Clarity, Part 1

Richardson, Gary. "Three Clear Bubbles". 11/02/04 via Flickr. Attribution 2.0 Generic License.

In this blog post, I will be briefly discussing four topics regarding writing that I just read about in Rules For Writers.

Choose Appropriate Language: Choosing appropriate language is a key component of a good writing piece. I always feel as though I become a bit too casual with the words I use because I basically write how I talk to people. Reading this chapter reminded me that using the wrong language can even lessen your credibility as an author depending on the topic you're writing about and how you're writing about it.

Maintain Consistent Verb Tenses: This has been a little issue for me for as long as I can remember. It's very important to keep the same tense with all the verbs you use or else it literally doesn't make any sense. Sometimes I'm just on a roll with what I'm saying and the point I'm trying to make that I just forget what I started with, so this chapter was helpful for me.

Wordy Sentences: Like I said before, I tend to write as I talk to people which also causes problems with my sentences being long and maybe even not making sense as well. Reading this chapter reminded me to just slow down and read the sentences out loud to help me see if they make sense and/or are fairly easy to read.

Emphasize Key Ideas: It's easy to assume that the reader knows more than they do, frankly because it'd be a lot easier for the writer if they did. A lot of times, I feel as though I lack in my explanations and emphasis of key ideas in whatever piece I'm writing. I liked reading this chapter because it stressed the importance of making sure your reader knows exactly what ideas you're trying to get across without any doubt.


Reflection
I read through Chris's draft as well as Alex's. In Alex's draft, I found the following sentence to be helpful in thinking about how I should revise my own draft:

"You won’t have to get used to “speed of neutrinos” being used in popular culture - which could be the best news that comes out of this, as “speed of neutrinos” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it as “speed of light”."
I thought it was a really good use of the conventions of a QRG. It's super casual and relatable to the reader which is a huge part of QRGs.

These next sentences were in Chris's draft:

"Why do days and nights happen? Why do stars twinkle? Why does the world work the way it does?"
This was in the introduction of his post and I thought it was a great way to open his topic. I have been struggling trying to make a good hook/introduction in my draft, so I'm hoping this sparks some ideas!