Writing is Essential

I've come to the conclusion that writing is perhaps the single most important skill one can master. That may sound odd, but think about it for a moment.

If you can write well, people will assume you are smart and qualified (even if you're not). The reverse is also true: if you cannot concisely articulate your ideas, no matter how ingenious those ideas may be, people will discount them and assume you are less intelligent.
Some people have a difficult time putting pen to paper. I chuckle every time I think about a comment someone once made to my mother. He said, "I can read writing, but I can't write reading.'" I suspect a lot of people feel that way about their own skills.

I am very fortunate in that writing seems to come naturally to me. Nevertheless, there are some things that I think have helped improve my own writing. I thought I'd share them.

Practice
Writing is a skill, and like any skill, it will improve with experience. If you push yourself a little, you'll find that the more you write, the better you get. Indeed, one of the primary reasons I started blogging two years ago was to give me a reason to practice my writing. Looking back, I think my writing has improved since my original post.

Stretch Your Vocabulary
According to one study, the average 12^th-grade student comprehends between 60,000 and 100,000 words. Unfortunately, most people only use 5,000 or 6,000 words in their own speech. I've seen other studies that statistically paint the same picture, but in this context the meaning is the same: people understand more words than they actively use.

For a writer, this means you have a library of some 80,000 words (on average) that are available for you to use in your writing without becoming overly verbose. These words add flavor and detail; they describe subtle nuances that would otherwise be unknown to your reader. Why constrain yourself to less than 10 percent of that?

I find that as I write, words often come to mind that appear to be appropriate for what I am describing. When I'm not sure, I look them up. Sometimes I find that my initial instinct was correct. Other times, I find that I was wrong about what I thought the word meant. In either case, the process of looking up the definition cements the word as part of my usable vocabulary. Also, never underestimate the power of a good thesaurus when you can't seem to find that perfect word to describe your topic.

Read
Writing is more than just the mechanics of grammar and syntax. To be effective, writing also has to have style and flow. Reading things that other people write can help you define your own style, and assist you with intuitively determining a flow. To be a good writer, first you have to be a good reader.

Review
I haven't written a sentence yet that didn't benefit from a good proof-read. Or a second, or a third proof-read for that matter. When I finish writing anything, I always go back (usually several times) and review it. Sometimes I focus in on one particular section, but I always finish by reading the whole thing from start to finish so I can verify that it flows nicely.

Consider Your Audience
I think it helps to visual the type of person who will read your writing. Are you writing a technical paper, a human interest story, or something you think children will read? Are you trying to write more formally, or more casually? Is humor appropriate?

Avoid Profanity and Slang
I'll be the first to admit that having spent 7 years in the Army, I can swear with the best of them. Try to keep in mind that there are very few venues in which written vulgarities are appropriate. Again, the idea is to leave a favorable impression. If you use excessive obscenities in your writing, people will draw the conclusion that you have a narrow grasp of written English. From there, it isn't much of a stretch to conclude that you are less intelligent.

Have Fun
I sometimes chuckle when I come up with something I think is really witty. To be honest, I think I'm tickled as much by the thought of someone else enjoying it as I am with my own originally quip. As you write, imagine the reaction your readers will have, and try to have a little fun with it.

If you want practice writing, you can start by leaving a comment. I may not respond to every comment, but I do read all of them.

Allowance Formula

My daughter and I have been trying to come up with a fair method to determine how much allowance to pay each child. I wanted something that would reward good behavior, punish bad behavior, and recognize that as children get older, they need more money (a painful fact of life for parents). What I came up with is this:

his or her age
times the number of A's on his or her last report card
times 1.5
divided by (the number of times he or she was punished last month + 2)

or more plainly: 1.5 * age * grades / (punished + 2)

So the formula would be: 1.5ag / (p + 2)

Which means, for example, if you're 15, you got 6 A's on your last report card, and have not been in trouble, you'd get $67.50 a month ($16 a week). If you're 14, got 3 A's, and were punished twice in the last month, you would only get $15.75 for the month ($4 a week).

Obviously, the multipliers can be adjusted to suit any economic status or expectation, but I think that by and large, this formula will do the trick.

I'm Back, Baby!

Well, it's been 8 months with no posts. A lot of things can change in 8 months, and it has been a wild ride.

That new job I wrote about didn't work out. In fact, about a month after I took it, I decided to go back to the place I worked before taking it (and incidentally, had an offer on the table from that employer) but I allowed myself to be talked into staying. (Note to self: don't play poker with any salesmen.)

Actually, I contemplated a witty title for a post that would address my work woes: "Jobs that Sux Redux". While careful avoiding any libel or slander, I will say that I wish that company well, and if they happen to succeed, it will be despite their business practices - not because of them. Of course, that shouldn't be too surprising when you have a 27-year-old CEO with a degree in theology and no business experience. Enough said.

These days I'm putting in my time as Director of Web Development for a company that really is quite good. I've been here several months, which in my experience is long enough to know whether or not I like it. I predict I'm going to settle down and be here for a while.

Perhaps more significantly, Chantay decided to part company with me. We are keeping things as amicable as possible under the circumstances, which is always a good thing. Although I now wince a little when I think of some of the things I said in this blog over the past few years, I don't believe in rewriting history; therefore I do not intend to delete any of posts that discuss her. The immutable truth is that each of those posts was an accurate reflection of my feelings at the time. Whether or not we still feel that way is irrelevant.

She is now going her way, and I am going mine. I couldn't tell you where her path leads, but I sincerely hope she is happy & safe, and ultimately finds whatever it is she's looking for.

The road ahead for me includes a 2-week vacation to take a cruise through the eastern Mediterranean. My flight leaves on Sunday, and I'm extremely excited. After several months as a single parent, I sorely need the time away. (I'll write more about the cruise later.)

Both of my children now live with me (my son is now 13, and my daughter is 15). I could probably write a novel on how that came to be, but it is a story for another day.

For now, check on me from time to time and you may be surprised. Since I'm feeling like my old self again, I'm bound to have the same rants, quirky observations, and comical whines.