Off Topic - Writing Education (Print and Save Edition)

“One of the really bad things you can do to your writing is to dress up the vocabulary, looking for long words because you’re maybe a little bit ashamed of your short ones. This is like dressing up a household pet in evening clothes.” - Stephen King

Educators change lives. Coaches are educators, changing lives.

Graduate high school able to think and communicate well. Learn from great writers. Ernest Hemingway said, "Writing is easy; all you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." Read Stephen King's "On Writing" or at least a summary. 

Better writing has shared features such as writing mechanics, originality, clarity and explanation.   

Stephen King advises using strong verbs and avoiding adverbs. Have a story structure using plot, characters, and dialogue. Don't make characters one dimensional. Heroes have flaws and villains have strengths. Write initial drafts without worrying about the finished product. 

Stories and jokes have three parts - the beginning, the middle, and the end. "What was the last thing George Washington told his men before crossing the Delaware?" --> (Pause) --> "Get in the boat." 

Become a storyteller. Use the Heath Brothers "success" acronym - simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional, stories." - Chip and Dan Heath, Made to Stick 

Write intentionally. Bob Woodward advises, “Investigative journalism seeks the best obtainable version of the truth." He also shares that his articles convey at least six key points. Realize that overcoming the 'tyranny of the blank page' requires creativity and the finished product means multiple revisions. Thrillers mean raising the stakes and other conventions like time pressure of the ticking clock. 

Clarity comes from both reading and writing experience. Matt Haig reminds us that writing is a journey as "Every story is about someone searching for something."

Your introduction may inform the story. Tolstoy begins Anna Karenina with "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." The 1205 pages exhaust that reality. 

Jargon may confuse readers. An introductory article on volleyball using attack runway, platform skills, pin blockers, or pipe attacks would confuse readers. 

Lagniappe. My opinions never come down on stone tablets. MVB can improve its serving to become a stronger program. 

Repost. Serve harder with these exercises.  

Misty May advice.