How to Write

Recently, I’ve been getting a lot of comments complimenting me on how well I write and how I inspired them to get into writing themselves. I am heartened by the messages. I started this blog to give me something to work at each week, to sharpen my writing skills, and to perhaps get the attention of a prospective employer. Now, I’m flooded by hundreds of comments every day – so many that I can’t keep track of all of them! On behalf of my readers, I want to write an essay about my general philosophy of writing.

It’s no secret that I love writing. However, some of you may be surprised to learn that there was a time when I thought that writing a blog would be impossible. I mean, you’re asking me to write an entire post every week? As a guy who had a hard time turning in schoolwork on time due to how much I procrastinated, I couldn’t see myself doing this. What changed? In this post, I’ll reveal the secrets of my craft.

This post is pretty long compared to my other blogs, so I won’t address those specifically asking about how to make a blog. I’ve written a post on that already. Instead, I will address the two parts of good writing: practicing good habits and writing smarter, not harder.

Practicing Good Habits

I wrote a while back about how bad habits are the biggest time-wasters. If you do not get into good habits, you will never find the free time to write. Is watching the next episode of your favorite television show more important than honing your craft? Do your Facebook friends need you to see everything they do? No? Then, you don’t need to do them. Remember, if you want to be a writer, you have to act like one. You owe it to yourself to set aside a special “writing time” for you, even if you have to cut out some of your guilty pleasures to make room for it in your day. I suggest following the advice in that article if you want to get into better habits that make more time for writing.

It’s all well and good to find the time to write, but what should you write about? Many people struggle with this initial step of the writing process. I believe that this is because they don’t have a writer’s mindset. A true writer looks to the world around them and uses it as an inspiration. Writers observe the world, listen to people, and read books with a mind ready to receive inspiration from anywhere at any time. It might also be helpful to carry around a notepad and pen wherever you go to jot down notes about the world around you, though a phone with a ‘Notes’ app can do just as well. These notes can be the start of a new blog post, a new short story, or even a new book. Vigilance and open-mindedness are crucial virtues to a writer.

When you’ve decided what to write and when and where to spend it, it’s important to inform your friends and family about this special writing time. Tell your parents that you want to spend your free time writing after you finish chores and school work. Tell your spouse or roommate that you want some quiet alone time to concentrate on your craft. Give your kids something to do during your writing time and let them know that you don’t want to be disturbed unless it’s an emergency. You need a special space and time to write.

Oftentimes, the chaos of everyday living fills your mind with scattered thoughts, making it hard to focus. It’s therefore important to spend the first few minutes of your writing time clearing your mind. There are many ways of doing this, but I will share the two I use. The first are simple prayers that orient my mind. According to the Catholic tradition, God is Truth and the source of all wisdom. All the great artists ultimately get their inspiration. By praying, I can orient my mind to God, which allows me to be in contact with the source of all inspiration. I pray every morning for this reason (among others). Here is one prayer I recommend to someone before they begin writing or studying:

Ineffable Creator,

Who, from the treasures of Your wisdom,

Have established three hierarchies of angels,

Have arrayed them in marvelous order

Above the fiery heavens,

And have marshaled the regions

Of the universe with such artful skill …

Grant to me keenness of mind,

Capacity to remember,

Skill in learning,

Subtlety to interpret,

And eloquence of speech.

May You guide the beginning of my work,

Direct its progress, and bring it to completion.

The Aquinas Prayer Book: The Prayers and Hymns of St. Thomas Aquinas, ed. Rober Anderson and Johann Moser, 43.

The other thing I do to help concentrate on my writing is listen to music. Now, one must be careful which musical selections you choose to write to the tune of and how loud you want this music. Energetic music will make you want to get up and dance, and music with lyrics will replace the words you want to write with the words of the song. Thus, it’s better to listen to relaxing music with no vocals. I prefer listening to lo-fi music, classical music, or even ambient noise while I write. I also have some good headphones that drown out the noise and worries of everyday life. The right music will put you in the right mood to start writing.

Once you start writing, and you suddenly get writer’s block, you must keep writing. Even if you feel like what you’re writing is garbage, some writing is better than nothing. If you stop writing, you will kill good writing habits and develop bad ones all over again. You can always go back and change it if you’re unsatisfied with it later. Your first draft is never your final draft.

Writing Smarter, Not Harder

One should learn to write correctly. Improper and sloppy writing leads to improper and sloppy thought. Of course, having an editor’s eye for typos is indispensable. Bad grammar makes your work unprofessional and, in some cases, unreadable. However, word choice is an unjustly neglected area of writing and editing, which is a shame since both good word choice and good grammar are needed for smart writing. George Orwell’s famous essay “Politics and the English Language” makes the argument that bad writing causes a “reduced state of consciousness” that is “favourable to political conformity” and allows for a “defence of the indefensible.” You can avoid these mistakes by adhering to Orwell’s six rules:

i. Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.

ii. Never use a long word where a short one will do.

iii. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.

iv. Never use the passive where you can use the active.

v. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

vi. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

Of course, all of us are guilty of violating these rules. Sloppy writing is ubiquitous in institutional contexts – be it academia, journalism, or the corporate world. Still, your writing (and thinking) will improve if you attempt to follow these rules. According to Carnegie Mellon University professor Daniel M. Oppenheimer, using bigger words doesn’t necessarily make you sound smarter.

A little research can also go a long way to making your writing smarter. How in-depth your research depends on how serious you want your writing to be. In my college history courses, I relied a great deal on primary sources. For much of this blog, I mostly cite secondary sources, though I still check to see if the information is accurate. No matter what sources you use, must always provide a citation for them, whether in the form of a page number, a footnote, or a hyperlink. You also must make clear when you are quoting from the article and when you are paraphrasing or using your own words. Plagiarism is one of the worst sins a writer can commit.

As an aside, do not rely on Wikipedia. If you have to use it, instead look at the sources that Wikipedia cites and read those to judge if they are accurate. If they are, cite them. However, Wikipedia tends to use citations regardless of quality, thereby misleading its readers. For example, its article on rule of law says:

the principle, if not the phrase itself, was recognized by ancient thinkers. Aristotle wrote: “It is more proper that law should govern than any one of the citizens.”

This implies that Aristotle believed in rule of law. However, it cites a bad translation of Aristotle’s Politics, which gives the impression that Aristotle endorses the modern concept of rule of law. This superior translation by MIT makes clear that Aristotle is recounting arguments relating to absolute monarchy and the claim of law being sufficient. He did not himself believe in rule of law.

At the same time, you shouldn’t feel obligated to write something unless you’re getting paid to write a particular topic. Sometimes, the right idea doesn’t come to mind, but that’s okay. While you should write something if you want to get better at your craft, but sometimes, focusing on one essay at a time is not the best way to get work done. Many of my blog posts are the result of typing whatever I happen to feel at the moment or whatever comes to mind. The right words will follow the right ideas.

Do not feel the need to get into “crunch mode.” Do not spend hours at a time staring at a screen (or at a pen and paper). Get up and walk around, get a glass of water, and do some stretches once every twenty to thirty minutes. Doing this is not only good for your mind but also your body. Carpal tunnel syndrome is rather unpleasant, so it’s important to do some hand exercises and stretches to prevent it. I dislike the feeling of sitting still for too long. It makes me feel at once sluggish and cramped. Be kind to yourself and your body while you write, and don’t work yourself to the bone, even if you are on a deadline. Otherwise, you’ll be kicking yourself later. Space out your time and, if you have a deadline, avoid cramming it all in at the last minute (though as I say this, I know I’m a bit of a hypocrite; I’ve often only finished writing these blog posts on the day they’re supposed to be done).

Finally, be sure to have fun writing. Writing is difficult but rewarding work. It’s important to keep in mind the “rewarding” part of it so that you aren’t overcome by the “difficult” part. If you keep this advice in mind, you too will become a good writer.