Writing can be looked at as having a set of rules based on the style of the assignment or medium that is being used to complete said assignment. Because of this, I think that writing rules vary but can be similar to those brought up in Stephen King’s Top 20 Rules for Writers. One of the rules that stood out to me was rule six which stated more or less that good writing or ‘magic’ is in us all. I agree with this and think a good understanding of it would be to accept and steer into your writing style. As interesting and important I found some of the given rules to be from the article I believe making your own is a bit more empowering.
Writing for yourself is one rule that I find incredibly empowering. When I write journals or about a topic I am personally interested or invested in my writing tends to benefit. I think writing for yourself can also benefit mental health and make a standard writing assignment something you can be more comfortable with. By writing for yourself consistently I think it helps me find ways to relate to an assignment that I might not originally connect with much. To add to this, I think the best way to connect with a topic or assignment that you’re not previously invested in is to combine writing for yourself with writing with conviction.
One of the best things you can do in conversation is be genuine. When I speak about sports even though some of it is opinion-based, I am sure to be genuine about my analysis. The same can be done in writing. Not everything requires your own analysis or opinion but you can still be genuine and write with conviction regardless. This to me means properly setting a scene or topic. Making sure crucial details are mentioned is not only good for your audience but it allows you, as a writer, to know your direction and be honest and clear. It is like the portion in peer review we always go over. Does the writer seem genuine? That comes through by doing the prep work. When I write or speak about topics I already know about, like sports, I still have prep work to do, especially for niche sports because to write or speak with conviction you have to know what you’re talking about or at least be sure that you sound like you do. Writing like this allows any audience to believe that you have credibility as a writer.
If you want to hear more about writing strategies and credibility, check out this blog post.
Leave a Reply