Learning how to format manuscripts  submitted for publication is essential.  You can find information on this topic by reading books like the Writer’s Market and magazines like Writer’s Digest and The Writer.  Taking a writing or editing class in which the teacher provides instruction on formatting can also be helpful.

Kindness is the greatest wisdom.  Those who are positive and polite in giving others feedback on their writing generally see great results.  They can do this by first stating what has been done well.  They can then suggest changes that could improve their work and how they could help readers.  Finally, they can discuss the specific errors and how to correct and prevent them.

A tip to prevent procrastination in writing is to divide a large task into parts.  Do something on it daily, and you will maintain your motivation to complete it.  Think of it as a piece of Swiss cheese that looks like someone has taken chunks out of it because of all the holes it has.

 

Writers in business and technical fields have the challenge of conveying complex ideas to readers.  In communicating with their peers, they should create messages that can be understood by those with the least amount of education and experience.  These might be first-year professionals.  In this way, they and others with more knowledge can understand them.

In writing for others, they need to express themselves in terms that they can understand. Analogies can be effective.  They should use simple language and short sentences.  Avoiding jargon and acronyms is essential.  They should also use the readability statistics feature in Microsoft Word to ensure a reading ease score of sixty or higher.

Medical writing is a healing art.  This is why doctors and other healthcare professionals should publish.  They and their patients, colleagues, and the public can benefit.

To improve your writing, use Microsoft Word’s readability statistics feature. A Google search on this topic can provide information about setting it up and interpreting your results.

The two most important words in a sentence are the first and the last.  The first attracts readers’ interest, and the last is what they remember the longest.

Power in writing comes from using the right words, not the number of them, their length, or over punctuation.

The purpose of writing is relationships–developing and maintaining them and restoring broken ones.

The Writers’ League of Texas 2016 Agents & Editors Conference will be held June 24-26, 2016 in Austin, Texas. I’ve enjoyed attending it in the past, and you might find it helpful, too. For more information, visit the Writers’ League website.