Update on Jeremy’s Great Writing Challenge: Constructive (and snarky) Criticism and Tips

www.inkthinkerblog.com — Well, Jeremy David responded to my snarky demand for more information with an eloquent and appropriately snarky-in-return, detailed comment, excerpted below with my comments. And before we get into my giving Jeremy a hard time again, I just want to say that the kid is growing on me. I think I may heart him. And he knows it, so I’m not just being a jerk — I’m being a good-natured jerk with educational and entertainment value.

And obviously, since I’m writing this post, I’m “in,” as I mentioned in the comments both here and at Jeremy’s blog, but I reserve the right to be “out” if and when I feel like it, depending on how this goes. We’ll see… But I want to like Jeremy so much, and I really want him to mean all of this in the best ways, so I’m all for giving it a shot. So, on with it!

 

I doubt that I am the only person in the world who wants to be able to write eloquent and compelling literature. Heck, that’s why they offer English courses, right? Unfortunately, my formal education didn’t revolve around those classes. I was too busy doing my silly commerce stuff. So now I am here, close to graduation, regretting my inability to write.

Fair enough. The education system in the US is woefully inadequate in may ways, particularly in teaching any semblance of basic written communication skills across the curriculum. English majors aren’t the only ones who need to know how to write well, people! I feel you.

 

I love blogging, I think it is a powerful medium of communication. I frequently change what I blog about, and now my targets are focused on helping people write better. Believe me or not, I sincerely want to help people who are in my position learn to write better. Yes, there are
probably many resources – you highlighted many of them yourself – that can teach someone to write. But they are not cut and dry. There is no definitive step by step guide that teaches someone to write better. That’s what I want to do, and help people succeed.

I love blogging, too, but I’m trying to stick with one thing per blog (though I do reserve the right to get tangential every now and then because hey, it’s my blog, I can do that). I’m having flashbacks to Legally Blonde right now. There’s that line that’s something like, “I think she just woke up one morning and said, ‘I think I’ll go to Harvard Law,'” uttered by a bewildered character who’s just met the oh-so-perky, Elle. She ended up being pretty serious about it and pretty darn talented by the end, so I hope the similarities will continue. (Although if you think doing “the Bend and Snap” will wrap me around your little finger, you’re sadly mistaken.)

Now here’s the thing: There is absolutely no mention of you helping other people in your initial post about the challenge. Here’s what you said:

 

I am going to see if any of these writing-bloggers are up to the challenge. Can you help me write better?

 

This is an interesting opportunity because these individuals have the chance to put their abilities to the test. They can show the world if they really posses possess the ability to make someone write better. What do they get if they win? Bragging rights. Five years from now they can say “I helped Jeremy David become the writer he is today.” If successful, that statement could have a lot of weight to it… maybe I’ll dedicate a book or two to them, ha ha ha. Seriously though, if anyone is up to the challenge please let me know!
(Boldfacing is mine, btw.) And the tag line on your blog, right below your name, is “I will become a better writer.” So I’m not getting the help-people-succeed angle from that at all. Maybe your goal has evolved since then, I have no idea, but here’s my first honest-to-goodness tip for you: Say what you mean the first time, and don’t waffle. If you can’t get behind your own writing, no one else is going to. And if you realize that you came off like a jackass the first time around (and I’m not saying that you did), the best thing you can do is say, “I came off like a jackass the first time around. This is what I was really trying to say: [insert brilliance here].”

Incidentally, the reason you’re having a hard time finding a step-by-step guide to writing better is multifaceted.

1. Different genres of writing require different skill sets. I do a lot of oncology editing. I can tell those authors how to write clinical study articles better, but that same information probably isn’t going to help you unless you’re also writing clinical study articles. The principles (clarity, focusing on the audience, writing tight) are all the same, but the execution varies widely.
2. What I like about writing and what you like about writing are probably not the same. I can give you general principles to writing better, but the only step-by-step guide you’re really going to find is “How to Write Like [Person Who Wrote This Book].” Seriously, it’s an individual art. The principles and tips on implementing them can guide you in the right direction, but you’re the one who has to take them and develop your own style.
3. What you see as a step-by-step guide and what I see as a step-by-step guide are probably very different. I have about a dozen “step-by-step guides” to being a better writer, but each of them does something different, and my guess is that even if you’ve found them, you don’t consider them to be what you’re looking for (even though 50,000 other people may). And the reason I have so many is that they’re all step-by-step guides for slightly different techniques and styles. You can’t be all things to all people, dude. It’s never as good as when you specialize. Never. (This is going to come back to bite me, considering that I’m a freelance generalist, but I’ll deal with that sad reality another time.) I hope there never is a single cut-and-dried guide to writing that supersedes all the others. That will be a sad day in my eyes.

 

Why not do my own work? Why do people write research papers? Why have books? Why record anything for that matter. If everyone had to start from scratch anytime they did anything, what would be the point of doing it first. That didn’t really make any sense, but I’m trying to say that I was hoping to start my writing quest by learning from what accomplished people, like yourself, have done before. Then, when all is done, I would refine everything into a simple and effective resource to help people in
my position.

Uh, what? ;] I think I see what you’re trying to say. There are scores, hundreds, thousands of resources to help you. We may be using the term “research paper” differently, but from my experience with research papers (which, to be honest, is more extensive than I would like), you write them to gather together the relevant research others have done and use it to support your own idea. But you need to have your own idea first, or then you’re just writing a literature review.

The point is, other people already did it first, yes. You can (and should) use what’s come before as a spring board. But you have to figure out what you’re springing TO first. You need a thesis statement — a specific one — or you’ll just be writing in circles. Right now, my dear, this project lacks
a thesis statement. Or, now that I think about it, maybe it actually has too many thesis statements. Pick one.

 

What will you get out of this? Credit for being a participant, and the satisfaction of helping people write better. I agree, my little challenge thing was a bit sassy and INFOMERCIALesque. But it worked. Here we are, talking about writing. [[snip]] There are more benefits than bragging rights. I didn’t want to dangle the glowing carrot of altruism in front of your face, but it’s there. Trust me.

I should have been more clear about the whole “What’s in it for me?” question. I already have the satisfaction of helping people write better (and generally getting paid for it) and I’m already here (and lots of other places, too) talking about writing. What am I going to get out of it that I don’t already have? What makes you different? Sell it, baby, sell it. Sass goes a long way, but if you can’t back it up with substance, then you have no way to cover your sass. (I’m funny in my head, I swear.) And credit for participating in something that no one’s ever heard of that may or may not go anywhere…well…I have a lot of that, too. ;]

What would you actually get out of this? Recognition for your work. When people check out the blog they’ll see all of your contributions and think “Wow! This person is really smart. Maybe I’ll pay for some consulting!” No, I’m not talking about myself. I’m talking about you. Also the readers of your blog would get the benefit of anything you provide because I’d hope you would provide the information to them too. Basically, the reward is helping many people learn to write, and getting some free advertising along the way.

Again, you gotta give me something I don’t already have. I get what you’re saying, and if I were an unknown in the writing world, this would be a great way to get some recognition. But the fact that you tapped me to participate means that I’m not an unknown. You found me. You found me in the context of my being a writer, and you were sufficiently impressed with the gems of wisdom I’ve provided here to contact me. So… Yes, like I said, something I don’t already have.

This doesn’t mean that these aren’t all good things, but seriously, think of this as a business venture. What’s your business plan? What are your revenues and expenses? And what are your partners’? It needs to be profitable in meaningful ways for everyone involved, or no one will want to get involved — and people like my good friend Lori will be completely justified in suggesting that you’re a slacker only in it for yourself (not a direct quote — she’s far more tactful than I). Make the benefits obvious, or be frank and say that there are none if that’s the case. Some people will help anyway. But either way, no one wants to feel like you’re trying to pull something over on them.

 

I’m the only winner? Nope. Everyone’s a winner. You, me, and the people who participate. Even the people in four years who stumble upon these posts. I believe in free information. I’m not about to close up shop and start charging people for what you teach me. No one would listen to me. Why would they hire me when they can hire you? This is about helping everyone. The process I go through to learn how to write will be available for everyone. I’m just the example. A tangible experience people can follow. I could figure it out myself. I’m sure that’s what you did, and thousands of people all over the world. But times are changing. Information is fast and accessible. Communication is easy.

Everyone’s a winner, huh? Well, okay, but let’s be more specific and less lovey-dovey. How does one “win” this “challenge”? What does “participation” entail? What, if anything, is the “prize”? Take my Query Challenge for example. Participants are required to send queries soliciting writing assignments from editors, and to report their numbers to me each month. Anyone who completes 120 queries by the end of the year will get some kind of certificate or something, and the person with the most queries will get a tangible, not-yet-disclosed prize of some substantial value. Throughout the year, random prize drawings will reward active participants for sticking with it. Yes, everyone’s a winner, but there’s a specific end point with a specific positive consequence and specific criteria for participating. What are yours? Please be, you guessed it, specific.

It’s apparent to me that this is still evolving, but for the next time ’round, perhaps best to try to hammer out the details before you get started. ;] Every post on your blog seems to be taking it in a slightly different direction.

Becoming a better writer is going to take years. It’s going to involve reading many books. It’s going to involve writing a lot. And I think that’s cool. I do not have hundreds and hundreds of dollars to pay people to teach me to write, so I came up with an idea: a blog that is going to help many people learn to write, and diffuses the task of teaching across many different people.

Years, true. Reading, yes. Writing, of course. Cool, absolutely. A poor college student, completely believable. But the whole “I’m doing it for the world” thing really does seem like an afterthought. And that’s okay! But just call a spade a spade, which will take the wind out of your opponents’ sails anyway.

And you know, the more I think about it, the more this is YOUR challenge. You’re challenging yourself and asking other people to help. This whole you-challenging-professional-writers thing, in my opinion, just isn’t going to go anyway. (Go ahead, prove me wrong, I don’t mind.) I mean, seriously, like I said before, what do you have to give me that I don’t already have? What I would really want (not that you shouldn’t ALSO shower me with gifts and praise) is to see you succeed because you asked for my help and you were generally grateful throughout, not to get into some “challenge” wherein I bust my butt for free to be The One Who Teaches You to Write. I’m just not into that. It seems false to me. But what I think you’re actually talking about when you’re explaining this stuff has an honesty to it, and that’s what draws me to you anyway.

So, there’s my two cents on Jeremy’s response to my questions so far. What do YOU think?

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