Best Writing Advice I Ever Received
When I was in the fourth or fifth grade, I had to write some kind of report for school. While I don’t remember what it was about, I remember the assignment was a very big deal at the time. I got to use our family computer to type it up, rather than hand write it. When I was done, I printed it out using our family’s dot-matrix printer, which used the paper with those perforated edges and large holes on the side. (If you have no idea what I’m talking about, I’ve included a picture. I also had to search for it to remember what it was called.)
I loved watching the printer spit out the pages of the report, bit by bit, as my words came into the world as a real-deal physical thing. The printer was so loud you could hear it on the floor below, like a bunch of crickets were trapped inside, pushing the paper out.
Like a good writer-to-be, I knew I needed an editor. So I asked my parents to read the report. I’m sure they tempered their criticism to an appropriate level for an elementary school student. But my dad said something that’s stuck with me since:
“Don’t use the same word twice in one sentence.”
Again, I wish I could remember the sentence he was referring to, but I can’t. I am sure it was something benign, like “Science is important because we can learn about the different things science teaches us about.” (I have been ending sentences with prepositions for as long as I’ve been writing!)
While the advice my dad gave me might seem similarly benign, it has become a foundational piece of my writing craft. I have no idea if there is any set style guide rule against using the same word twice in a sentence (there probably isn’t), and I don’t always adhere to it.
But as I gained more experience as a writer and honed my skill, I realized my dad was getting at something more fundamental, whether intentional or not: That you want to do everything possible to not disrupt the reading experience.
As I read more about writing, specifically, Stephen Kings’ On Writing, and wrote more for myself, I learned how the reader should be paramount to everything else in the writing experience. Again, somewhat obvious, but we can easily forget that all of this writing is for one person: The reader. (King calls this the “constant reader.”) The act of writing can be very selfish, or at least very self-focused, in which we spend a lot of time worrying about what I want to say. What's the best way I can say that thing that’s so smart, so that everyone will think I’m a super smart genius?
Instead, we should be asking questions like: What is the best way I can say this thing so that the reader understands what I am trying to say? Or, how can I write this story in a way that the reader gets lost in my writing and doesn’t want to put it down? Repeating the same word twice in a sentence gives the reader an excuse to pause and question the writer. It’s sloppy. It takes them out of the reading experience.
Another big, yet simple, piece of advice I received early on came from George Orwell and his essay “Politics and the English Language.” Whenever I’m working with someone on the craft of writing, I have them read it. There’s a lot of great stuff in there, but it boils down to: Say what you mean and mean what you say. And be as simple and straightforward in your communication as possible. Doing otherwise obfuscates what you are trying to get across to the reader.
As I started to ghostwrite more and more, I learned how many authors are not that concerned with the reader experience of their books or other writing. Or, they fundamentally don’t care how their work will be absorbed by the reader. Not using a word twice in a sentence is an easy thing to avoid, but it's harder to admit that your ideas might not connect in a seamless way a reader can easily understand. Focusing on your own goals first, rather than the reader’s desire to read something that flows well and makes them think, can lead to a piece of writing or a book that ultimately just doesn’t do what you want it to do.
When I work with clients, I always start with a discussion of their goals. What do they want out of their writing? Do they want to grow their business? Expand their brand? Get published in a certain outlet? These are important questions to ask, but as soon as I know their goals, I immediately start thinking about how to deliver a written product that connects with readers while also getting them what they want.
Good writing should keep the reader hooked. Anything that gives them an excuse to come out of their reading flow will make it harder for you to reach your goals with your writing - whether that’s communicating a new idea, selling your company, or just telling a great story that entertains. It’s easy to not use a word twice in a sentence, but it’s much harder to produce writing that does all that.
