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Recently, I edited a letter for a friend. It was to be sent
to an organization, so it needed to be in a business format. The letter brimmed
with great information, but I worried the recipients would struggle to get
through it. Why? The author didn’t use the WAYS method.
Write As You Speak.
I’m not advising using slang and clichés or to come across
too casual (especially, for example, in my friend’s business letter.) But we
can get self conscious when we write (I do sometimes!). That’s when our writing
becomes stilted. It’s like we’re back in junior high, donning a mask we want
others to see, instead of showing who we really are.
The WAYS method helps me cast off that mask, and it makes my
writing more readable as well.
What Works for Me
- Breathe: It may sound simplistic. But if I stop, take a breath, and simply think “Write As You Speak, Ocieanna,” the mask falls away and my more natural voice comes out.
- Say What You Mean: In the letter I edited, my dear friend referred to a “collection of essays.” What he meant was a book. I told him to just say book.
- Write Tight: When I get self-conscious, I tend to become wordy. More words don’t make us sound smarter; they make us sound wordy. Less is more!
- Imagine: I love doing this in the car. I’ll
have an imaginary conversation with myself, “practicing” what I intend to
write. I often have the whole blog or scene played out in my mind before I
sit down. Doing this as a dialog in my mind helps it to flow out naturally.
- Be You: Even in formal writing, but especially in casual, readers like to think they’re reading something written by a person. A human being wrote this. Yay! Nothing’s worse than slogging through material that feels like it was written by a robot.
Again, I’m not suggesting using the WAYS method as an excuse
for sloppiness, but it sure helps me lay aside that mask. Let me know if it
works for you. I’d love to hear.
God bless and happy writing,
Ocieanna
