April 17, 2009

As a journalism student, learning how to write and write well can seem like an uphill battle. Hours are spent writing and rewriting, and sometimes, getting started seems impossible.

I eat when I’m nervous, and when I can’t think of the most concise words to form the perfect sentence need to make my article “sing” I head to my kitchen for some Pringles.

It wasn’t until the final chapter of Elise Hankcock’s Ideas into Words that I found out what I was doing is a procrastination technique that she calls “polishing the silverware.” Hancock offers insight in her final chapters on how to tackle writing-related issues, such as “polishing silverware.”

Chapter four describes the importance of structure. Form, she notes, follows function. From the way the story sounds to the intended message, Hancock carefully describes useful techniques for writing a science story.

“The Nitty Gritty of Writing” (Chapter five) discusses the creative process of writing. When an aspiring writer sits down and tries to formulate his or her thoughts on paper, much or little can happen. Hancock offers helpful tips on how to phrase certain sentences so arguments are clear, and describes the systematic steps required in editing to help improve the overall work.

Chapter six includes information about the importance of refining drafts. Hancock realizes that writing a story one time is insufficient. It takes time, and multiple reviews before an article is complete. An article may go back and forth from an editor to an author a few times before it’s declared a finished product. Hancock offers helpful tips on how to critique an unfinished draft.

Another point mentioned in Chapter six is Hancock’s advice on what to do when the One of her tips for getting over writer’s block, is to take a break. I found this tip to be rather useful. Trying to do it all in one sitting can be tedious. It’s helpful to get up, and come back to the writing at a later time.

Getting started is half the battle. Hancock encourages her audience to ask themselves, “what’s stopping my train of thought?” It’s important to notice the issue, and to deal with it. It is that you have other things weighing on your mind, or do you not have enough information to conclude your findings? These are the types of questions Hancock inspires her readers to ask in order to improve their overall writing habits.

Are there any other stylistic formulas for formatting your paper other than techniques mentioned in Hancock’s book?

It seems as if Hancock repeated some statements. Could she have taken some of her own advice and shortened the book?

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