Category Archives for Writing
5 Lessons I Learned From Dealing with Writing Rejection
“When you’re following your inner voice, doors tend to eventually open for you, even if they mostly slam at first.” ― Kelly Cutrone, If You Have to Cry, Go Outside: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You
The first rejection I had was when I was 12 years old. It was at a journalism workshop taught by a prominent local reporter.
Our assignment was to write an editorial about any topic we wanted. At that time, I was obsessed with medical stories and thought a piece about viruses would be a great idea. After about two hours, we each presented our drafts. He announced that he would grade us on the spot.
It took him about 15 seconds to scan my text before he shook his head and heaved a sad sigh.
“You’ll never be a writer.”
Harsh words for a 12-year-old, don’t you think?
How to Avoid Cliches Like the Plague (See What I Did There)
That’s so cliche.
Am I the only one who reads this phrase and hears a sixteen-year-old girl snapping her bubble gum and twirling her hair?
Cliches are phrases or words that started off interesting and impactful, but have been so overused that they’ve become comfortable, perhaps even predictable. Comfortable isn’t good. In the business world, comfortable is boring, and boring isn’t good for business.Continue reading
How Overusing Exclamation Points Gives English Grammar the Middle Finger
From an early age I took a shining to the French language. It was new and exciting, and when my older sister started learning it in elementary school, I followed along with her lessons. By the time I was old enough to start taking classes in school, I already understood most of the words and sentence structures.
Child genius, I know.Continue reading
You May Know What You Are Trying To Say, But Your Readers Likely Don’t
“Well,” the writer says, the equivalent of a shoulder shrug in their tone, “I know what this means and I like it, so we’re keeping it.”
Externally, the editor gives an understanding smile. Internally, the editor puts her head in her hands and screams.
Sessions like these happen all the time between writers and editors when it comes to getting those crucial rough drafts ready for publishing—though perhaps not quite as dramatically. Still, there are always hurdles to overcome, particularly when it comes to ensuring a writer’s thoughts are understandable to his or her readers.Continue reading