Power-Writing-for-Everyone Archives - Page 4 of 6

How Evil Pronouns Cause Arguments

August 17, 2006 by Liz

Give Me Pronouns to Tick You Off

Anyone who has been in any important relationship knows that most arguments aren’t about money, broken promises, or misbehavior. They are about words. Words cause misunderstandings and broken contracts. In the end, what arguments are usually about is that what was said and what was received didn’t match up.

Certain words make this happen particularly often, nicely said they are unclear referents. Evil pronouns is what I call them.

Let me show you how they cause arguments, er misunderstandings. Evil pronouns in question below are in bold.

IT Husband: So Larry, and the dog, and I went out jogging. He got tired and was a pain to deal with for the rest of the afternoon.

ME: Who?

IT Husband: Who? What?

ME: Who got tired and was cranky?

IT Husband: You know who I mean.

ME: No, I don’t. Was it Larry or the dog?

IT Husband: You weren’t listening. Were you?

[technically he in the original sentence would refer to the dog]

Need another example?

ME: Marcy said, “All married women are single parents.” I thought it was funny. What do you think about that? Do you think it is offensive?

IT Husband: I don’t find it offensive that you thought it was funny.

ME: That’s not what I was asking.

IT Husband: Yes it was.

ME: No, I used an unclear referrent. What I meant to ask was whether you thought what Marcy said was offensive.

IT Husband: But that’s not what you asked.

ME: You’re right, but it’s what I want to know. . . .

[technically that and it in the original sentence refer to what I thought]

Want one more?

IT Husband: We need to write a letter to the phone company.

ME: We?

IT Husband: Yeah. Us.

ME: You really mean me. Don’t you?

IT Husband: Well, you are the writer in the house. Are you refusing?

ME: No, I just wanted to be clear who’s really doing the work. . . .

Enough said about conversation.

How to Control Those Pronouns

You can control those evil pronouns in conversation and even more when you write. Here are two tricks to keep them in line.

Use nouns often.

Know that pronouns refer to the noun that is closest before it. So in this sentence, I came with both Ben and Jerry, but I spent all of my time with him. the pronoun him would refer to Jerry.

Of course, you can’t rely on other folks to follow that. So when you speak or write, include clues that keep the identify of your pronouns obvious. Listen for responses that might show that your conversation partner has misunderstood you. Look in your writing for opportunities to add details that make the identity of your pronouns unmistakable.

Do those things and you’ll not only communicate more clearly, but . . . you might even find that you argue less frequently. Okay about new topics then. 🙂

I’m sure you’ve been undermined at least once by evil pronouns. I can’t wait to hear what you have to say about them.

–Me “Liz” Strauss
If you think Liz can help with a problem you’re having with your business, your brand or your blog, check out the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.

The Problem with Writing . . . 25 Things to Know BEFORE You Write for a Living

August 16, 2006 by Liz

Let’s Be Honest

Every morning I get up and write blog posts . Then I go do my other writing work. I’ve been writing for a living for very long time. So I feel qualified to write this post. It’s not a rant. It’s a list. It’s a set of things that folks who think they might want to write for a living ought to know before they blindly follow their dream.

The problem with writing is

that, when you start, no one will believe you are a writer.

that all writing jobs takes longer than folks think they will.

that even talent needs ideas.

that getting to a living wage takes time and boring work.

that, when you write well, the finished product looks like it was easy.

that no one cares how hard it was.

that the lifestyle isn’t glamorous.

that the pay can be less glamorous.

that you’re always interrupted in the middle of the perfect thought.

that you’ll probably have to edit your own work.

that, if you get noticed, your mistakes are very public.

that you need to personally invest and be detached.

that you’ll be critiqued by people who don’t know to say things nicely.

that you’ll be critiqued by people who don’t know what they’re talking about.

that you won’t get to follow through on all of your favorite ideas.

that some of your ideas will stink too.

that folks won’t believe their opinion can’t hurt you.

that you won’t be able to explain the thrill of finding a word you spent 3 weeks looking for.

that only other writers will ever really know what it is that you do.

that your significant other may not read anything that you write.

that being a writer can wake you up in the middle of the night.

that it can make you feel stupid.

that no one can help you do it.

that when you have finished, there’s no applause.

that you have finished, you have to do the same thing all over again.

What could possibly be worth that investment?

Writing communicates through across the world, through time, to people I have never met. It captures ideas, inventions, and information. It’s worth it to be even a tiny part of that.

Bet you could add to this list. Why do you write in spite of it?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
It seems I’m always saying “Thank you, Darren.”.

10 Sure-Fire Ways to Stop Making Writing So Hard

August 15, 2006 by Liz

Why Do We Make Writing Harder Than It Needs to Be?

It’s amazing how often we undercut our own progress, cause a power failure, make things hard on ourselves. We set up roadblocks and wonder why the path is hard to travel. We take the long way home, because we fear the easy way. We shoot ourselves in the foot, and we don’t know that we’re doing it.

In training writers, I’ve seen people talk themselves out of writing in so many ways. Most are easy to stop if you know that you’re doing them. If you think you might be making things harder than they need to be. Hang on. I’ve got the list for you. [Read more…]

PH2: Less and Fewer — Don’t Learn to Write by TV

August 15, 2006 by Liz

TV Has It Wrong

Language is a changing thing. The changes first happen in conversation and eventually they become accepted in written language as well. That’s what happened with that old rule Don’t finish a sentence with a preposition.

Power Hits prove that not everything you see in print, hear in a song, or watch on TV are correct.

In this case, two words the mass media can’t seem to get right are less and fewer. So let’s settle that matter once and for all. [Read more…]

Myth Busting “Write as You Talk” OR How to Write Conversationally

August 14, 2006 by Liz

I Can Think Writing

My IT husband wanted to know what I knew about writing. We talked quite a while. I told him that writing is written conversation about organized thinking.

As he does often, IT man gave his response in quotable form.

I can think writing, but I don’t know how to write it.

I could have answered, “Write as you talk.” It’s well known advice, but talking isn’t at all like writing. Really. That is a myth and I’m myth busting it now. So what does it mean to write as you talk? [Read more…]

Content or Copy: Ignore the Difference at Your Own Risk

August 9, 2006 by Liz

The Pigeons and the Preacher?

When we were first married, my husband I were walking through a city park. The lawn was filled with pigeons. He voiced the most unusual thought. “Why are pigeons always the same size?” he said. “What if they are all baby pigeons and a great mother pigeon lives up on the roof of one of those buildings?”

Shortly thereafter we passed a young man in scruffy clothes who told us that the world was ending. He asked us to change the way we were living. He offered us the reasons and joys of how living his way would make our lives wonderful and give us peace forever. I wondered whether he’d heard the conversation about the pigeons.

If the two messages had been written as text–one would be content; the other would be copy.

Do know see the difference? I don’t mean to hold you hostage. But ignore the difference at your own risk. [Read more…]