As my Mother said, "if you bother to do anything, do it right." For a writer, the right way is the only way. So what's not "right" in writing, let me count the ways:
1. Subject-Verb agreement: From student papers to newspapers, too many subjects and verbs have never been properly introduced much less agree. This language pollution is sadly becoming accepted.
2. Allowing spell checker to run the show: Spell check is a technician, not a writer. It does not know the difference between "there" and "their". Enough words in English present confusion for the Write Mind, so imagine how poor Spell Check is spinning when faced with "pare", "pair" or "pear". A writer is heading for a dangerous misunderstanding by hitting "ok" at any Spell Check hint without considering how that spelling might change the meaning of the sentence.
3. OUTLINE - OUTLINE- OUTLINE. An outline is to writing what location is to real estate. Free form is fine for starving poets but won't earn a paycheck for freelance commercial writers or university instructors. Banish memories of the 6th grade English teacher who made outlining seem like a punishment. She (or he) was right to insist on mastering this craft. Start with an outline and follow it.
4. Essential Grammar rule: when in doubt, check it out. Whether comma-impaired or semi-colon challenged, look in a basic grammar book. The grammar check function on some word processing programs is limited at best. If all else fails, re-write the troublesome sentence (or divide it) in a way that does an end- run around your grammar pitfall.
5. Have a point and get there promptly. If rule # 3 is followed, this becomes easier. However, stop at the end of any writing project (or at least each section of a longer work) and attempt to give a "news headline" report of what was written. When you can't summarize your own work (and you know what you are writing), do not expect a reader to get it either.
These 5 beginning steps can lead any writer, even a novice, in the right way to write anything, in any genre, for any purpose.
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