Comments on: From “Good” to “Great”: Tips for Becoming a Better Writer

By: Kim Hamlin

Kim Hamlin — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 03:35:29 +0000

Thank you Julie, I really appreciate this post, especially your personal account in #3. I am so bad about telling instead of showing. I even come up with interesting, never-used-before adjectives to describe something, instead of just answering the W questions. Ugh! I’ve been told it’s my need to control the situation that I don’t allow the reader to have an imagination. Instead, I hold it tightly and give the reader a step by step of the story to ensure that they get my viewpoint. Even after painful editing, it seems that I still have so many mistakes. I’m not giving up though! Thanks again!

By: Antoinette Baranov

Antoinette Baranov — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 03:10:40 +0000

Father taught me not to use adjectives much or be suspicious of their use. This adds to my repertoire though I’m a poet. Thanks, Antonia Baranov

By: Janice F Baca

Janice F Baca — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 03:04:09 +0000

This was very helpful! Thanks for the writing tips!

By: Josh Leibovitch

Josh Leibovitch — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 17:59:44 +0000

Wow, I really found this article helpful. I posted it to my corkboard on wonderhowto so that others can come to this address and find it. I have been struggling with my writing as of late and I think that this is something that can breath new life into my creative endeavors.

Josh

Writers.wonderhowto.com

By: James Smith, João Pessoa, Brazil

James Smith, João Pessoa, Brazil — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:45:55 +0000

Kachunk! “If they’d been any good, I’d be dead.” An opening for an action/adventure novel.

Everything after that is details.

By: wayne

wayne — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 03:19:06 +0000

And then there is the tale of a public speaker who gave a long speech because he did not take the time to write a short one.

By: Julie

Julie — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 03:13:07 +0000

Hi, Roxanne-

Thanks for your comment. I’m glad that you found the article a useful reminder… and I’m still practicing killing my darlings, too!

By: Roxanne

Roxanne — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:45:49 +0000

Great article. Thank you for the wonderful reminders. I’m a talker. My business and creative writing often reflect that. I’ve been working at writing tighter copy and surprisingly it’s been easier to kill off my darlings.

By: julie

julie — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 16:14:30 +0000

Craig and Skeelojo:

Thanks for your comments and sharing your experiences. And thanks, Skeelojo, for the classic Vonnegut tips, which are just as useful for non-fiction as they are for fiction.

By: Craig

Craig — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 08:58:14 +0000

I know what you mean. Linda and I edit several articles a week…our own included!

Recently we commissioned a piece from a writer and her clips seemed great. What we ended up with needed around two hours editing to make publishable. Hard work when you’re paying someone else!