Comments on: Great writing tips for bloggers

By: Denise

Denise — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 11:33:00 +0000

Good stuff, thanks for sharing. Now if I could just improve my grammar skills……

I came across your blog through the Catholic Moms and I’ve really been enjoying it.

Scorpions are no fun, but they have to be better than the palmetto bugs I grew up with in Florida. Those guys are *freaky*!

By: elena maria vidal

elena maria vidal — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 21:17:00 +0000

This is very interesting to me, Jen, and helps me understand the different approaches to writing I see on the internet. Since I write novels, my focus is more on the poetry and the flow of the text in a slightly different way from a journalist’s approach. I was taught in college creative writing classes not use the same word over and over again. So instead of saying “face” three times, I will use synonyms such as “visage” or “countenance,” as long as it fits with the mood of the scene I am building.

A journalist, on the other hand, is trying to impart current information in as clear and concise a manner as possible. Whereas my purpose in writing my books is to explore latent truths and underlying meanings in the psychology of the characters. Some great writers are able to do that with very simple language, such as C.S. Lewis. Everyone has a different style. Fascinating!

By: Becky

Becky — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 17:28:00 +0000

Ahh, this reminds me of a class I took last semester. Good times.

But anyways, I ran across your blog and wanted to say hello and congrats on recently entering the Church! I’m a new Catholic too, and it’s great to have you as a sister in Christ. God bless+

By: Sarahndipity

Sarahndipity — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 13:31:00 +0000

I was an English major in college, but I was on my school newspaper and started out in journalism when I graduated. It turned out to be a mistake. That speaker was basically right about it. Long hours, low pay. It’s only worth it if you really love it. I liked it but I didn’t love it. I realized I’m an artist at heart, and while I love to write, I don’t love to write about prescription drugs (what I was writing about at the time.) I only love to write creatively or about something I’m passionate about. I like blogging because I can write about whatever I want. Thanks for posting the article – although when I blog, I basically just bang it out and throw it up there with little thought about organization.

By: el-e-e

el-e-e — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 12:52:00 +0000

Excellent tips! Thanks for sharing this. I, too, had a professor who encouraged us to say what we mean, and then end it. Loved him.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 05:49:00 +0000

Thanks for posting that; it brought back great memories of college writing courses.

I had a professor who would put our essays on his laptop, project them up on the wall, do a word count, and then tell us we were going to cut the word count in half without significantly cutting content.

And? We managed it almost every time.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 05:21:00 +0000

Jen,

I think I had that book at one time. I'll have to look around for it. Anyway, thanks for posting that section.

Yeah, fellow writing nerd here.;)

By: Kristi

Kristi — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 05:06:00 +0000

Thanks for posting this! I’m in the editorial (and occasionally, writing) field and it’s always good to have reminders/pointers…
My husband is the one who referred me to your blog recently. Gosh, he’s smart. I’m enjoying it a lot so far. (Although I don’t know if I would use the term “enjoying” when it comes to your scorpion posts. More like “reeling in fear.” But it’s entertaining!)