Do you write well enough or are you just okay? Do you remember those days in high school when you’d have a quick English pop quiz that turned out just to be an essay in disguise. I shudder at the thought, but looking back – those were some of the most interestingly opportune times to tap into your creative genius.
When you choose to write better and have a greater command over this form of communication, you are investing in a fundamental tool that will positively affect everything else in your life. Yes, it really is that important to learn how to talk with people better!
In this article, a gracious reader and champion for life-change was kind enough to do a little question and answer interview survey with me. I don’t claim to be the best interviewer in the world, but I do promise some good, raw, and honest answers from normal people like you and me. I do my best to NOT filter these answers, except for the bad words and hateful speech (which of course doesn’t happen often).
With that little blurb out of the way, let’s dive right into the content!
Today’s Topic: Writing Better (Take 3)
‘R’ = Richard N. Stephenson (me!)
‘I’ = Interviewee (anonymous by request unless otherwise noted)
[This interview is inspired and fueled by research done for my book: Quick Content Formula.]
R: Describe what writing better means to you.
I: Writing better means being able to convey my thoughts to paper in a clear and concise way for others to understand. I believe being a good writer would also gain some respect and status, as people who read my writings would see that I am educated. They would understand that I’ve received the education needed to become a good writer, and it would show great intelligence on my part the better I write. It would be embarrassing and troublesome if I were to fail in conveying my message to people and they weren’t able to understand me.
R: Describe how writing better would be useful to people looking to change their lives/careers.
I: Writing better would be useful to people looking to change their careers because one of the prerequisites to getting a new job is the resume. Being able to produce a resume of accomplishments can be the beginning of a new career. Writing better means that the resume is written in the active voice so that the prospective employer knows what the employee can accomplish at the company or the organization.
R: Give an example of writing better being used that has inspired you (from either internet/mainstream media examples or personal examples).
I: I have been inspired to not only write online but to adding audio to what is written online. I have recorded my writings and have listened to my voice tone so that the information is relayed clearly and in an understandable manner. Writing better has inspired me to take that next step which is to get the writing off of paper and on a tape so that internet users can hear what I am writing as well as to read the content.
R: How do you think a better understanding of writing better would help other people in their personal or professional life?
I: Professionally, writing is very important in the sense of using it for correspondences’ with other professionals. If one’s grasp on the written word is not that great, often times this may shed a negative light on them, and may cause others to judge their education, professionalism etc. In one’s personal life, it is also important to write well because e-mailing and writing letters are still a major part of our communications out of the workplace. Especially when contacting government officials through hand-delivered mail, a written letter often can appeal more than an e-mail due to its more personal stigma.
R: Give an example of how writing better has helped you professionally or personally.
I: Personally, it has helped in that I have gained a better grasp on the English language. I can formulate ideas and present them quicker and more efficiently since I have become a better writer. This carries over professionally. My ideas are more respected when presented more clearly and effectively.
R: Describe at least one way you think writing better could cause trouble or hurt someone in their personal or professional life.
I: It seems strange that writing better could cause trouble for someone unless they used their writing in a way that made others feel devalued in some way. Writing with greater ease might allow the writer to be more comfortable in stating his/her opinions which could hurt someone’s feelings if they are not careful in the words they use. It could also set up an artificial sense of superiority.
R: Give an example of how writing better has hurt you or caused you trouble in the past.
I: I used to work in an academic department, and I would regularly write reports on the work that I was doing, or help to write reports on the work of the department. I consider myself a good writer, with a good and eloquent writing style, but the head of the department would review my inputs and would very often send them back for re-write as he considered my writing to be too “flowery”. He wanted punchy, basic writing using basic words and short sentences. This would cause me lots of extra work in re-writes, and also he would often openly riducle my writing style in front of other department members, causing resentment and some embarrassment on my part.
R: How do you think writing better could help you in a professional setting? Why is that?
I: Writing better could help in a professional setting because the pay would be more because of the availability of a publisher. The professional setting most likely could be a newspaper editorial column which pays more than writing on online writing websites. The revenue increases with the conversion to a professional setting because of the many sponsors that are paying to have products advertised in the newspaper.
R: Give an example of how writing better could be useful at work. Why do you think this?
I: Writing better could be useful at work because there reports are important in business meeting and should be written clearly to be understood by the work team. Reports that are filled with grammatical errors does not command the respect of a well written business reports. Goals and the mission of the business are more obtainable if the workers know and understand business reports that could sum up their progress in keeping the business sustainable.
R: How do you think writing better could help you at home? Why is that?
I: Writing better could help you at home by increasing your communication skills. If you’re a better writer, you’ll be better able to get your point across when writing to members of your household. This would help cut down on misunderstandings, and promote a better overall mood within the home.
R: Give an example of how writing better could be useful at home or in family life. Why do you think this?
I: Great writing helps a person to also understand contracts and bills in their home life. In your home life being a good writer can help your children learn to write well. Writing could also lead to extra income in your home life. Writing is also a great way to express your feelings and to vent.
R: How do you think writing better could help you in a personal relationship? Why is that?
I: Having a firm grasp on the written word could help you transpose and clarify your thoughts to a person, similar to how when writing an essay there is a certain mindset and formula (ex. Intro, Topic, Rebuttal, Conclusion.) Therefore being a better writer could mean you will improve upon how you handle your thoughts, as well as the best way you want to convey those thoughts to a person, whether it be your significant other, friend, family member etc. Additionally you could write some pretty sweet love letters, think Shakespeare, or even Cyrano De Bergerac
R: Give an example of how writing better could be useful in a personal relationship. Why do you think this?
I: Writing better can benefit a relationship through being able to express your thoughts and or feelings in a comprehensive and thorough manner. Personally I would enjoy it a lot if some of the people I talk to on facebook, email, etc. would write better. It’s also a lot easier to think about your thoughts and put them down on paper in a respectful or productive way than going off the top of your head in a conversation.
R: Describe at least one thing you would like to learn more about writing better.
I: I would like to learn more about the flow of writing. Too many times people just put sentence after sentence but with no flow. It tends to sound like a robot put together the sentences. If I could learn to have a ‘voice’ in writing I think it would help me a lot to keep the reader’s attention to my writing and stories. It can also have an effect on a lot more than assignments but also presentations, speeches, etc.
R: Give your number one piece of advice for someone looking to learn more about writing better.
I: My number one piece of advise for someone looking to learn about writing better would be summed up in one sentence. This HIT is asking for three or more sentences, so I’m having a hard time figuring out how to properly answer the question.Let me try like this.You want to write better? Read better. Read more. Read authors you don’t like. Read authors you don’t know. Read about topics you loathe. Read about topics you don’t understand. Want to write better? Read better.
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That’s it for now! I hope you enjoyed this interview conversation and found at least one useful bit of information you can immediately begin to apply in your life.
Also, if you’d like to figure out how to make a lot of great content for your own blog, website, school work, or email newsletters, then you might enjoy the Quick Content Formula. This is my own personal (and favorite!) method of creating highly engaging, fun, and useful information at a very quick pace. It’s a great way to beat that blinking cursor and write more awesome stuff. Click here to check it out.
Please share your thoughts, experiences, or your own interview answers and let’s share some real life wisdom, okay?