Write the Way You Talk

One of the best pieces of advice I can give is to write the way you talk. It is a common suggestion; I think 'most any writer would give the same advice. Ironically, though, it is somewhat inaccurate.

The idea behind writing the way you talk is that spoken language is inherent and natural. We do it without thinking and it sounds good to us. Writing is unnatural. We have to be taught how to do it and it feels very alien to us (especially when all of our teachers force us to use a dialect of English that is never spoken). If you disregard the conventions of Standard Written English, then writing will be easier for you to do and it will be easier for your readers to understand.

The problem with the advice is that speaking can be just as difficult as writing. We trip over our words, say stupid things, rant and ramble. Good writing doesn't sound like everyday speech. It's collected, thought out, buffed and polished. Even the most natural writing is more strategic than speech. These blog posts, for example, are first drafts that I write without any planning. Whatever comes to my head is what I write. But despite that, I am thinking about what I say. When a sentence doesn't sound quite right, I rewrite it. Sometimes I get on a roll, but lose my train of thought. Then I have to remember where I was coming from and figure out where I'm going. It may sound natural, but it's actually pieces of natural speech sewn together, like Frankenstein's monster.

I still will give people the advice to write the way they talk. I think that it is the most important first step and always true, despite the minor accuracies. If you write the way you talk, then the small issues will be cleaned up in editing. If you write in a stilted or stiff manner, trying to make it sound natural will be a pain in the butt and a waste of time.