The last thing I want to do right now is write a blog post. In the past 24 hours I have sifted through almost 35,000 words of final edits for my upcoming book, Work.
Writing more words right now feels like overkill.
I am cutting this down to the wire. Once I finish the edits I will spend a few hours finalizing the Kindle format so I can begin the uploading process on Amazon.
Instead of skipping my blog post, I want to share two tips I’ve learned about writing today.
1. Contractions
They do not belong in a book, yet there were at least 800 hidden in my first draft.
Several hours of my day today have been spent clicking CTRL+F to identify and delete every ” ‘ ” I can find.
Do not use contractions. It is not worth it. Notice how I have not used any contractions in this post so far? Actually it is fine to use them in blog posts. Books are a different story but I cannot help avoiding them right now.
2. Passive Tone
There is a time and a place for passive tone in writing. It mostly sounds bad and does not capture the reader’s attention. Passive writing is easier because it does not require bold claims. Active tones sound very direct which can be scary but they convey points more powerfully.
Here are some examples of changes I’ve made from passive to active tone in my book today.
Passive: “…he must hire another person and pass off some of the work.”
Active: “…he hires another person and passes off some of the work.”
Passive: “It has been the lead domino that has led to every success I’ve experienced.”
Active: “It is the domino that leads to every success I experience.”
Passive: “Adrenaline was pumping through my veins.”
Active: “Adrenaline pumped through my veins.”
Work launches on Tuesday. Join this list for a free copy before it launches.