Writing
Write as you would talk. Don't try to be "literary." If you are accustomed to saying "guts" in conversation, don't change it to "intestinal fortitude" when you put it on paper. Long words do not make good writing and they can make bad writing worse if they do not flow smoothly with the rest of the text.The professional writer, after considerable experience, is able to complete his story or article in a predetermined, specific number of words to conform to the requirements of the publication for which he is writing. This is a feat that requires considerable skill and, fortunately, the amateur need not be concerned with it.
When you write, be just as careful to include everything that is pertinent to your subject as you are to exclude everything that is not.
A diary may consist of a succession of brief entries that tersely list your activities hour by hour day by day. This is dull writing and dull reading. There will be no joy in re-reading it, and you will probably never look at it again until you are called up to answer that traditional question:
"Where were you on the night of April 14th?"
Your diary can be a history of the times. It should be too, for what is going on around you is so closely related to your life that it is a part of your life. It will be fun writing such a diary and rereading it will be a sheer delight.
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December 4, 2008