Exercise to Develop Writing Muscle

Someone recently asked me why a person with decades of experience as a horse riding instructor would need to take lessons. It's the same reason pro golfers constantly receive coaching and why pro athletes of all types continue to practice.

Even the most accomplished writers can continue to build their skills with practice. One writing exercise I use regularly is to write about something I see outside my window. Even better is to go someplace new and describe what you see, or write your impressions of it.

For example last weekend I went to a karate tournament for the first time. What follows, unedited is my actual exercise, done just before hitting the publish button. I hope that in the comments section, you will share exercises you use to sharpen your writing. Here goes.

Karate may be the most democratic thing I've ever encountered. If, like me, your mind's picture of karate has been shaped by television and film, then I don't think we know karate.


Entering the high school gym where the tournament was held was an assault on the senses. It was as loud -- and appeared as organized -- as a cattle stampede. I was a little put off at first. It seemed like chaos, which I'm not a fan of. But, after finding a seat on the bleachers and quieting my mind a bit, the mystery began to dissolve. The gym floor was carved into six rings and there were competitors doing either forms, handling weapons, or fighting, all of which was pretty darned interesting.


Back to democracy. The inclusive nature of karate really hit me hard when in the afternoon, the black belts took to the rings. There were black belts from teenagers to 60-somethings, men, women, black, white, Asian and latino. There were fat black belts and skinny black belts. There were as many, if not more, nerd black belts as jock black belts.


While I'm not likely to take up karate, or become a follower of it, I'm glad to see a healthy activity that is so inclusive and enjoyable for so many.

Now that was a first draft. I may be able to polish into something with a little work. How do you develop your writing muscle?

Read this story

Growing up I was only vaguely aware of University of Alabama football coach Paul "Bear" Bryant's greatness. Since he died shortly after coaching his final game, I've read a bit more about him. This story by Wright Thompson, senior writer for ESPN is one of the best reads I've seen lately. Enjoy.


T
USCALOOSA, Ala. -- Something important is being lost. Each rising sun takes a little more from the couple who live in the small brick home southwest of downtown. Billy Varner has been married to Susie for 57 years, and as her life was once spent waiting on him to get home from a job that didn't know hours or days off, now it's spent managing his dementia. Each day brings its own reality. On the worst, Billy, who is 76, doesn't recognize Susie. He'll dress in the middle of the night and try to leave, his pajamas rolled up in his hand. Regularly, he refuses to believe that his old boss isn't at home waiting for a ride. Billy was Bear Bryant's driver, bodyguard and valet, one of the few remaining people who knew him as a human being. As Billy's memory fades, that knowledge disappears with it, widening the gulf between truth and imagination.
Billy tells Susie that he talks to the coach. Sometimes Bryant visits.
"Coach Bryant isn't dead," he'll say. "Don't tell me he's dead."
"Billy," Susie tells him, "yes, he is."

Writing as Therapy

I've not posted anything in awhile. This coincided with the diagnosis of a pet's terminal illness. He may be a cat, but he has been a part of my family for nearly 15 years. When he dies, it will hurt and I'll always miss him. Writing about what ails me sometimes helps.

After nightfall in October of 1997, a little girl knocked on the door of the newspaper where I worked, and a photographer unlocked it.

"My grandma says she's going to throw this kitten into the woods, if somebody doesn't take it," the child said.

Newspaper people are notoriously sentimental suckers. The photographer took the box with the kitten in it. Knowing I was new in town and that I had expressed an interest in getting a cat, she called me at home.

I went back into the office, opened the box and saw a tiny gray kitten with black stripes. "Your name is Smokey," I said, picking up the tiny tiger, who fit in my palm.

Nearly 15 years later, that kitten is still my little buddy. And, even when he's gone, he still will be.

There, that felt better.

Birth of a Column

What we're really talking about here is inspiration. I've never been a big "ideas person." As a journalist, you can put me on a story and I'll unravel every string, even if it takes two years and hundreds of articles to do it. If you're looking for that clever trend, or numbers-tell-the-story piece, I can do those to. But, the idea is not originating in my head.

Columns are a different story, though. Ideas come to me when I don't expect it. They pop up from the back of my mind while I'm in that half-awake stupor sitting on the side of the bed in the morning. Or, they show up while I'm mowing the lawn or fixing a broken toilet.

Back to the headline, this post is really pulling back the curtain on the birth of a column. From idea to done was an hour or less. I think I can sell it to a website for 50 bucks. If so, that's middle management wages in some industries and not bad for a trifle of an idea and a few thousand keystrokes.

So, I was thinking about my upcoming birthday, when I'll turn 50. Then I was thinking about if there were any movies I'd like to see this weekend. The two thoughts collided to produce this: My generation will know it has slipped over the hill when Clooney, Pitt and Cruise can no longer get work.

From that can the idea of how generations have seen their peers in popular culture, rise, age and fall. My column idea is, Aging and Popular Culture. If it sells, I'll put a link here for you to read.

Meanwhile, where do you get your ideas for writing projects? When and how do they come to you. Please share in the comments below.

Next: Writing as Therapy

What the ... ?

Why do adults making millions of dollars write like middle school children when they text? Unbelievable.

***

This is off topic, but check out the new Braves pricing on tickets in this story. Tickets are lower for a Tuesday game than for a Saturday game. And, outfield seat prices drop according to availability and time. In other words, if you decide at the last minute to check out a game, if there are outfield seats available, you get them at a bargain price. Good ideas.

***

I never Googled "Save the Syllables," before starting this blog, but did afterward. At the top was this funny piece from the blog The Hedy Experience.

3 Ways to Get Your Writing Unstuck

In 32 years of writing for a living, I've sat at the keyboard many times not knowing where to start, or how to start. The best way I've found to reach a cure is to figure out why I'm stuck. Follow these three tips, to diagnose what kind of block you have and overcome it:

You don't know where to start. If you don't know what the beginning, middle and end of your project is, then you aren't ready to write it. Do more research. Make an outline, even if it's only in your head. Once you're sure you have the subject nailed down and organized, writer's block goes away.

You don't know how to start. Usually, there's not just one right way to begin. If you are struggling with making that kind of choice, take your eyes of the screen and your fingers off the keys. Go take a walk, or play with your pet. Wash the dishes. While you and your brain are distracted with whatever diversion(s) you chose, the back of your brain is weighing the choices in how to start your writing project. Once you know the decision, go back and write.

You don't like anything you write. The best solution is to keep writing. Once you're done walk away from it. When you come back to it, you can improve it by rewriting the parts you're unhappy with. And, you'll likely to find the stuff you didn't like earlier seems pretty good upon second reading. 

What do you do when you set out to write, but get stuck? You could always do this.

Let's Talk Books

When I was in second grade, I grabbed "War of the Worlds," off the shelf and took it to the checkout desk, where the school librarian said, "You can't check this out. It's too advanced for you."

Well, the next time my teacher handed out pamphlets for mail order books, I got my parents to buy it for me and by golly read the darn thing. Loved it.

I learned to read before I started school. My parents let me sit in their laps as they read the local newspaper. I would point at pictures and ask who was in them. I would point at words and ask what they said. It should have all been very annoying for them, but they were patient, and as time went by, I began to be able to read some of the words.

Most likely if you are reading a blog on writing you love to read. I'm going to share a few of my favorite books. But, I'm tired of doing all the writing. If you would, please, share with me a favorite book or two of yours and why you love it. Here are some of mine, in no particular order.

"A Confederacy of Dunces," by John Kennedy Toole
I laughed out loud when I read this comedy set in New Orleans. If you don't read the book, at least read the foreword by Walker Percy, who tells the fascinating story of how this book came to be published.

"No Country For Old Men," and "The Road," by Cormac McCarthy
I finally checked out the first title at the library after a friend said something I wrote reminded him of McCarthy's work. Believe me, now I see that as a huge compliment. This guy's imagination, vivid description and way with dialogue is amazing. Can't stop now until I read all the rest of this work.

"Devil In the White City," by Erik Larson
Larson is a genius for even thinking of this non-fiction book and the way he wrote it makes it one of my top five all-time favorites. The book is made up of alternating chapters on a monstrous serial killer and then a brilliant architect in charge of building the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.

"Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," by John Berendt
True crime that reads like a masterful piece of fiction. Great research and writing. I've read this book about five times and writing about it now gives me the itch to do it again.

"Ava's Man," by Rick Bragg
Bragg brings a grandfather he's never met to vivid life through the recollections of those who knew him. Great story well told.

Okay, your turn. Please share what books you can't put down once you've opened them. That way the rest of us can discover them as well. Thanking you in advance.

Next: Um, uh, hmmm. Overcoming Writer's Block

Grab 'Em By the Collar

What has four legs, temporarily blurred vision and reeks of nacho cheese? A cat with a Doritos bag on its head.

-- Chris Cary,

The Times News (Burlington, N.C.)

That's the lead paragraph of a news story published in 1990. I can repeat it from memory and have many times, because it grabbed my attention. It made me read the story. I had no choice.


It was a report of a fire department call in Burlington, N.C. where curiosity got a cat into a jam that the firefighters got him out of. The whole story was three or four short paragraphs.

It doesn't matter what you are writing, if you made the effort you want people to read it. Whether it's an e-mail or a novel, your work is wasted if it isn't being read.


So, look for the most interesting thing you have to share and put it out there first. Use strong verbs, vivid description, or an analogy to help your audience absorb your message. Your entire piece needs to be clear and well organized, but a great lead (or lede in the journalism biz) grabs them by the collar and gets them started.


In this example from a story I wrote in 2005 for The Associated Press, the unexpected is highlighted to draw people into the story:


It's a crop largely unheard of in Tennessee and mostly unseen, growers say. But hundreds of miles from any ocean, about 20 farmers in places like Springfield, Jackson and Morristown are raising shrimp. 


And here, for the Chattanooga Times Free Press, I took a piece of jargon and turned it upside down:


Maybe this is the reason the trendy term "revenue stream" was coined: Sport fishing is a more than $3 billion river of cash in the economies of Tennessee and Georgia, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.


For the group, it would be great if you could share a favorite lead to something you've written. We can learn from each other.


Next: Let's Talk Books 

A Courtesy to the Reader

The Associated Press describes the use of punctuation as "a courtesy to the reader." Cormac McCarthy is one of the best writers I've ever read, but it's disappointing to me that he refuses to use quotation marks. In his work I figure out when someone is speaking and who's speaking, but sometimes it takes a minute, which is annoying.

Punctuation isn't the only courtesy you can do for readers. There is room for all kinds of styles in various forms of writing. But, in general, as a reader, I appreciate these favors from authors:

• Generous use of simple, declarative sentences
• Strong, active verbs
• Brevity
• Use of familiar words
• No use of jargon
• Vivid description
• Explanation using analogy

Follow these and your readers will always understand your message

Now, get out there and save some syllables. They're depending on you.

Save the Syllables Word of the Day
This word saves a lot of syllables and letters. Plus, using it will rid the world of all pretension. Well, OK a little.
Use vs. utilize (savings of two syllables and four letters)
But wait, it can do more.
Use vs. utilization (savings of four syllables and eight letters)



Next: Grab 'Em By the Collar

Why we're here

I'm not a great writer, but I've read them and worked with them. Over a half century of life and a quarter century of work, I've learned a few things about writing and how to do it well.

Just as we learn to talk by listening to people speak, we learn to write by reading. So it follows that if you want to be a great writer, read great writers. When giving this advice, I don't mean read them to steal their ideas or their words. But, you will see what tools they use that make their writing great, and that helps you add to your own writing tool box.

In this blog I'll introduce you to some great writers and share what I've learned over the years. We'll discuss different forms of writing. But, mostly I'll reveal what I believe to be truths that can make all forms of writing better.

Maybe the first should be what's behind the name of this blog. Save the Syllables refers to simplicity and common ground. The best writing is clear. It is accessible to everyone. The best way to accomplish clarity is through simple words that are familiar to everyone. Simple, familiar words are usually the shorter ones, hence the name of this blog.

Next: "A courtesy to the reader" (coming April 9, 8 p.m.)