Episcopal Church Foundation Vestry Papers - for leading congregations

Every now and then I read lists of writing advice from famous authors and editors that are constantly popping up on the Internet. Some pieces of advice are more helpful than others, and all of it should be taken with a grain of salt. To that I add my own list of a few tips I’ve found helpful while writing and editing for an Episcopal publication, starting with some advice from Kurt Vonnegut.

• Start as close to the end as possible. Vonnegut was referring mostly to fiction, but it’s really about being direct and concise, and it’s good advice for any communicator. When we’re unsure of ourselves, it’s easy to start with a few generic sentences that don’t say anything specific. My boss calls this throat clearing. A reader should be able to tell what your piece is about in the first paragraph. Consider deleting the first paragraph. Does your article still make sense? Then it’s probably not necessary.
• Be specific and include details. Details make any story or article come to life. Otherwise it’s easy to get lost in generalizations and sweeping statements. Sensory details especially can give readers something to latch on, a hook that helps us remember.

• Tell stories when possible. You might have a good point, but if you don’t illustrate it with a relevant story it may not stick. While I want to know what you think, a story will help bring your thoughts to life.
• Avoid clichés. Have you heard it said many times before? We have too, and we probably don’t need to read it again.
• Avoid jargon. Words like “missional” and “formation” don’t mean much outside the church. Jargon excludes (and annoys) those on the outside, and often impedes clear communication.
• Avoid the word “very.” Mark Twain suggested going through your writing and replacing “very” with a curse word so that you’re editor would remove it for you. It’s an empty word. It doesn’t add anything to a sentence.
• Have someone else read what you write. Except for a few geniuses (and I’m pretty sure you’re not one of them, but if you are I’d like to meet you), even the best writers occasionally write things that aren’t very good. Someone else can help us see problems we can’t see, especially if we’ve been working on something for a long time. If you can’t take criticism then you are destined to be a bad writer for the rest of your life. Editing isn’t about criticism, so much as about making our writing and communication better.

When offering writing advice do so with honesty and kindness. Think about how Jesus would edit? I bet he’d sometimes mark up your work with lots of red ink, but he’d also let you know that he loved you and was proud of the work you were doing.