#KISS #simplicity #writingtips Archives -

March 21, 2019 By Marisa Moks-Unger

KISS Your Way to Flow

KISS Literary Worries Goodbye

KISS is keep it simple silly. — Keep it simple silly. Get in and get out. Get that job done!

Keep it simple silly to KISS your way to flow. Make sense, yes? First, employ active voice rather than passive. Limiting prepositional phrases tightens text. Next, keep the writing brief. It will be remembered, because it is refreshingly on task. Finally, take time to polish your writing. Whether it is a blog post or a status report. Leave time for it to set, then check it before you hit the send or publish keys.

Active, Brief, and Polished

Using the active voice is smart. It gets the job done. Ambiguity shows up less so readers stay focused. Also, the use of active voice will score higher SEO ratings than passive voice does.

Be brief. Keeping things short helps busy employees or clients read an email or letter to the end. We’ve covered brevity in this blog. See more here: How Many Words Do I Need?

Polishing prose is important. Make sure you look for commonly confused words, such as their, there, and they’re. Correct any confusing wording before sending the work out. It separates you from those who do not take their writing seriously. Here are some easy ways to proofread: https://wewriteitright.com/the-3-best-ways-to-proofread-a-document/

Your Turn

Take any writing you do and KiSS it. Review it for active voice and brevity. Then, polish that baby up. You will feel great sending out your work, because you’ve added value to it. And, your readers will feel that compassion and will enjoy reading it to the end.

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

Scrabble Words for Flow

Create a Word Bank from Scrabble

Word Lists from Scrabble — First play the game, then get writing from your curated word list.

Sunday afternoons find my husband, mother-in-law, and I playing Scrabble. This ritual helps us to pass the time during the pandemic. The games usually run one to two hours. We have taken these games to a new level by anticipating them each week, then carefully crafting our word choices. It helps that all three of us are avid readers and come up with a variety of interesting diction.

Also, the game gets my mother-in-law’s mind off of the local paper’s with its teeming death notices of Covid-19 victims – most from local residential living facilities. And, she is now interested in the fact that I am using these word lists to write from professionally.

Next, free write for a few. Make a list of the words developed during the game. Then use the list as a springboard to write a creative piece using as many of the words as possible. Play with long and short lines. Add some rhymes. Look for alliteration. Give yourself about 10 minutes. See what images appear.

Then, select a genre or two to carry through. As a theme arises from the free write of the word list, follow the lead. Perhaps a poem rises up. Or, a one-act play. Or, both! Choose one genre knowing that you can come back and create more works from any single topic.

Now, it’s your turn! If you have a Scrabble game somewhere hidden in a hall closet, it is time to get it out and try your hand at this writing tactic. It employs procrastination by allowing you to blow off writing at first by playing a game. Then, you are rewarded for the time you invested in the game by writing a piece from the words you and others generated.

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

TGIFF – Thank God It’s Friday Flow

Cliché Finds Flow on Friday

Congratulations, you’ve made it to Friday. And, at the workweek’s end, there is time to find flow. But, where do you go to find flow? First, realize that flow can happen anywhere at anytime. Need proof? Look at this past post on finding flow in a card and party goods store. Simply click right here: https://wewriteitright.com/visit-flow-in-a-party-goods-shop/

How Gratitude Leads the Way

Use grateful eyes to take in the world around you. Then, instead of planning to hit the bars and clubs when the clock strikes 5:00 PM, other options present themselves during these times of pandemic. Why not take a virtual tour a museum? Or, take a walk or bike ride through a park? Or, spend an hour working on a poem, and essay, or a blog post. When you are grateful for the options you have – even if you are working from home amid shutdowns – then that is enough.

Your Turn

Playtime creates greater flow. — Spirographs, Etch-a-Sketch, and Slinkys are just a few ways to re-enter flow through playtime. What was your favorite activity as a child? When was the last time you tried it as an adult?

Think back to grade school, junior high, or middle school. Think about the electives that you took that helped round out your schedule. Did you take dance or music classes? Weight training? Or, perhaps, like me, you did candle making. Whatever it might be, try to reunite your lost teen with your adult self. Take time to write, dance, sing, paint, or play with your Spirograph! You’ll be glad you did!

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa