Losing Bad Writing Habits

What’s on the iPod: Twenty-One by Corey Smith

What a great weekend! Friends of ours were married in a meditation ceremony, and it couldn’t have been nicer. Here were two people who had been through some rough situations separately, but who’d finally found each other (right under their noses, too), and had found a beautiful thing. I cried. I didn’t expect it, but when we were sharing our thoughts for the couple, I couldn’t speak without tearing up. It was just so wonderful to see good friends find happiness.

I had a rough start yesterday. A stomach ailment took over and my morning was lost. By afternoon I was upright, but I wasn’t able to work. I had to write the day off as a loss, which gives a sort of release of those small-business burdens we tend to yoke to our backs. Today, I’m hoping, will be much better.

Today I’ll be concentrating on marketing, but also I’ll be doing my weekly exercise — style study. It’s been a practice of mine for quite some time. I pick up my copy of the old college handbook, worn as it is, and I open to a new page. Even with a degree and a lot of experience, I still study it. Why? Because I don’t know everything. If I learn one more thing this week, month, year about my craft, I’m a stronger writer for it.

Also, my little exercise has helped me drop plenty of bad habits. We all have bad habits. Some of us are great at writing but lousy at sending/chasing invoices. Some of us love the marketing but hate deadlines. Then there’s the small stuff — those minor details — that don’t seem like much until a client or fellow writers see  we’ve missed them. From how we write to how we run our businesses, there are plenty of ways to improve what we’re doing.

Here are a few things to help you improve your writing career:

Spell Check. Laugh, but I bet you could name at least one thing you’ve read this week (and it’s only Tuesday) that a simple Spell Check could have corrected. Writers, don’t get lazy. Get in the habit of clicking the little check mark right before you save the file.

Create a work process. Write it down in simple form — maybe a note pasted to your wall or a document you open alongside what you’re working on. Answer these questions: How do I formalize our agreement? What are the deadlines for both the client and me? How will I handle revisions? How will I ensure project delivery? How soon will I follow up to make sure it’s all okay? Get the details down on paper. You’ll be more likely to follow through if you know what and when.

Search for your favorite word – and remove it. My most-overused word is “that.” Whenever I finish writing, I search the document for all instances. Then, I remove as many as I can without losing the meaning. What’s your favorite word? Pay attention to your writing. You’ll see it.

Ask someone about your worst habit. I know friends who still use then/than and theirs/there’s incorrectly. Conversely, I have had some bad habits in the past — regionalisms, I’ll call them — I’ve slowly weeded out. For example, where I come from, people would say something “needs washed” instead of “needs washing.” Just because you’ve said it all your life doesn’t make it any less incorrect. Ask a trusted writer friend what bad habits you aren’t seeing in your own writing.

Beware the Clerk Typist role. I remember telling a girlfriend about a client’s wishes — he wanted me to write down everything he said verbatim and “put it in book form.” She laughed and said, “Well, how very clerk typist. Next!” She was right — sometimes writing clients don’t really want us to write, but to take dictation. When you find yourself in front of a client who’s expecting his or her own brilliance repeated back to them with proper punctuation, walk away if you can. If you can’t, explain how you can enhance what they’ve said (avoid words like “change” or “fix”) and give it a bit more impact. Just know you might be in a losing situation, for any client who expects a writer to just type it up all nice and pretty is hiring the wrong professional.

Reread your work. Please. Have you ever read a sentence so poorly crafted you couldn’t find the point with a compass and a Sherpa? Are you really being as clear as you can be? Also, what are you missing because you’re too busy to reread? Did you finish your sentence? Did you forget to complete your thought? Give your work at least one extra read through.

Give advice the BS test. Don’t you get a little tired of hearing the latest directives, like “you can’t” or “you must” absolutes? Ask yourself a simple question: do I know other writers who are successfully doing what this person is saying not to do? Also, keep in mind Jane’s experience does not Joan’s experience make. If I like to work from 9 until 2, that may not mean your work day has to mirror my experience. Nor do you have to specialize, work for content mills, brush your teeth, or chant mantras in order to do your job. You know what works for you. If you don’t wash your face before noon, that doesn’t make your writing any less serious or good. Be yourself. Don’t be a clone of someone’s throw-away advice.

What bad writing habits have you given up?