Michelle Carr Hassler University of Nebraska-Lincoln How to write better Michelle Carr Hassler University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Five easy steps

Better writing in five easy steps!

1. Use strong verbs

What is a strong verb? A single word that contains the meaning of an entire group of words. “I was running.” “I was sprinting.”

What is a strong verb? “I was running.” “I was sprinting.” In the second sentence, you learn how I was running. “Sprint” means “to run at top speed for a brief moment.” So you get all the meaning of the verb “run,” plus the additional meaning that explains how I was running.

Use strong verbs Just like adjectives and adverbs, verbs can be descriptive The strong verb will be very specific and give your reader a clearer idea of your meaning.

Use strong verbs She screamed, "I'm not going to do it!" She mumbled, "I'm not going to do it." 

Can you create strong verbs? Talk Whisper, chatter, mutter Yell Shriek, scream, bellow

Can you create strong verbs? See Peer, spy, witness Laugh Chuckle, snicker, giggle talk (whisper, chat, mutter) yell (shriek, scream, bellow) jump (leap, hop, bound) eat (gobble, nibble, taste) see (peer, spy, witness) close (latch, block, bolt) laugh (giggle, snicker, chuckle)

Can you create strong verbs? Jump Leap, hop, bound

Mighty Mark McGwire stood over home plate Mighty Mark McGwire stood over home plate. In the grip of his thick hands, the bat looked like a twig. He looked at the pitcher. The pitcher threw the ball a little low. Bam! McGwire hit the ball with all his 250 pounds. He ran toward first base. He watched the ball fly 458 feet, over the left center field fence. "It’s a home run," said the umpire. The crowd stood up and clapped as he went toward home.

2. Write concisely and precisely

Avoid Intensifiers Very Really Truly So Completely Totally Positively Perfectly They add “bulk” to your writing and keep you from using a more precise, descriptive word.

Avoid Intensifiers very hungry famished really tired exhausted Re-write for conciseness, preciseness and description: very hungry famished really tired exhausted perfectly happy content so silly ridiculous

Avoid passive voice In passive voice, the subject receives the action of the verb. This creates wordiness and boring sentences. Passive: The book was written by J.K. Rowling. Active: J.K. Rowling wrote the book.

Avoid indefinite pronoun starters Wordy: There were 14 errors in Susie’s essay. Concise: Susie’s essay contained 14 errors.

How to fix passive sentences Find the verb Who performed the action? Construct the sentence so the actor performs the action.

3. Avoid clichés

Avoid clichés I am as busy as a bee. Her kiss was as sweet as honey. I am as busy as a bee. That picture stands out like a sore thumb.

Avoid clichés Lifeless Worn out and lack meaning

Avoid clichés It goes without saying that I’ve had the rug pulled out from under me. But now, in the nick of time, even though I am white as a ghost, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

4. Show, don’t tell

Show, don’t tell Telling: The pizza was delicious. Showing: Steam rising up off the melted cheese made my mouth water. The first bite, my teeth sinking into the cheese through the tomato sauce and into the moist crust, made me chew and swallow rapidly. Even the cheese and tomato sauce, sticking to my fingertips, begged to be licked.

Show, don’t tell Telling: He is angry. Showing: : Sitting at his desk, his jaw tightened. His eyes flashed heat waves at me. The words erupted from his mouth, "I want to talk to you after class." The final hiss in his voice warned me about his feelings.

Show, don’t tell Showing involves more than a long list of adjectives. The point of "showing" is not to drown the reader in details. Instead, select details that are the most meaningful.

-- From “Walker Brothers Cowboy,” by Alice Munro After supper my father says, “Want to go down and see if the lake’s still there?” We leave my mother sewing under the dining room light, making clothes for me against the opening of school. She has ripped up for this purpose an old suit and an old plaid wool dress of hers . . . We leave my brother in bed in the little screened porch . . . and sometimes he kneels on his bed and presses his face against the screen and calls mournfully, “Bring me an ice cream cone!” but I call back, “You will be asleep.” -- From “Walker Brothers Cowboy,” by Alice Munro Letting activities do the talking for the narrator. Economic condition. Season. Interplay between parents (one gets the love; the other gives it) and their activities. Lake an adventure. More pleasant when juxtaposed with the sewing.

5. Revise and edit

“The only kind of writing is rewriting.” ― Ernest Hemingway

Revising and editing tips This is the hardest step in the writing process but the most important. Put your writing away – even for a short time. Come back to it with fresh eyes and a fresh perspective.

Revising and editing tips Slowly read your paper aloud. Does it make sense? Does it sound right? Read your paper backwards. Have someone else read it. Read it several times.

What happens when you don’t spend time revising Student essay: The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't. Hospital chart: Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year. Church bulletin: At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice.

Five easy steps Use strong verbs Be concise and precise Avoid clichés Show, don’t tell Revise and edit

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