TIPS
FOR WRITING
Submitted
by: John Mansolf
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Learn to type. The
ultimate limitation of any word processor is the speed at which you enter data;
hence, the ability to type quickly is invaluable. Learning how to type is far
from an insurmountable problem, especially with the availability of
computer-based typing programs. As little as a half hour a day for a couple of
weeks will have you up to speed, and if you do any significant amount of
writing at all, the investment will pay off many times.
Write
now, but edit later. You write a sentence, then change it, and change it again, and one
hour later, you have produced a single paragraph. It happens to the best of
writers - you stare at a blank screen and flashing cursor and are unable to
write. The best solution is to brainstorm and write down anything that pops
into your head, and to keep on writing. Do not worry about typos or spelling
errors because you can fix them later. Above all, resist the temptation to edit
continually the few words you have written because over-editing will drain the
life out of what you are writing. The important thing is to get your ideas on
paper.
Delete
with caution. You work too hard developing your thoughts to see them disappear
in a flash. Hence, instead of deleting a large block of text, move it to the
end of a document or writing it to another file, so that you can restore the
text if you change your mind. A related practice is to remain in the insert
mode (as opposed to the replacement mode) to prevent inadvertent deletion of
text as new ideas are added.
Save
often. A loss of power, whether it is your fault or the power company's can
destroy a creative masterpiece. The best insurance is to save your work
constantly and, in addition, to save your work whenever you are interrupted by
a phone call, the doorbell, etc.
Keep
duplicate copies of important files. It is critical to maintain duplicate
copies of important files, on a separate disk stored away from the computer.
Eventually, you will accidentally erase a file or suffer a similar misfortune;
better safe than sorry and one day you will thank us. In addition, print each
new document at the end of every session, saving the document before printing
it (power failures happen when least expected, for example, during the print operation).
Hard copy is not as good as a duplicate disk, but it is better than nothing.
Take
a break. The computer quickly becomes addictive, and we can almost guarantee
that you will find yourself in front of the machine much longer than you
expect. A quick five-minute change somehow stretches into ten minutes, then a
half-hour. Periodic breaks will keep you refreshed and help to sustain your
creativity.
Impose
a time limit. A word processor is supposed to save time and make you more
productive. It will do exactly that provided you use the word processor for its
primary purpose — writing and editing. It is all too easy; however, to lose
sight of that objective and spend inordinate amounts of time on formatting
which is often counter-productive. Concentrate on the content of your document
rather than its appearance. Impose a time limit on the amount of time spent on
formatting and end the session when that time limit has expired.