Michael Ehret, WritingOnTheFineLine
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In these posts, with the author’s permission, we look at their work pre-editing and post-editing—and at what I did to improve the piece. This week’s In The Edit is a little different. For one thing, Terrie Todd submitted a piece I hadn’t seen before. Exciting! Previous posts in this series (Ane Mulligan, Larry Timm, Linda…
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“The time to begin writing an article is when you have finished it to your satisfaction. By that time you begin to clearly and logically perceive what it is you really want to say.” Mark Twain, American author and humorist Love Twain! He was a great curmudgeon. The idea behind this quote is rich. When…
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If you came here from Novel Rocket, scroll down for the tip! Go to any writing conference or eavesdrop on any writer’s critique group (both great things for the practicing writer, by the way) and if you hang around long enough, the subject of passive writing will be discussed—and usually with the same conclusion: It’s…
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In these posts, with the author’s permission, we look at their work pre-editing and post-editing—and at what I did to improve the piece. This is probably breaking a point or two of some unpublished Editor’s Creed, but today’s volunteer for In The Edit (Linda Rohrbough) is a good friend, so I will just swallow hard,…
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“What I like in a good author is not what he says, but what he whispers.” Logan Pearsall Smith, “All Trivia,” Afterthoughts, 1931 As a writer, I find it much harder to whisper and be understood than to shout. Shouting is easy. The problem with shouting is it makes listeners–and readers–cringe. And it automatically raises…
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Last Thursday, we began looking at ways to be more clear in your writing by eliminating redundancies and overwriting, and choosing simple words when appropriate. Today, let’s look at how the right word also helps your reader grasp your meaning. Alive or dead? Perfect words are the difference between writing that leaps off the page…
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In these posts, with the author’s permission, we look at their work pre-editing and post-editing—and at what I did to improve the piece. This week’s edit comes to you courtesy of Larry Timm. Larry is fairly new to writing, but certainly not to communicating. He’s been a pastor for many years and, in addition to…
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“The act of putting pen to paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium.” Norbert Platt This is one of the things I love most about writing–it makes me think deeply. What about writing helps you regain your equilibrium? Michael Ehret, for…
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If you’re writing an article for a magazine or a novel your end goal is to have what you wrote read and understood. Why is it, then, that when you have a friend or critique group member read a piece they sometimes don’t get it? Are they just thick? Could be you have an issue…
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You’ve heard the phrase, “There’s a fine line between ‘this’ and ‘that’.” I see fine lines everywhere–between being ready for publication and being published, for instance. Imagine you’re a tightrope walker. The secret to keeping your balance, other than intense practice, is to focus on where you’re going. Look down and you’re history. Communication is…
Writing On The Fine Line 