by Lori Hatcher
Do you want to be a great writer? Would you like your work to be mediocre or marvelous?
If you want to be a great writer who creates marvelous prose, you can take five giant steps forward in your craft if you evaluate your writing and address the following five elements.
Five Steps to Become a Marvelous Writer
1. First Lines
Before I submit my manuscript, I run my writing through a First Lines check. I enlist my husband to be my beta reader, but you could ask a friend, critique partner, or family member. One at a time, I read aloud the first line of each chapter. Then I ask my husband, “Does this line make you want to read more?” If the answer is no, I rewrite it.
First lines are crucial to draw the reader in, evoke curiosity, or make them think. I often use dialogue or a question to begin a devotion, blog post, or article (see above). You can also share a shocking statement or a statistic that relates to your topic. Quotes also make great first lines.
2. Last Lines
Last lines are equally important because they transition the reader from one chapter/devotion/section to the next. If you don’t have excellent last lines, your reader will put the book down and perhaps never pick it back up again.
How many times have you stayed up way too late reading “just one more chapter”? I guarantee that author wrote great last lines. An excellent last line in devotions, blog posts, or articles will either leave the reader with a satisfying conclusion and/or call to action or, in a novel, string the reader along to discover what happens next. Excellent last lines for devotions, blog posts, and articles usually circle back to something in the opening paragraph. Strong fictional last lines often reveal new information or a plot twist.
3. Dialogue
Have you read your dialogue aloud? This question doesn’t only apply to novelists. Non-fiction works should also have appropriate dialogue sprinkled in. Ask yourself (or your reader/helper) if it sounds natural. Is it true to your character? A Texas cowboy wouldn’t use Oxford-level diction, nor would a college professor snip the g’s off his verbs. If you need a primer in writing dialogue, go to a coffee shop and eavesdrop. Notice how people speak in incomplete sentences, use contractions, and interrupt each other.
4. Bible Verses and Attributions
If you quote a Bible verse, be sure to cut and paste it from online Bible software like BlueLetterBible.org. DON’T trust your memory. Bible verses are protected under copyright and must be used word-for-word, exactly as they appear in your translation of choice. Remember to note which translation you used next to the verse reference in parenthesis. Example: “Jesus wept” (John 11:35 niv).
5. Source Attribution
If you ever (and I mean ever) use someone else’s words, give them appropriate attribution. Either use an in-source notation (ex. Author David Wright, in his article, “The Death of Books,” wrote, “The rise of poor literature is rampant.”) or a footnote that includes the author, publication, publisher, and publication date or (for online sources) accessed. If you don’t give proper credit for the facts or quotes you use, you are guilty of plagiarism. Marvelous writers don’t plagiarize.
Serious writer, don’t settle for good writing. Aim for great. Run your writing through these five filters, and you’ll move away from mediocre and five steps closer to marvelous.
Now it’s your turn. What filters do you use to ensure that your writing is excellent? Share your tips below and join the conversation.
TWEETABLE
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Great points Ms. Lori. A filter I use is an "Overused Words" macro. I look for those keywords that I tend to overuse (e.g., that, ensure, and so on/etc.). If I find more than one per paragraph, I rewrite. With "that"s, I read the sentence aloud. If it makes sense without it, it's gone! And when it comes to "aloud-ness" (new word, I reckon), I love to put on a headset, so I hear more clearly, and listen to the document being read aloud. I'm always amazed at how my ears seem to be better editor than my eyes. Thank you for your always-encouraging words ma'am.
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