Right the Way You Write

REGARDING HENRY
By Henrylito D. Tacio

ON WRITING WELL

Recently, I read this from a science book: “The increased in the acidity
of atmosphere is passed on to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems through
wet and dry deposition via the hydrological cycle.” Here’s another one:
“It provides the somatic energy used by biological systems.”

Frankly speaking, do you understand what those two statements mean? If
you think science reporting is effortless, you’re totally wrong. In
fact, writing about science is easier said than done. A science reporter
writes more than just about science; he can write about health, energy,
technology, innovation, environment, and agriculture.

When writing hard news, all you have to do is tell the readers about the
usual 5 wives and one husband (actually they refer to who, what, where,
when, why and how). This rigid formula is highly successful in getting
information across to readers, particularly those who are reading quickly.

If the Ten Commandments were to be delivered in the modern world, and
should be written in 400 words only (due to space constraints), the
journalist would write this way: “The Lord issued ten commandments today.
The three most important were…”

But when it comes to science reporting, you do more than this. It is not
enough to quote someone and that’s it. You have also to explore, explain,
interpret, analyze, and investigate. And you cannot do this in few words.

“When I was working on a newspaper,” recalled Susan West, who used to
write for Science 85, “the editors would cut any science story down to 500
words. They didn’t believe there was anything important enough in science
that couldn’t be said in 500 words. And they didn’t want a story to
explain how scientists work, how they carry out the process of science.”

I know a lot of people who wanted to become a writer. “But I don’t know
how,” they told me. Well, anyone can write as long as he can scribble but
writing well is another story. When you write, you write because you
have an idea to share. You don’t write because you want people to be
impressed by what you have written.

You write because you want people to read what you have written. And
people will read what you have written if it is written well. And it is
written well if people could understand what you have written. Will
Conway said it bluntly: “The most important attributes a writer must have
are faith, hope, and clarity.”

Now, whether you are writing about science or politics or business, the
rules for good writing is the same. Prefer the plain word to the fancy.
Prefer the familiar word to the unfamiliar. Prefer nouns and verbs to
adjectives and adverbs. Master the simple declarative sentence. Prefer
the simple sentence to the complicated.

Never use a long word when a short one will do as well. Vary your
sentence length. Put the words you want to emphasize at the beginning or
end of your sentence. Use the active voice. Put statements in a positive
form.

Use short paragraphs, if possible. Cut needless words, sentences, and
paragraphs. Use plain, conversational language. Write the way you talk.
Avoid imitation; write in your natural style.

Write clearly. Avoid gobbledygook and jargon. Revise and rewrite.
Improvement is always possible. “I write every paragraph four times –
once to get my meaning down, once to put in anything I have left out, once
to take out anything that seems unnecessary, and once to make the whole
thing sound as if I have only just thought of it,” reminds Margery
Allingham.

When writing your sentences, how do you do them? Put just one idea in a
sentence. Make them move – that is, go somewhere. Vary the length.
Shorter ones often communicate better. Achieve balance, especially when
comparing or contrasting.

The main word may well appear at the outset or end of the sentence; often
at the end to move the reader on the next sentence. Use good structure
even when depicting uneducated people or settings. Quotations may, of
course, contain ungrammatical statements if the context permits.

Avoid unnecessary dashes, exclamation points, question marks, etc. Use
punctuation to clarify; avoid unnecessary punctuation. Observe precision:
in sequence, time, action, etc. Don’t rely on conjunctions for
continuity.

Watch you antecedents. Pronouns and their antecedents must agree in
number and gender. Cut out unnecessary sentences. Weed out unnecessary
data. Use modifiers accurately. Make the first sentence a winner!

Here are more great rules of writing from William Safire. “Do not put
statements in the negative form. And don’t start sentences with a
conjunction. If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a
great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing. Never
use a long word when a diminutive one will do. Unqualified superlatives
are the worst of all. De-accession euphemisms. If any word is improper at
the end of a sentence, a linking verb is. Avoid trendy locutions that
sound flaky. Last, but not least, avoid clichés like the plague.”

So, you want to be a writer? “Writers are most fortunate of all in not
having to retire when they grow older. Like actors, they may have a big
public, but the public does not care how writers look. The thoughts of 60
or 70 are not absurd or pitiable as faces of the same age may be when
revealed to a great public. If you embrace the writing profession, it is
as a close and long embrace. It lasts for life and may be as vital at the
end of life as it was in the first young approach,” observes Margaret C.
Banning.

For comments, write me at henrytacio@gmail.com