treated is the way that they might treat others.
Active: The treatment people receive dictates the treatment they might give.

Passive: Our division will be audited tomorrow.
Active: Our division audit is tomorrow.

Voice, Part 7: Changing Passive to Active, Method 2

2010-11-16T19:00:00.000-05:00

The first method for changing passive to active voice creates a change of subject:

The film was given good reviews. (The subject is film.)
The critics gave the film good reviews. (The subject is now critics.)

Another way to change passive voice to active is to change the verb instead of the subject:

The film received good reviews.

This method is more challenging because it requires the writer to concoct a different word. It is the choice of fluent technical writers, who often give human characteristics to inanimate objects to keep an active style. Examples:

The smartphone communicates throughout the continent.
This document describes the protocol of the Rebop7 System.
The assembly requires a licensed technician.

Voice, Part 6: Changing Passive to Active, Method 1

2010-11-12T21:45:00.001-05:00

You have several ways of changing a passive construction to an active one. The first and most common method is to place the doer before the action. Examples:

Passive: Pratash was rewarded by Microsoft for his exceptional service.

Active: Microsoft rewarded Pratash for his exceptional service.

Passive: Jason was called during the night. (Here the doer is hidden.)

Active: Jason’s manager called him during the night. (The doer is now revealed.)

Voice, Part 5: When Active Voice Works

2010-11-08T20:30:00.002-05:00

If, as I noted in the previous post, passive voice has a place in excellent writing, then when is active voice preferable? Three main considerations often stand out: conciseness, clarity, and fluency.

1. Conciseness. In the example below, active voice achieves greater economy.

Passive: It was noted by Caroline that security precautions which were created in the Bostick plant will not be followed by the Shelling plant. (24 words)

Active: Caroline noted that the Shelling plant will not follow the security precautions that the Bostick plant created. (17 words)

2. Clarity. The next example shows how active voice achieves greater transparency.

Passive: Although dissent was heard, a decision was made that the operation be terminated.

Active: Although the production manager dissented, the safety director decided to terminate the operation.

3. Fluency. In this example, the active is preferable because it sounds more like natural speech.

Passive: Consideration will be given to candidates to be interviewed if the qualifications are met.

Active: The company will consider interviewing qualified candidates.

Voice, Part 4: When Passive Voice Works

2010-11-01T00:15:00.001-04:00

Passive voice has its merits. Here are three cases when writing in passive voice might improve a sentence.

1. The doer is obvious to the reader. In the example below, the assumption is that readers know who the doer is, so mentioning the doer is unnecessary.

Active: The law requires you to obey the speed limit.

Passive: You are required to obey the speed limit.

2. The doer is unimportant. In this next example, the readers care more about the resolving the sanitation problem that who resolved it:

Active: The janitor emptied the trash.

Passive: The trash was emptied.

3. The doer should be spared recognition. This final example clearly illustrates how passive voice shows greater respect to the errant employee:

Active: Hector made a mistake in the proposal.

Passive: A mistake was made in the proposal.

Understanding when to use active and passive voice will endow the writer with an invaluable tool for expressing ideas.