Writers Unbound

Being Clever

A knack for what is clever, as a sense of humor, cannot be forced. If you don’t naturally exude the ironic, skip it. Attempts to force the clever or subtly ironic will fail. I’m certain of this truth from my own experience.
Quit worrying about it. Some subjects aren’t about being clever. Most subjects aren’t about being clever. Can you present information clearly? Can you tell a story? Can you analyze? Do you know how to construct a logical argument? Those are skills which, as a writer, you should both have and be continually improving. It’s a lovely thing to read a writer who can use those skills confidently without feeling the need to produce an accompanying witticism. Sometimes Plain Jane does the job best.
When the irony flows and the witticisms rain, let them. In the meantime, though, just keep writing.

Being Original

From a previous post:

Originality isn’t really what we want… We want to hear ourselves, but a little bit different. We want to read someone completely different, but with just enough of ourselves that we can grab onto the similarity and expand into another kind of life.
It doesn’t matter if you are writing a shipwreck survivor novel or an article about Christmas decorations. If you want originality, the best thing to do is forget about it and just write with honesty and vigor.
Authors who write with originality as the foremost goal end up producing the literary equivalent of the teenager trying too hard to fit in. Somehow, the desperate expression of “Look at me! I’m an individual! I’m unique just like you!” becomes just another murmur of the mass-produced roar. The best way to be original is to quit trying so hard for it.

Being Academic

During my college years, my very best professors were the ones who forgot to be professorial and just shared their passion with the people around them. We happened to be students. My very worst professors were the ones whose entire identity existed on a university motto and alma mater memories. Academia is great, but people who attempt to squish an entire life into an academic frame end up stunted. And annoying.
Writing about academic subjects does not require anything more than knowledge about the subject and ability to write clear sentences. Leave the latinate diction in ye old ivy-covered halls. Be enthusiastic. Use simple words. Be clear, above all. Bring what is “academic” into the real world instead of the other way around.

Being Relevant

Romeo and Juliet. West Side Story.
Relevant? Yes. Irrevocably associated with a particular time and place? Yes, but they are still relevant. Stories about people are timeless. We all live in a particular time and place, and it’s best to acknowledge that. Trying to produce writing that is relevant beyond culture results in a very dry prose. We like the details. We like today. We like to know what people are wearing and what they ate for breakfast.
What if you are writing product reviews, news briefs, a thousand home and garden articles? Let them be what they are and serve the purpose for which they exist. Don’t waste time making more or less of your subject than what it is. Much of what we write today may be relevant only for today. Much may last. Your burden is to write it best for whatever purpose it is to serve. In that way, your entire writing life is relevant. Piece by piece will be determined by forces beyond your pen.

Being Personal

You are a person. If you write honestly about your subject, you will write personally. You can’t really help it, unless you are spending your energy trying to sound academic…
I write what I know from the perspective that I have. That’s personal. If I am writing something in which I have no experience (research-based), I can talk about my lack. When writers become less self-conscious and more honest and realistic, writing becomes sincerely personal.