|
|||
 |
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|||
 |
|||
|
|
|
|
 | From the Founder and Principal: Miscellaneous Posted by Lindsay Perigo on 6/26, 1:14am | |
| Just to formalise what most of you already know—I have resumed editor's duties in the wake of Jason's departure over the Elmore issue. Like all such departures, this was unsought and unnecessary, and, I hope, will be reconsidered soon enough. In the meantime, I shall act as editor until someone else suitable steps up (hint!). Derek McGovern has taken over as Coordinator of SOLO Homo, a role he's already filling with the requisite wit and idiosyncrasy! Matt Humphreys has stepped down as SOLO Law Leader (nothing to do with the Elmore episode), so we are looking for someone for that role also. The Article Queue is currently bulging, but there is a lot of dross in there that I'm going to clean out, meaning that I'm looking for an influx of quality articles quickly. I'm reproducing here the hints for writers I posted not so long ago to the SOLO Writing group. In particular, I draw your attention to the plea not to try to say everything at once, or clutter your articles with references. There are several contributions in there right now that look like dogs' breakfasts, an epileptic's nightmare of hyperlinks, underlinings, italics, bolds, font-changes, block-greys ... aaaaaaargh!!!!!!!!! Remember that a good article, like good food, must be nicely presented. A visual morass just won't do. Think "elegant" as much as "eloquent," realising, of course, that on SOLO there's no elegance/eloquence dichotomy! The fact that we give you various formatting options doesn't mean you must use all of them in one article! Here, then are Linz' Handy Hints. They're by no means comprehensive or exhaustive, nor even non-contestable. I hope you'll find them helpful and that they will inspire you to get writing! Linz Here are some hints *this* writer/editor would proffer to those wishing to write (op/ed SOLOHQ articles in particular) to optimal effect: 1) Contrary to what just about everyone else will tell you, write precisely when under the influence of an emotion about the subject. Whether exultant, angry, wistful, awe-struck ... whatever ... write it down while feeling that emotion. No writing done in a state of passivity, a state of non-arousal, will ever be memorable or potent. Blurt it all out & temper it later if need be. 2) Write, don't wank. The point of the writing is the message, not attention-seeking "Look, Mum, one hand." The quality of writing ensured by commitment to the message will earn you kudos, if you're concerned about that—but if that's your primary concern, forget it. Excess literary/historic allusions & copious footnotes designed simply to show off your erudition do not a potent message, or eloquent writing, make. You can make your sources available separately from your article. 3) Get to the point! Know what you want to say & get there with a minimum of preliminaries. To keep the sexual analogy going, more orgasm, less foreplay. We've all seen writers whose efforts consist entirely of foreplay ... & fumbling foreplay at that. Without climax, what is the point? 4) Remember Oscar Wilde: "Brevity is the soul of wit." It's also the essence of potency. Do not use 10 words when one will suffice, or long ones when short ones will do. Do not assume that all adjectives must be preceded by adverbs, or even that all nouns must be preceded by adjectives. Do not equate verbiage with profundity. Economy packs a punch that pretentiousness cannot! 5) Don't try to say everything in one article. This is a huge trap that many fall into. Confine yourself to a few, or even one, key point(s). Remember there are always future articles in which you can make follow-up points, as well as address ripostes to those you've already made. That's enough to be going on with. I hope it's helpful. Happy hunting! Linz | ||
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|
