You may not remember this, but in the early days of the personal computer, many industry insiders were predicting a paperless society.
Of course, this hasn't happened. In fact, we use more paper today than we ever did before computers.
This has happened because computers have made creating everything from e-mails to articles to business plans so easy that there's been an explosion in document creation. Naturally, we decide some of these documents need saving. How do we save them? We print them out, and file them.
For example, when I finish a short story or an article or a novel, I not only save it on disk, I save a hardcopy that goes into a filing cabinet. You might do this, too.
But that's not the only time I print out a copy of my work. In fact, before a story or novel is finished, I might print it out as many as five or six times.
Why?
Because I've learned that I can't always trust what I see on my computer screen.
Sounds bizarre, I know. But believe me, it's true.
I discovered this the hard way, after the rejection of what I had believed was a solid short story.
Getting rejected is part of the business of being a writer. It happens to all of us. Most of the time, I don't think twice about it. I just submit to the next publisher and get back to work on something else. If a story gets rejected three or four times, then I sit up and pay attention. Because that's a sign there might be a problem.
But I was convinced this particular story had been good. So I printed out a copy and took it to lunch with me.
This was a story I had written and edited completely on screen. Words were words, after all. What did it matter if I wrote and edited on screen or in print?
Apparently, it mattered a great deal.
I discovered sentences that made no sense. Transitions that were clumsy. Words that were undeniably the wrong choice. It was stunning how different this story was from the story I had read on my computer screen.
Of course, they weren't any different. They were exactly the same.
But it was like seeing the forest on a bright sunny day as opposed to a foggy overcast morning. Every broken branch, every twisted knothole was suddenly clear and unmistakable.
I couldn't imagine a reasonable explanation for this. I still can't. But whenever I had the opporunity to talk with another writer, I asked if he or she had experienced anything similar.
To a person, they had all come to the same conclusion: you can't trust what you see on the computer screen. You have to print out a hardcopy and edit your work on paper.
As I said, I can't offer you an explanation. I can only tell you that it's true. Write your first draft on the computer. And for every draft after that ... print it out and mark it up directly on the paper. Your writing will be better for it.
If you don't believe me, try testing it for yourself.
You'll be shocked at the results you get.
David B. Silva
The Successful Writer
http://thesuccessfulwriter.com
The freelance writing market is a growing market to be... Read More
The hardest part of nonfiction writing is finding a subject... Read More
Way back in your early school years, you were probably... Read More
'Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always... Read More
If a writer considers writing to be a task, he/she... Read More
1. PLAY A GAME LIKE SOLITAIRE....for half an hour or... Read More
Among the various foolproof methods used to boost traffic to... Read More
One of the biggest problems that inexperienced writers have is... Read More
I???ve spoken to hundreds of editors, employers, and project managers... Read More
'Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented... Read More
There are a lot of tapes and books and CD... Read More
ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. It is a... Read More
You wrote a tips booklet. Maybe more than one. Oh... Read More
Prolific authors write; they don't just dream about it. A... Read More
BAITED, BATEDBaited usually refers to traps or snares. When the... Read More
Each author has special editing needs. To save yourself time... Read More
Proofreading worksheets are a great tool to help individuals open... Read More
What a wonderful resource the Internet is!Students find information to... Read More
Characters in a good novel really carry the story along... Read More
We writers are a powerful lot. We control time. We... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?We all tackle plotting differently. How you... Read More
You know you've got writing talent. Others enjoy your work... Read More
Writer's block! Even columnist Dave Berry has it. He admits... Read More
Our Freelance Writing Needs DefinedWe must make freelance niche types... Read More
Take out a white piece of paper and place it... Read More
car service from Midway Alsip ..Writers often get stuck because they make assumptions about writing,... Read More
SO YOU WANT TO BE A WRITER?Many people have entertained... Read More
At some point, every serious writer is forced to sit... Read More
Working on my first humorous novel, I started with a... Read More
What Makes a Great Headline?Headlines are far more important than... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?You are plotting the story. You write... Read More
If you dread the thought of writing, if you fear... Read More
There are a lot of tapes and books and CD... Read More
Have you heard the term 'ghostwriter' and wondered what they... Read More
Among the various foolproof methods used to boost traffic to... Read More
Have you ever started a creative writing project with great... Read More
ELICIT, ILLICITElicit means to extract or draw out; illicit means... Read More
EditingExpect, allow, and accept that every first draft will represent... Read More
Or do you?Writers write. You shouldn't wait around for inspiration... Read More
ESSAY 2Andre Malraux once said that what interested him in... Read More
How many times have you checked out a job board... Read More
At some point along the way, most of us have... Read More
It is certainly true that we don't get a second... Read More
What am I going to write about?Which topic is the... Read More
Is your book nearly finished, finished, published, or even in... Read More
Do you love someone very deeply? A spouse, son, daughter,... Read More
There is one key difference between reports and most other... Read More
One of the best ways to blow someone's winning streak... Read More
Suspense novels are probably the easiest novels to write. Suspense... Read More
Hundreds of writing contests tempt screenwriters with the lure of... Read More
Writing |