I’ve never enjoyed being critiqued for my word, whether speaking or writing. However, through the years of sharing, I realize there are times I must restate so that a particular audience or person will comprehend. That applies where I’m speaking or writing.
That being said, I’m still a proponent of what I shared with a boss who wanted me to be more like him. Circa 1985
I’m me, and I’m going to be the best “me” that me knows how.
It doesn’t mean I’m not interested in being like someone else, but if you have something to share, let’s do it in a way that I can buy into it and not be shoved into it like a broom into a crowded closet.
A few days ago I received a “state of my writing” set of statistics from Grammarly – a tool I use to write better than I ever have before. Grammarly works on helping me keep sentences flowing better, ensuring all words support the tense, and making sure I keep my punctuation working! Even though Grammarly helps me iron out the wrinkles, any mistakes are mine. Some advice I do not take!
Essentially, the numbers identify my unique writing style.
- From year-end 2021 and to the second week of January, I was 99% more productive than other grammarly writers. They must have taken the holidays off.
- My writing was 81% more accurate than others.
- I used 99% more unique words than other grammarly writers.
- Since I started using Grammarly, it has helped me with over 2.5 million words.
Well. Snow, ice, storms, wind, rain, and the flood did keep me at home, along with waiting for new puppies to make their grand entrance. Hence, I had more time to write. Grammarly has helped me write better. That includes writing in an active voice and not passively. Since words are my forte, I love to use unique words that I find in my vast reading history.
None of this will find me more readers, but then, I often feel I’m writing for me, and not thee.
It’s Book Time
#TwentyTwentyTwo is my year to produce a book. I’m moving forward and hope to have it out by summer. It will not be a huge book, anything like a James Michener novel. Buried within my writing are several books. Like a spelunker, I’m going deeper into the mystery of my words and thoughts. Like a miner, I’m pulling out various themes. Then, as a producer, I will have some books you may be interested in reading.
I’m taking several courses on telling my story better than I could have ever before. Hmmm… is my world a mystery, or do I live in a science fiction tome? Do I project a faith-builders voice, or am I full of doom-sayer words? How much action and romance revolves around my writing? No foul language here! If anything, I want my words to be the path of Hope, moving from what never could be to “Look what the Lord has done!”
“We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope.”
~Martin Luther King, Jr.
I’m always quoting someone who has said it better than I could. But I’m also learning that I cannot quote some things even if I do proper attribution. Think about song lyrics. Most lyrists do not want their words in a book. Since much of life revolves around the music of the time, I guess I will have to make up my songs!
Anyway, I hope you’re happy with the results. In the voice of my dad, “Y’all pray for me…”