What Screams Amateur in Writing?

Ebere Vivian Akuche
Nov 3 · 6 min read

Ever second guessed or doubted yourself as a writer? Well, a good place to start is to understand that you can get past this. You would have to trust the process and understand that it is part of learning. But first you will need to know what good writing looks like. A good writeup is a blend of putting thoughts to how words are placed, what makes up good sentences and the processes that forms a good written piece as a whole. Well moving on let’s look at some reasons why your writing may not be sounding right;

Title

A title is what gives a piece meaning. In short, the title you give your piece is just as good as the piece itself. Ever browsed through a book store? What books catches your attention? The ones with the stylish book covers right? Well, look again! I know that times without number we have had to let go of the fancy covers because their titles were nothing to go by. A good title needs to be concise and straight to the point. It should sell your piece and it should give your readers reason to pause and take a look. Beyond the world of hard covers, moving to the online space a title that is not Search Engine Optimization (SEO) friendly can lower your chances of ranking high in online search results. It does not mean your title should be sensational tricking people into buying your book or reading through your online piece, it doesn’t have to. To every audience each his own. So look out for the words that your audience responds to. It doesn’t need to be sensational, it just needs to position your piece as the answer to their questions.

Message

Before you get to writing that piece, you need to be able to say, ‘this is what I want to say’, ‘this is what the story is about’. You need to also have a good grasp of what you are telling because in many cases people reading have a good idea about the topic. So tell the story in a way that they can relate with. The wind doesn’t meow, right, so don’t put that when you are describing how the wind behaves. Don’t create make believes in your writing, they are your thoughts and that is valid but it could leave people confused. Another thing is to never discard your knowledge as it concerns any topic. If the knowledge has helped you in the past it could be of help to another person. When not too sure about the topic, state it plainly, you would see that your audience will connect with you better. In an article I wrote recently, titled Why you are not writing, I mentioned the importance of knowing your strengths and owning your story. Even when the story is filled with suspense, thrillers, the reader should still be able to walk away with something. You will often hear people say, ‘He rambled on and on but he kept mentioning this though’. So always keep in mind that people have shorter attention spans so make sure your message is clear and concise.

Grammar

Grammar can be likened to the code of ethics guiding writing and in this case English writing. From how we should use words to create sentences, to how they should behave in certain contexts, understanding grammar is key if you would ever master the craft of writing. From punctuation marks to tenses, using the rules of grammar to your advantage helps you to create interesting pieces. And only those who understand the rules of grammar are the ones that can use it effectively. One grammatical error could be damaging enough to put your entire piece in bad light. The trick to understanding the rules guiding English grammar is to read and write consistently. It takes time but it pays off later on. By reading other writers and writing in the same vein you get to grasp the context of composing good sentences, writing correct tenses among others.

Tone

Tone would be the choice of words one uses when writing a particular topic or telling a story. For every topic or story there is usually a type of tone that generally sticks out. Either it be formal, informal, funny, cheerful, you need to understand the tone that accompanies the topic or the story you are trying to tell. For instance, when marketing a product to your audience, you need to persuade them from the point of how it will be beneficial to them instead of just pushing the product in their faces. One tip is to write from a human point of view so your audience is able to connect with what you are saying. Another thing is to write like you are writing to just one person. So tell it and and tell it as you need to. Don’t go joking when you need to have a formal tone or screaming when you need to be gentle. It all boils down to knowing your message and knowing how to tell it without boring or scaring the audience.

Flow

Let’s look at flow together, a stream comes to mind. There is a source, there is movement, there is mountains, peaks and valleys but this body of water still takes it course. For a boy preparing to go to school;

He needs to take his bath, clean his body, wear his clothes, eat breakfast and head for school. In telling the story of this boy preparing to go to school, for example every detail is crucial leading to the last full stop. To assume that everyone knows what you are talking about is wrong. In writing you need to see your audience as people looking for knowledge and you providing them with that answer. You need to be as detailed as you can. Don’t start on one topic and jump to another. Just as the school boy needs to bath before he wears his clothes, you should ensure that your audience is not lost as you move from one point to another. The idea behind achieving a consistent flow in your writing is to draft a table of content before you begin this is to help you as you write and glide from one point to another.

I could mention the many theories behind why your writing is amateurish but if you do not make it a habit to read other writer’s pieces all this will remain theory to you. You need to have a good grasp of how good writing looks like, if you will be able to translate it into your writing pieces. Take care to be consistent as you master the art of writing good pieces. Keep in mind that no one becomes a professional just sitting, so get on with it already. Remember, you are no amateur at all, it is all a learning process.

If you need clarity on any point discussed or you have a different opinion around this topic, do feel free to share in the comments, I am so excited to hear from you.

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