Words on a page

I don’t know about you, but I’ve encountered two specific kinds of writers. Ones who are pretty laid back and just get the job done without worrying about every little thing. And ones who are pedantic in the extreme, and who sweat not only the small stuff but also the smallest details.

I like to think that I belong to the former group. I don’t worry about silliness like is it ‘in a window’ or ‘on a window or whether or not you should start a sentence with words like and or but.

That said, here are small details that you definitely should sweat over. If not sweat, then pay extra attention to. Here are a few things that I try to pay attention to:

• The names of people and places – I don’t know how many times people have butchered my name and the names of my wife and daughter in messages and in letters. It’s annoying. Do your utmost to verify the spelling of not just peoples’ names, but also names of places.
• Jargon – Remember that you’re not writing to show how clever or cutting edge you are. You’re writing to inform and entertain. If you have to include jargon or terminology in something that you’re writing, remember to briefly explain it.
• Correct, and not trendy, spelling – Every year, it seems, there seems to be some new and trendy form of spelling. Like what? Like using a “z” instead of a plural “s”, or “teh” instead of “the”. Unless the situation warrants it (and I can’t think of many situations that do), use the correct spelling. It might not be hip (do people even use that word anymore?) but that piece won’t cause you to cringe when you re-read it a year down the road.
• Meaningful sub headings – I’ve seen writing, both in print and on the Web, that contains clever sub headings which are a tad too clever. It takes a while for the reader to understand what the sub heading means, and how it relates to the section following the sub heading. Being clever is fine, but don’t use allusions or turns of phrase that will disrupt the flow of reading.

What are some of the smaller things that you sweat over when writing? Feel free to leave a comment.

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This entry was posted on Monday, April 27th, 2009 at 5:00 am and is filed under advice, writing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.