KISS

There are three things I wanted to touch upon today. 1) Keep it simple, sweetheart (its my blog, I can make it what I want!) 2) tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, tell them what you told them and 3) write what you know.

If you're just starting out in writing, KISS is very good advice. Keep it simple! Simplicity applies to the topic, the language, the vocabulary, and the conclusions we make. Once we try to complicate things, we end up in trouble.

Tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, and tell them what you told them. I've heard this for years. Truthfully, I think we're telling them too much. Repetition is good for effect, but too much repetition is overkill. This, again, is another way of saying that you need an introduction (what you're going to tell them), a body (tell them), and a conclusion (what you told them). This is also a possible way to set up a paragraph. Put the important item first, explain the item, and then summarize or conclude.

Write what you know. Of course, we are most comfortable with what we know. If we were to write what we don't know, we would be forced to do research or come off sounding exactly like we are, unknowing and dumb. Most of us have some experience under our belts. That experience will often relate to other areas. For example, I once helped a school teacher apply for a job as a store manager. If a teacher can manage a classroom why couldn't she manage a staff of employees? Experiences in the classroom will often translate to experiences elsewhere. Unfortunately, they were not my stories to tell, but I was able to see the relationship and am able to build upon that.