Coco Chanel can help your writing
THERE’S A LOT OF BAD WRITING OUT THERE.
And I’m not immune from making bad decisions, so some of that writing is mine.
To help all of us, here is a simple, effective strategy for making everyone’s writing better.
Ready?
READ WHAT YOU WRITE OUT LOUD.
This trick is easy to implement and will help your writing in the following ways:
It will make it sound more human. At the end of the day, you’re writing for humans. Whether you’re creating a marketing campaign for a large hotel group or crafting a press release for a coffee shop, the person that will read your content is a person, just like you. Before you send the copy, read it out loud. Does it sound human? If not, keep working.
Punctuation is revealed. When you speak, there are natural pauses. There are stops and starts — sometimes for dramatic effect, and sometimes because you’re trying to think of the next thing to say. These pauses need to be accounted for in writing, and because there’s no sound, we have to use punctuation. When you read it out loud, the stops and starts jump out, and the punctuating becomes more obvious.
Everything unnecessary to the piece will show itself. We have been trained by college professors and high school English teachers to draw out our writing. The classic page number requirement, where the student is asked to write a 15-page essay on some inane topic, has taught people that in order to be good, writing has to be LONG. This is a shame and a lie. Are you getting bored reading what you wrote out loud? Then get rid of the extras. Be concise. Have empathy for your reader. Tell them a good and true story, and then get the hell out of there.
Here’s where Coco comes in. She famously said a lot of amazing things, and one thing in particular may be helpful for your writing.
“Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take at least one thing off.”
It’s so simple, really. With her it was scarves and necklaces, but it’s applicable to everyone trying to be a better writer. Read what you write out loud. Really listen to the words. Make sure you sound human. And then, be like Coco.