Quotable and Inspirational Einstein

Albert Einstein (1879-1955) was, among many other things, a master of the aphorism. Here are three of them that hold true for writers. 

• "Imagination is more important than knowledge." Is it any wonder that Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein by age 20, and Carson McCullers wrote The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by 23? They could not have been so full of wisdom by their age, but they were surely full of imagination. Writers need to start from this premise.  
• "Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them." Writers need to know what they don't know and then get it, if they are to expand to points of reference, depth of insight, and command of language.
• "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." Pete Rose had more base hits than anyone in baseball history, but he also made more outs. Thomas Edison failed in inventing electric light more than a hundred times before he succeeded. Writers need this reminder: create fearless of failing, transform those failures into successes, and expect failures again. At least you're trying. Enjoy the experience.  

One Quote,Two Tips from Ruskin

English critic John Ruskin (1819-1900) once wrote, "Say all you have to say in the fewest possible words, or your reader will be sure to skip them; and in the plainest possible words or he will certainly misunderstand them." Ruskin renders two suggestions: make every word count and keep it simple--great advice from a prolific writer who speaks from experience.

Tips for Aspiring Writers

Here are some quotes from great writers collected by Thought Catalog that will either make aspiring writers laugh or crush their spirit. My favorites are from Paul Theroux ("My advice to any young person who wants to write is: leave home"), Harper Lee ("I would advise anyone who aspires to writing career that before developing his talent he would be wise to develop a thick hide"), W. Somerset Maugham ("There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately, no one know what they are"), and the best, Stephen King ("If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time--or the tools--to write").

Plain Language a Standard NYC Government Course

I am honored to have designed and delivered for the City of New York a Writing on Plain Language workshop, which is now available to all City government agencies. 

In past WORDS ON THE LINE posts, I discussed Plain Language principles at length: the need, paragraph focus, heading and list logic, thoughtful transitions, managing runaway sentences and clipped sentences, active voice, parallel structure, and word choice. So it's great to know that an organization as large as the New York Citywide Training Center  has moved ahead with my program. 

The initial response from the hundreds of employees who have taken Writing in Plain Language has been exceptional. The highly customized nature of the course and its focus on individualized feedback have made it the most popular writing course for the City.

Try Mind Mapping

I recommend mind mapping not because I often use this planning technique. In fact, when generating content for my drafts, I tend to just create vertical lists on my computer by first brainstorming ideas quickly and then organizing them into manageable groups, which eventually become my paragraphs or headings. But when I introduce mind mapping to my students, many of them get playful with process, inventing their adaptations, feverishly capturing thoughts bursting from their fertile brains, and rapidly jumping into their drafts with gusto.

Many videos describing and illustrating mind mapping are available on YouTube. (Click on the image to view one.) See if this method works for you the next time you find yourself stuck on an important writing assignment.

Reading Scripts to Achieve Clarity

Reading plays is an excellent way to get a feel for the dialogue of life in general, and the questions of businesspeople  in particular. Few people read plays, yet we write at work based on imagined dialogues with our readers.

Imagine opening an internal proposal to your manager with this sentence: 

Splitting the Northeast Region into two sales territories will double our coverage, leading to 25% additional revenue after the first year.

You are assuming the following dialogue:

Manager: What do you want?

You: We should split the Northeast Region into two sales territories.

Manager: Why?

Writer: It would double our coverage. 

Manager: What would that do?

Writer: We would increase revenue by 25 percent after the first year.

Reading dramatic pieces not only entertains, it also gives insight into how people react, reply, retract, and repeat. Read some plays with this thought in mind and see how your ear for your audience improves.

The To and the Do, or the Do and the To?

A helpful tip I give to people in my writing classes is to start proposals or time-sensitive requests with a sentence that includes a to and a do. The to is the reader benefit; the do is the writer expectation.

Here are some examples of the to and the do:

1. To improve our chances of winning the account (to), please include an analysis of options in the proposal (do).
2. We can reduce rental costs, increase our labor pool, and facilitate the production process (to) by relocating the plant to Memphis (do).
3. I recommend including an analysis of options in the proposal (do) to improve our chances of winning the account (to). 
4. Relocating the plant to Memphis (do) will reduce rental costs, increase our labor pool, and facilitate the production process (to).

Examples 1 and 2 appear in the order of to and do, a more deferential style; Examples 3 and 4 are in the order of do and to, a more assertive style. Choosing the right approach depends on the situation and your relationship with the readers.