I will never forget her reply. She said, and I quote: “Do you want to work on your obliques, or your abdominus muscles? “ Apparently, there are six
different muscles that make up the stomach region. Each muscle has a specific function. In order to target the desired region, I would need to alter my exercise regimen to concentrate my efforts. Well, in just you were wondering, it was my rectus abdominus that I wanted to tone. However, to get the chiseled look that I was hoping for, it would take a daily routine of consistent effort.
Writing is much the same. It takes a concentrated,
regular effort. In the course of my duties at Grammarly, I have been able
to talk to many successful writers. They have shared some writing
exercises that have helped them to overcome writing problem areas. Here
are a few exercises that will have you metaphorically opening pickle jars with
the best of them.
Problem 1: Flabby Phrases
Target Exercises: On the website of The
Purdue Online Writing Lab, three activities are featured that are designed to
help you to identify and eliminate wordiness from writing. The
previous sentence is wordy, right? After practicing with the activities,
I am more aware of unnecessary and redundant information. A better
sentence: The Purdue Online Writing Lab features three activities
designed to help you eliminate wordiness. Try your hand: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/exercises/6/9/
Target Exercises: Spelling and grammar
errors do more than detract from a document. These small errors can cost
time and money. If you send a manuscript full of errors to a publisher,
it will decrease its chances of being accepted. If you become aware
of errors that you regularly make, you can seek to avoid these negative habits.
Use this free proofreading service.
Cut and paste a paragraph or two into the box. The free
version provides a list of probable errors that have been detected in your
document. For example, it may suggest that a subject and verb agreement
error exists. Check each sentence in the paragraph until you find
the problem. As after a workout, you can reward yourself to a banana.
I am sure potassium is good for writers, too.
Target Exercise: The Writer’s Craft
offers seventeen ways to get in touch with your characters. They cheated
a bit, because the first four are really the same: Read, read, read, and reread
books. When you choose a few books to focus on for this activity, include
a couple that you did not like or did not finish. By doing character
sketches, you will notice what characteristics attract and repel you. Once you
have researched the characters in several published novels, you will have a
better idea of what types of characters maintain and repel the interest of the
reader. Jodi Cushing posted a list of one
hundred questions. After 100 questions, you will
probably know your character better than you know your partner!
If you are willing to do the work, you can tone your writing
muscles. These are only a few of the most common problems that writers
face. Do not suffer through rejections without investigating
whether a little exercise might not help you. Consult with a
developmental editor and ask them to make suggestions for improvement.
Equipped with the knowledge of your flaws, you can target each one
with the appropriate exercises. You won’t even need to buy a gym
membership!
Bio: Nikolas
discovered his love for the written word in Elementary School, where he started
spending his afternoons sprawled across the living room floor devouring one
Marc Brown childrens’ novel after the other and writing short stories about
daring pirate adventures. After acquiring some experience in various marketing,
business development, and hiring roles at internet startups in a few different
countries, he decided to re-unite his professional life with his childhood
passions by joining Grammarly’s marketing team in San Francisco. He has the
pleasure of being tasked with talking to writers, bloggers, teachers, and
others about how they use Grammarly’s online proofreading application to
improve their writing. His free time is spent biking, travelling, and reading.
A guest post from Grammarly.
A guest post from Grammarly.
All images courtesy of Fotolia
