14 December 2013

Amateur Standing

If you are writing professionally make your point in the beginning so I know what you're going on about.

I don't write for a living.  I don't record videos for money.  My stream of consciousness style is barely acceptable because most posts are short and have lots of pictures.  I do not get a Rhodesian Zimbabwean cent for my work and my audience is small enough that I can answer all of the questions in the comments personally.

That lowers the expectations a lot.

It means that I can dance around the point quite a bit explaining how I came to it and it's OK, because I don't claim to be a good writer, or consistently good should I put out a good piece.

I did learn in college that the most effective writing and speaking begins with a paragraph that makes your point and states your position.  The body of the work is the why and how of that initial statement and the concluding paragraph should be the opening statement rephrased.

Today a fellow amateur linked to a half hour long video about how Google handles copyright violations.  At least that's what he said the video was about.  The person on the vid, who claimed he derived his livelihood from posting videos on youtube, stammered and rambled on for about five minutes without really stating a damn point.  I gave up.

Then I am linked to L Neil...  Who skips the introductory statement and goes straight to the body...  It's got something to do with children's rights but I can't tell where he's going by the halfway point unless it's about how everyone in the Libertarian Party doesn't love him or listen to his delivered wisdom.  Wait, I think I did get the point of the post after all!

If you're doing this for a living for gods sake learn to write!  Let me know what you are talking about and what your position is; THEN explain why.

1 comment:

  1. As I was taught my Junior year:

    First paragraph, tell me what you're going to say.

    Subsequent paragraphs, say it and use proof.

    Closing paragraph, tell me what you just told me.

    ReplyDelete

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