Author: Sreelata Menon
“If you would like to write better than anyone else, you have to want to write better than any one else…you should take obsessive pride in every detail of your craft” – William Zinsser.
Every word-chasing achiever would necessarily have to believe in this dictum before he is ever able to hit the high spot. And for a freelancer this piece of advice could be crucial. You inevitably have to be better than the next fellow to bag that lucrative assignment! You need to hone your skills to such perfection that when presented it is not glanced at, read cursorily and put away. It must make for some ‘compelling’ reading. It needs to engage, hold and excite the reader’s (read editor’s!) interest somehow.
But doesn’t this naturally apply to all writers and their wares?
Yes it does, but more so for a freelancer since he’s on his own. It must make wage-earning editors want to use him again and again. And how well, you the freelancer know your language is the key to that!
Subtle Nuances
The importance of the correct use of language cannot be underestimated or overemphasized. You need to understand not only the grammar but its peculiarities as well. Then again being grammar perfect does not also necessarily make you a good writer either. Creating and putting forth those subtle nuances and just that right turn of phrase does!
This link emphasizes the point well!
http://www.walkupsway.com/grammar_jokes.htm
Another e.g. -grammatically challenged no doubt but it illustrates the point of nuances well. McDonald’s advertisement ‘I am loving it!’ will make every known language purist shudder in horror. But doesn’t it bring out that exact something that is so truly Indian? It also amplifies and gently derides our tendency to incorrectly overuse the ‘ing’ word!
Indianisms
The above participle usage that is peculiar to Indian users, our confusion over where to place our articles (a, the, an) and the incorrect use of prepositions (on, for, from, to) are now being recognized by the world as Indian English or Indianisms. Something, that needs to be avoided by writers who want to make it to the big league. Then, our tendency to be verbose. And that does not augur well for freelancers who are bound by every editor’s mandatory word limit. The way to combat it is to ‘simply’ follow the principle of KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) faithfully. And you can’t go wrong. To keep it simple, short and yet crystal clear are all hallmarks of a good writer.
Fields
English is now being acknowledged as the universal language of the world .We have a head start, yet to keep abreast of global trends a writer needs to educate himself on the use of some other languages as well! All writing fields have their own specific language of use and today the scope is tremendous.
- Business-transactions, brochures, press releases/primary and secondary research
- Academic- college/school essays /seminars/papers/discourses
- Technical-Writing- An entire world by itself
- Literary- Journals, poetry ,short stories, fiction ,manuscripts, books
- Legal- outsourced
- Medical -outsourced
- Translations-Indian/European languages
- Internet –Html skills etc
Mind your language!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gRiQX2MiRo
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