To those who do read my artucles I would appreciate your feedback

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   threekeysposted 5 years ago

   in how to improve my writing style to improve clarity and usefulness. I understand here  that "how to" or instructional articles are wanted/favoured. My grammar needs to be improved, I know. However outside of that? Many thanks for your feedback.

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      Gregory DeVictorposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      If you need help with grammar, you might want to invest in a copy of the CMS (Chicago Manual of Style), Diana Hacker’s book A Writer’s Reference, or a similar text. Like I said in another post yesterday, Diana Hacker’s reference guide has helped me to get out of many “grammatical ditches” over the years.
      
      If you need help with writing, I highly recommend James McNab McCrimmon’s book Writing with a Purpose. Many colleges and universities use this text for their freshman Rhetoric & Composition courses. (I still have a battered copy of this book from undergraduate school and also used it when I was teaching freshman English at the college level.)

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         threekeysposted 5 years agoin reply to this

         I will look these up. Thank you for being my compass, Gregory.
         Much appreciated!

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      theraggededgeposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      Hi Charmaine,
      
      Writing style is one of those things that cannot really be taught. The only way I know is to read and read and read. Read good writing, and read bad writing too. Practice different styles, such as upbeat, morose, ranting, despairing. Take one short scenario and write it out several times, using varying vocabulary and tempo. Try making the scene fast and urgent, then slow it down so it unfolds slowly and tantalisingly. You can do the same with factual writing.
      
      Work on your grammar. If you know it requires improvement, get yourself a grammar book and learn from it. A little bit every day. Your writing will gradually improve.
      
      Keep writing.

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         threekeysposted 5 years agoin reply to this

         Good practical advice Bev. I hear you. I need to practice and read.
         Its funny when I lost my concentration to read in 2016, that was when I found poetry (or poetry found me) and I came to hubpages. That was two years ago today.
         I miss being able to read and read voraciously.
         Havent been able to stop/remove the source of personal stress-yet. I hope I can and then? I will be able to concentrate and read again.
         Thanks Bev.

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      The0NatureBoyposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      I really need the information Gregory DV and theraggededge provided with my being only a high school graduate during the times when blacks in the U.S. got 7-year-old USED BOOKS of the whites who never learned to spell, I might be able to get my points across better.

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   DrMark1961posted 5 years ago

   Bevs suggestion on reading good and bad is very important. I read many scientific journals in English but have to drag through them, then pick up a good fiction or fact novel and find myself reading it quickly. Working on grammar is a great thing, and these suggestions are excellent, but the only way you are going to be succesful here on the internet is if you make the article interesting for your reader.

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   Natalie Frankposted 5 years ago

   A good strategy is to read your articles out loud.  You'd be surprised how much you can tell by this.  I also find articles on and off HP that are well written and read them outloud as well to get a sense of how good writing is constructed and how it flows.  Often this helps with nuanced factors.  Good luck.

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   Gregory DeVictorposted 5 years ago

   Another strategy that you might want to use is to have someone else read your hub. Two heads are always better than one.

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   threekeysposted 5 years ago

   Two heads are better than one:)

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   Gregory DeVictorposted 5 years ago

   I need to amend what I said above. Two heads “can” be better than one, but not always.

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      threekeysposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      Ok

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   Miebakagh57posted 5 years ago

   Fine and okay. But you've got to be a friend of hub pages learning center first and foremost, right?

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   threekeysposted 5 years ago

   Yes and its also good to get another writer's objective eye. My critical or linguistic self is not strong. I havent improved. My hubscores are around the same mark.
   You reply in the way a service provider does. "Dont ask me, look it up on the net" You just passed the buck too-"go to the learning hub centre".

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      theraggededgeposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      That's unfair, it's a valid suggestion. Miebakagh57 is right, there are so many resources there, including writing styles and formatting guides. If you haven't been there in a while, it's a good idea to pop in occasionally. https://hubpageshelp.com/content/
      
      No-one is going to be able to tutor you in how to improve your style in a forum thread. You have to actually put in the work in order improve your use of language. We can't magically transmit it to you. For all writers, it takes a great deal of hard work, lots of reading and great quantities of writing.

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         threekeysposted 5 years agoin reply to this

         Dont get angry Bev.
         I am right in part and so is Miebakah. Therefore you too Bev.
         He didnt have to reply.
         Nothing comes easy. That's my second name. I know about hard work Bev.
         Cease thread.

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            theraggededgeposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            1. I'm not angry. Far from it. It would take a lot more than that to get me angry. Be careful of making assumptions; you can't know what other people are feeling and thinking from a few words on a screen. Try reading what I wrote with a smile
            
            2. Miebakagh is entitled to reply to any thread he wants to. And, as I said before, it was a good suggestion. There is far more in the Learning Center than people think. There are three tabs across the top that link to different articles.
            
            3. You can't decide to 'cease a thread'. It either dies a natural death or HP deletes it.

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               threekeysposted 5 years agoin reply to this

               Thankyou for your logic Bev.

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                  Jean Bakulaposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                  You can also learn a lot by reading other people's work here. You will see all different styles and get a chance to see what YOU enjoy reading. Then you can try to pattern how you write on what style interests you.
                  
                  It also depends on the subject. Some are fun, some are serious, so your tone matters. I'm sure you will improve with time. I cringe when I read some of my first articles, and deleted a lot of them. But later I was able to come back and write about the same topics, and writing more improves yours more. So does reading, but I know you need time to read. I'm a firm believer in the fact you can always make time for something important to you.
                  
                  Best,
                  Jean

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                     threekeysposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                     I do read other writer's works, here . Yes, there is great variety. It just depends on what topics you like to read.
                     I appreciate your gentle direction, Jean.
                     Many thanks:)

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