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Writing Tools - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Especially Useful in lists
      - Place strong words at the beginning and end
    - - For impact
  - - - Favour active over
        passive for greater
        impact
        
        Passive: The mouse was chased by the cat
        
        Active: The cat chased the mouse
      - Avoid
        
        used to
        
        seemed to
        
        must have
        
        sort of
        
        tend to
        
        kind of
        
        could have
        
        begin to
    - - Strong verbs:
        
        create action
        
        save words
        
        reveal the players
  - - - Creates distance
        between subject and verb
      - Calls attention to the
        receiver of the action
  - - - When is it safe to use?
        
        Use to change meaning:
        "She smiled sadly"
        
        Smiling and being sad are
        opposites so it gives the sentence
        more power
      - Revise with
        stronger verbs
    - - Stronger verbs
        are clearer
        
        "She went quickly down the stairs" (weak)
        Vs
        "She dashed down the stairs" (strong)
      - Adds to verboseness
  - - - Gives more weight to the word
    - - Avoid repeating distinctive words
      - Choose a boundary:
        
        Sentence
        
        Paragraph
        
        Page
    - - Fine to repeat when driving home intent
      - Fine to repeat building block words
  - - - Reinforces an idea
      - Creates a rhythm
    - - Needs to be intentional
  - - - Actually draw with the words e.g.
        "rail car after rail car after rail"
        looks like a train
      - Use related imagery between words/sentences
      - Contract ideas sharply
      - Take advantage of coincidence
  - - - Brevity feels
        more trustworthy
        
        No need to explain
        
        No need to convince
      - Full stops act a pauses
    - - Surround with longer sentences
- - - - They add a syllable
      - "ing" words resemble each other
        so the reader can get lost in too many
      - Slow things done as
        the reader needs to look more
    - - Prefer present or
        past versions instead
        
        More simple
        
        More direct
  - - - If the idea is long the sentence can be
      - Differrent sentence lengths make for more interesting reading
      - To discredit an idea by making it ramble on
    - - Use multiple "and"s to create the feeling of a conversation
  - - - Builds a crescendo from repetition
        of words or grammatical structures
      - Breaking the pattern to gives even
        more emphasis to the final element
      - Use parallels wherever possible
    - - List elements
      - Nearby sentences especially at the end of the sentence
  - - - Full stop
        
        Hard stops
        
        Use them to slow the pace
      - Comma
        
        Allow the authors voice to heard
        
        Soft stops
      - Semi-colon
        
        Divide and organise information
      - Parenthesis
        
        Introduce a detour
        
        Best kept short
      - Dash
        
        Offset an idea
        
        Deliver the punch line at the end
      - Colon
        
        Announces a word with a flourish
    - - Punctuation tells the reader how to read the words
  - - - Vary sentence length
        
        Long sentences create flow
        
        Short sentences slam on the brakes
      - Go slow when describing something complex
      - Make it feel like a conversation
      - Mix and match long and short to highlight both
  - - - The paragraph should be a unit
        of thought, not length
      - Visually more appealing
      - Create points for the reader to pause and think
    - - After a long paragraph go short for dramatic effect
      - Use whitespace to make the text less intimidating
  - - - Keep the reader engaged
      - Adds energy
- - - - Aim at readers reading level
      - Reduces complexity
    - - Use shorter:
        
        words
        
        sentences
        
        paragraphs
  - - - To entertain the reader
      - To attract attention
    - - Choose unusual words that the reader will know
  - - - People like details
      - More abstract == harder to connect
      - Details leave a mark
      - Helps the reader understand the story better
    - - Make it personal
      - Avoid the abstact
  - - - Avoid cliches
    - - Keeps the writing fresh
  - - - Numbers send a message to the reader
    - - Use on for power
        
        Use two for comparison
        
        Use three for completeness
        
        Use four or more to list
  - - - Engage the reader
      - Make the abstract personal
    - - Zoom in hook the reader
      - Zoom out to explain
      - Make sure to return the reader
    - - Go detailed, then go abstract
        i.e. don't bait and switch
- - - - Trust your hands
      - Adopt a daily routine
      - Build in rewards
      - Start writing before
        you are fully ready
        
        Use the writing to discover unknowns
        
        Create momentum
      - Discount nothing
      - Rewrite
      - Lower standards
  - - - Stories can gather themselves
    - - Seek out opinions
      - Document
      - Keep notes
  - - - Hard to get started when
        you can't see the edges
      - Any writing is better than none
  - - - Feedback
    - - Subject expert
      - Writing expert
- - - - What "person" is it written in:
        
        I
        
        we
        
        they
      - Use of metaphors
      - Length and structure of:
        
        sentence
        
        paragraph
      - Level of language:
        
        informal
        
        formal
        
        professional
        
        technical
    - - Sum of all writing strategies
  - - - Examine the structure of how the text is written
      - Try to name the elements of the authors voice
    - - To learn
      - To steal
  - - - The get better
      - There can be no arguing in matters or taste
    - - Decide if the feedback is valid
      - Don't argue - listen
      - Never defend your writing instead explain
- - - - Convey information
      - Transfer knowledge
    - - Create experience
      - Transport the reader
      - Puts the reader there
  - - - Good questions drive good writing
  - - - Give the reader closure
    - - Close the circle
        the ending reminds us of the beginning
      - Tie back
        tie the ending back some odd or offbeat part of the story
      - The time frame
        create tick-tick structure with things happen in sequence
      - Problem and solution
- - - - To support focus
      - Vigorous writing is concise
    - - Adverbs
      - Prepositional phrases
      - seems to
        
        tends to
        
        should have to
        
        tries to
      - Abstract nouns that hide verbs
        
        "consideration" to "considers"
        
        "judgement" to "judges"
        
        "observations" to "observes"
      - Cut restatements
        
        "a sultry, humid afternoon"
        "sultry" already expresses it is "humid"
      - Cut during revision
  - - - First time perfect is impossible
      - Don't slow yourself down
    - - Don't revise as you go
      - Write fast
      - Write at odd times
      - Write when tired
      - Write in different settings