Jean M. Cogdell

KISS, And the Writing is Easy

Published on April 13, 2016April 12, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell11 Comments

Today’s letter in the A-Z Challenge K.

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K= KISS

Keep It Super Simple

Fooled you didn’t I?

We’ve all heard the acronym KISS but have you thought about applying it to your writing?

“The bigger the issue, the smaller you write. Remember that. You don’t write about the horrors of war. No. You write about a kid’s burnt socks lying on the road. You pick the smallest manageable part of the big thing, and you work off the resonance.” ~ Richard Price

Here is a challenge.

Take a piece you’ve written and cut every third sentence. Or cut the word count by one-third. Can you do it and keep what is truly important?

“Any fool can make something complicated. It takes a genius to make it simple.”~Woody Guthrie

So, just what have y’all taught me this past year about writing short and sweet?

When a reader can’t understand or follow the story, they stop reading. KISS
Life is complicated but good writing doesn’t have to be. KISS
Writing tight and concise produces a better product. KISS
Simple words and simple sentence structures don’t mean stupid. KISS
Knowing your subject is important. Communicating that knowledge to your readers is equally important. KISS
Conveying a message in easy bite-size, succinct, and easily digestible pieces take talent. KISS
Using ten-dollar words can come across as pretentious and lazy. KISS
It takes work to know and write for your audience. KISS
Write small, simple and get to the point. Your readers will thank you. KISS

Do you make writing harder and more complicated than it needs to be?

Have you mastered the knack of KISS in your writing?

Talk to me, the lights on and comments are now open.

You can find me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdelland Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! Please remember to click and share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.

Want to know more about KISS? Click the links below.

K.I.S.S. by Rob Parnell

New Book Excerpt: Keep It Simple, But Not Simplistic by ANN HANDLEY

Keep It Super Simple By Kayla Skarbakka

KISS — Keep It Simple, Stupid! How to write about a complex subject in a simple way by Devyani Borade

How to avoid confusing your readers with Jargon

Published on April 12, 2016April 11, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell15 Comments

Today’s letter in the A-Z Challenge J.

J= Jargon

jargon

Last April I did a tiny post about the definition of Jargon. Man oh man, I didn’t realize how much there was to learn about this word. Thanks to all the great writers out there, I’ve learned a lot over the past year.

One of the biggest things I’ve learned is how confused a reader can become when this is overdone.

Recently, I felt this confusion and frustration first hand. Reading a book by a UK author became more of a chore than enjoyment.

Why? Because the book was riddled with words I didn’t understand. This required me to stop and look up the definition so that I could get the gist of what was happening. Had the author reduced some of the jargon or at least added an explanation, I might have stuck with the book.

What I learned about writing with or without using jargon.

The use of jargon can confuse the reader. Use sparingly.
Avoid using pretentious, showy, or fake unintelligible words that read like Gobbledygook.
Slang is typical of a specific area or generation and can change.
Don’t overdo “Cant” words such as humbug, twaddle, hogwash, or rubbish.
- Cant words that are supposed to sound like serious statements about important issues (such as religion or morality) but that are not honest or sincere.
Careful using secret languages known as Argot.
- Argot is a secret language used by twins, criminals, or a dialect such as Patois.
Only use Tech Speak when writing a tech manual.
Unless you are writing about computers avoid Computerese.
- It’s Tech Speak of computer geeks.
Buzzword words come and go. Make sure it’s important.
Don’t fill your story with abbreviations. It will look like Alphabet Soup and the reader won’t understand most of it.
- Alphabet Soup term used figuratively to describe a confusing group of letters (such as abbreviations) used to refer to various organizations, items, etc.
Avoid Inflated, euphemistic, official-sounding language of government—looks like alphabet soup and is known as Bureaucratese.
Even if writing a military thriller, go easy with Pentagonese.
- Not everyone understands military words and phrases.
Avoid the use of words that go to absurd lengths to avoid offending various classes of people. PC.
- Nope, not a computer, PC stands for Politically Correct.

Remember:

Look for better alternatives that can add meaning and persuasive power to your writing. Using words that your reader can understand will create more of an impact than filling a scene with jargon.

What do you think about the use of Jargon?

Should it be avoided completely?

Talk to me, the lights on and comments are now open.

You can find me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdelland Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! Please remember to click and share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.

Read below what other writers have to say on this subject.

Reducing Jargon

Jargon by Jennifer Yirinec

Jargon and Slang

How to Prune Jargon From Your Popular Writing by Theresa MacPhail

The Jargon File

How to find a good idea for your story

Published on April 11, 2016April 10, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell11 Comments

Write, write and write some more.

Write about what? Everything.

Today’s letter in the A-Z Challenge I.

I= Ideas

Everyone wants to know where writers find their ideas.

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For me, the good ideas come few and far between. They appear with a flash or spark, and if I fail to latch on to them, they are gone just as fast.

Many of my stories come from word-play or prompts. There are lots of writing prompts available and believe it or not they work.

The idea for my first children’s book, Tryouts for Ben, came about because of a comment. Kids do say the darndest things.

And the idea for my second book due out soon came about the same way. As a mother of two amazing girls, we encouraged them to be all they could be. One day I overheard my daughter, telling her daughter she could be anything she wanted.

As a result of that conversation, A Most Reluctant Princess was born.

What have I learned from y’all about finding writing ideas?

Story ideas can come from anywhere and everywhere!

News story
Daydreaming
Passing comment
Book or movie
Memory
Prayer
Picture, photo, or painting
Writing prompt
Contest or challenge
Dream
Sunset or breathtaking view

The list could go on and on, but the trick is to recognize an idea. Often my ideas come in tiny seedlings and requires a lot of nurturing for it to grow.

The more you write, the more ideas you will find.

So, you grab an idea but what comes next?

You add a character, a place, and a theme. Then like playing with Legos, begin to build your idea into a story.

The hard part is taking this tiny idea and enlarging it to appeal to someone other than myself. Not everyone gets my sense of humor or sarcasm. So, if I want others to read what I’ve written, I must broaden the story to reach my target audience.

Remember-

There is nothing new under the sun. No new ideas. But, you can put a new spin on an old idea. Make it yours.

Where did you find your last idea?

Did that idea turn into a story?

Talk to me, the lights on and comments are now open.

You can find me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdelland Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! Please remember to click and share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.

Want to read more on where other writers find their idea? Click the links below.

The Joy Is In the Struggle of Making: How Writers Get Their Ideas by AARON GILBREATH

Where Do You Get Your Ideas…? by Michael A. Banks

Where Do Successful Authors Get Their Most Brilliant Writing Ideas? by Melissa Donovan

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR IDEAS? by Neil Gaiman

31 Ways to Find Inspiration for Your Writing By Leo Babauta

Do you know how important hooks are?

Published on April 9, 2016April 8, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell10 Comments

Extremely. Without hooks, the reader stops reading.

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Today’s letter in the A-Z Challenge is H.

H= Hooks

Hooks are needed throughout the story, not just in the beginning.

Everyone knows about the Opening Hook. That first paragraph that grabs or catches the reader’s attention. Or not. This is your chance to win or lose the reader.

But, that’s just the beginning. Once you have the reader’s attention, you must keep it.

That’s the job of the hooks. Scattered throughout the story or essay, hooks persuade the reader to keep going. Always enticing them to turn the page.

So, just what have y’all taught me about Hooks?

There are several different hooks:

First sentence – hooks the reader to read the first paragraph.
First Paragraph – lures the reader deeper into the chapter.
Dialog – engages the reader in the conversation.
Scene – determines if the reader will read the next chapter.

What is a hook?

A first impression.
Something to propel the story forward.
An unusual detail or startling fact.
A strong statement or opinion.
An engaging question.
An exaggeration or outrageous statement.
A question that begs for an answer.
An anecdote that leads into a scenario.
Foreshadowing trouble.

Be careful!

Don’t fall into the trap of the old “bait & switch.”

The story must live up to the hook. It should capture and express what the reader can expect.

It’s no fun to be drawn into a story only to find out you’ve been misled and that the only thing interesting in the story was the hook. No one likes to be tricked.

How important do you think a hook is?

Do you think hooks should be used throughout the manuscript?

Talk to me, the lights on and comments are now open.

You can find me on Twitter @jeancogdell, Facebook at jean.cogdelland Amazon.com, stop by and say hey! Please remember to click and share this post with your Twitter peeps and Facebook fans.