Saturday, April 21, 2018

Advice to Writers



Don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins. ~Sharon Creech (Walk Two Moons)


Advice to Writers

Writing well is more than just words on a page. Don’t
be satisfied with your first draft. Be the one to judge
your own writing with a
critical eye. Man
up (or woman up) -- work on revising and editing until
you’ve
walked
through your piece at least two
times. If you’re writing about stars and moons,
get your facts straight. Don’t write “in
his
shoes” if what you really mean is moccasins.


©Mary Lee Hahn, 2018



6 comments:

  1. Delighted by the way you worked the details in this!

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  2. I don't associate editing w/ quality writing, although it's important. Two things work against my own editing ability: poor eyesight and skin problems on my hand that make my fingertips peel. That results in typos I often miss. Ideas and organization always matter most. Editing is separate from writing and revising.

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    1. I agree that ideas and organization always matter most, but for me, editing and revising are intertwined with composition. I start with the ideas (or sometimes the form/organization) and composing is a constant dance of tweaking, fiddling, and fixing. For fifth graders, editing is necessary so that their ideas and organization can shine. No good pouring your heart and soul into a piece if your reader can't get to the meaning through a barrier of misspellings!

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    2. PS -- I don't flag typos as a form of judgement. In the spirit of writerly collaboration, I would hope that my readers would alert me if one of mine slipped through!

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  3. Hah! I like this - never just say shoes when you could say something bigger or more specific.

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  4. I love this idea at the end where you ask them to consider what they really mean.... I feel like it's a step I forget sometimes...

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