Tim Ellsworth

11 Responses to “Writing tips”

1. Mark says:
   February 27th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
   

   The advice you give is better than sliced bread….

2. Tim says:
   February 27th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
   

   Thanks, Mark. I hope some of that sounded familiar to you.

3. Klay Aspinwall says:
   February 27th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
   

   O man . . . most of us around just got slamed!

4. Leland says:
   February 27th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
   

   Great advice, Tim. I also agree with Dr. Alexander about the importance of reading good writing. Some of my own tips would be to:

   -eliminate “that” wherever possible
   -when finished, take a short break, then come back and re-read what you have written. Read it out loud. Then revise it.
   -invest in a copy of Strunk and White’s “Elelments of Style”

   Again, great tips Tim.

5. Tim says:
   February 27th, 2007 at 3:14 pm
   

   Thanks, Leland.

   Then there’s the sage advice from Mark Twain:

   “Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.”

6. Leland says:
   February 27th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
   

   One more piece of advice. Proofread, proofread proofread!!! Elements, not elelments….

7. Di says:
   February 27th, 2007 at 6:18 pm
   

   That’s damn good advice, Tim!

   

   Though I don’t have any empirical data to back me up on that … or should that be, “back up me on”? … no, wait, I need the “that” to keep from ending the sentence with a preposition … ah, crap, how ’bout if I end the sentence with a proposition instead?

   

8. Crystal White says:
   February 27th, 2007 at 6:20 pm
   

   Great advice Tim. I vividly remember you teaching us these principles in Journalism. I can still see those stinking worksheets you gave us to sharpen our writing skills. I will likely never forget the skills I learned that year. Oh, did I ever say ‘thank you’ for beating that information into my head?

9. Armen says:
   February 27th, 2007 at 9:42 pm
   

   Tim - “a former adjunct professor in the communication arts department at Union University”…I had no idea.

   I sometimes wonder about my writing. I have little or no proper training, and I don’t know or understand very much to do with grammar, usage and syntax, etc.

   I do feel however, that because I started to read more since I got saved (five years ago), my writing has improved. I don’t understand all the rules, but generally I think I can write in a way that at the very least, makes sense!

   One of the secondary reasons for my blog is for the purpose of helping me to increase my writing ability. I don’t ever plan on authoring a book, but I want to be able to communicate to a ‘respectable’ level. An expert like you probably laughs at my efforts though.

10. Tim says:
    February 27th, 2007 at 10:18 pm
    

    Crystal - I don’t believe so. But you’re welcome. Glad I could make your life a little more miserable.

    Armen - You’re too kind. And you’re doing fine. See, when you call me “an expert,” you’re adeptly using the literary technique of hyperbole. Well done.

11. Richard says:
    February 28th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
    

    Those r very, very, very, very, very, very, very good tips.