Write with Purpose Using Indexing

Edit, edit, edit your writing.

The woman whose memoir writing advice I most admire, Marion Roach Smith, recently discussed a technique for self-editing your writing that I love: indexing. Now, this is not the process of creating an alphabetical listing of important words and phrases and the pages you will find them on that appears in the back of an academic or instructional nonfiction book. No, the way Marion describes her form of indexing is this: to read each paragraph of your writing and make a little note or symbol next to it that tells you what the paragraph does, i.e., what purpose it serves in the manuscript.

Does this sound overwhelming to you? Or does it thoroughly confuse you? Or both?

I’m going to try to offer more insight on this technique, but be warned—this process is for those who really want to improve their writing by acknowledging whether each paragraph has a clear purpose. If you can stick it out through an entire manuscript, it will make your writing tight, precise, and far more enjoyable to read.

Most Common Writing Mistake

I edit a lot of manuscripts, some by accomplished authors, most by novice writers. But both groups often make the same mistakes, especially when they are trying to make a point—they overdescribe, overexplain and repeat, repeat, repeat. (See what I did there?) This is an issue with all forms of nonfiction I’ve worked with—political science, economics, business—but it is most often the case with memoir.

Because the memoirs I edit are nine out of ten times written by first-time writers, they want to make darn sure you understand their reason for writing the memoir: trauma, grief, redemption, new insight, physical or mental health challenges, and so on. So, they say the same thing, more or less, repeatedly throughout their writing. If your reader finds themselves thinking, “Yes, I know, I get it, you told me already!” too many times, they won’t bother to finish the book. Or recommend it.

Once you have made a point, assuming you’ve made it clearly, that’s great. Now more on. There is no need to bludgeon your reader with the same point in passage after passage.

Indexing—Analyze Purpose

As I said, if you really want to streamline your work, indexing is one way to do it. With good writing, every paragraph should perform a purpose. Here are the thirteen most important paragraph purposes, taken from an article by the Jackson School Writing Center at the University of Washington:

1. Stating: Making an assertion.

2. Supporting: Providing evidence for an assertion.

3. Concurring: Agreeing with another author's assertion.

4. Qualifying: Restricting the meaning of an assertion already made.

5. Negating: Offering reasoning or evidence to demonstrate the falsehood of an assertion.

6. Expanding: Stating more comprehensively an idea or assertion already expressed.

7. Analyzing: Breaking an assertion down into its constituent parts in order to clarify or evaluate it.

8. Describing: Naming one or more features of an object or concept, to help the reader imagine it precisely or understand it fully.

9. Comparing and contrasting: Examining objects alongside each other for the purpose of clarifying their features, evaluating them or noting differences and similarities.

10. Evaluating: Making judgment about something discussed previously

11. Synthesizing: Combining elements of previous paragraphs into a coherent whole; often this includes presenting a new perspective on the subject.

12. Summarizing: Restating the principal idea of an argument or point already introduced.

13. Transitioning: Moving from one aspect of the argument to another by connecting the points for the reader.

Wow, right? The point here is,

every paragraph you write should serve one of these purposes.

After a paragraph serves the #1 purpose (stating, making an assertion, e.g., the allure of underage alcohol drinking entices 20 percent of girls aged 12–13), you then move on to write paragraphs that serve one or more of the other purposes (e.g., supporting, concurring, or expanding). Yes, this can be an exhaustive and time-consuming process. If you have written a statement paragraph and you write another paragraph that simply repeats the statement, or if you can’t identify the paragraph as clearly serving any of the other twelve purposes, delete it or rewrite it to serve a clear purpose.

Is this process easy? It is not. Will it make you a better writer? Yes. Is it worth the time and effort? That is totally up to you.

Write with Purpose

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT. Marion Roach Smith’s sister, published author Margaret Roach, calls a first draft the vomit draft. (I warned you!) That’s some harsh imagery. But the point is, of course, all first drafts stink, no matter who you are. Write, write, write. Get it all out. Throw in everything including the proverbial kitchen sink. But then, edit. Edit as furiously as you wrote, maybe more so. Keep two things in mind as you self-edit and rewrite: your purpose and your ideal reader. My business motto is Every word of every sentence matters. Please feel free to adopt it as your own!

In addition to working as a nonfiction and creative nonfiction editor and writing coach, I am co-author, with Dr. Terri Lyon, of the book Make a Difference with Mental Health Activism: No activism degree required—use your unique skills to change the world. Visit my website page Make a Difference and Dr. Lyon’s activism website Life At The Intersection to learn more about Make a Difference, including how to place bulk orders.

Best Writing and Editing Resources

Trish's favorite books on writing

This should really be titled "Trish's Favorite Writing and Editing Resources." There are scores, maybe hundreds, of similar articles online. These are what I consider the essentials for being a writer or editor. And I've only scratched the surface.

I start with the basics, for those needing guidance with grammar rules and language mechanics. I then list several more advanced resources for those who need help with developing their writing style, tone, and presentation. Finally, I offer a short list of essential online tools.

The Basics: Grammar, Punctuation, Mechanics

The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White. If you buy only one grammar and composition guide (but why would you do that?), this is the one. What hasn’t been said about this little gem? First published in 1959, The Elements of Style is a perennial bestseller, available in a variety of versions, such as an annotated edition, an edition with a study guide, a 4th edition published in 1999, and a new inexpensive e-book version published in October 2020.

On Writing Well by William Zinsser. Here’s another classic owned by almost every writer and editor. The 30th Anniversary Edition was published in May 2006. Zinsser is a superstar journalist, magazine contributor, book author, editor, and university teacher.

100 Ways to Improve Your Writing by Gary Provost. This book is chockful of grammar rules. But it is more than just a grammar guide. You’ll find chapters on how to write an awesome beginning, overcome writer’s block, and ten ways to develop your style. A little powerhouse of a book. First published in 1972, an affordable mass market edition was published in May 2019.

Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin Dreyer. This book appears on many lists of “must have” writing reference guides. Dreyer’s English is notable for its humor and occasional tongue-in-cheek approach to the material. It is best appreciated by reading it in its entirety rather than thumbing through it as you might with other reference guides. Random House published a trade paperback edition in August 2020.

I’m also a fan of Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English by Patricia T. O’Conner. Informative but witty and lighthearted. Grab a copy if you get the chance. The 4th edition was published in February 2019.

Now, my personal choices for the absolute most basic grammar books you should add to your reference library.

Hodges Harbrace Handbook/ The Writer’s Harbrace Handbook. During his tenure as a University of Tennessee (Knoxville) English professor in the 1930s, John C. Hodges obtained federal funding to support his study of the frequency of errors in college students’ essays. He collected 20,000 student papers, analyzed the errors in those papers, and used those findings to create the original Harbrace Handbook of English. When Hodges died in 1967, the textbook was in its sixth edition and was renamed Hodges Harbrace College Handbook. I owned a copy during my high school years in the 1970s and took it with me as my writer’s bible to my first professional writing job in 1979. I kept that edition for years. Since then, I’ve owned as many as three different editions at one time, because you can pick them up inexpensively in used bookstores. And I couldn’t help myself.

This handbook is so solid and complete, it did not undergo a significant revision until the 13th edition in 1990.

Now called The Writer’s Harbrace Handbook, written by Cheryl Glenn and Loretta Gray, this version is in its 5th edition, last published in 2012. The new 6th Edition Writer’s Harbrace Handbook (with APA 7e Updates) will be available December 16, 2020. This book is still compiled with student writers in mind. In addition to grammar, punctuation, spelling, and language mechanics, it features sections on rhetorical reading and writing, essays, research, managing academic writing, and composing arguments. It can be purchased in hardcover, paperback, and purchased or rented as an e-textbook.

Advanced Writing Resources

If you have a handle on the basic rules of English grammar, you should fill your library with books that help you develop your personal style and make you a writer of quality prose. Here are a few of the books almost all authors and editors recommend.

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. A favorite among writers of fiction and nonfiction, it’s loaded with great advice and makes for an entertaining read. “Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.”

The Forest for the Trees: An Editor’s Advice to Writers by Betsy Lerner. Another fun, pleasant read that’s brimming with tons of priceless mentoring from a famous literary agent and acclaimed editor.

Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg. Guidelines for creativity and story development are told in an entertaining style. Writing Down the Bones offers hints of memoir, personal essay, and humor. Another great book for your library.

On Writing by Stephen King. It’s Stephen King, right? He’s a darn good writer. But my experience with this book is that King’s advice on creating a daily writing schedule can be a bit daunting. If you have a full-time job, school, and/or a home and family, his daily goals can be tough to achieve and many readers have gotten discouraged. If you read this book while acknowledging that you are not trying to be Stephen King, you’ll be fine.

Online Writing and Editing Resources

There are hundreds of online tools to guide, assist, and mentor writers and editors. So many, that I've chosen only three that offer basic but genuinely helpful writing assistance.

Grammarly is a helpful resource for grammar rules. It is free and wildly popular. But beware—at times, Grammarly is just plain wrong about the changes it suggests. Sometimes it flags words and phrases it doesn’t like but that are not necessarily incorrect. As a writer, you should know grammar rules—but as you grow as a writer, you will decide how and when to break those rules for a desired effect. Don’t let Grammarly cramp your style.

Hemingway Editor is popular as a free online writing and editing resource. It’s good and, in general, will help you streamline and tighten up your prose. But I don’t always agree with it. If you don’t understand Ernest Hemingway’s style and why so many strive to emulate it, I’ve talked about it in a couple of my blog posts: Overwriting, The Death of Clarity and A Work of Fiction is Not a Fill-in-the-blank Game.

A readability score roughly estimates the level of education someone would need to easily read a passage of text and comprehend it. A readability score of your work is more important than you might realize. Your prose readability score should align with your intended audience; you don't want to talk down to or over the head of your readers. There are numerous readability score tools online; I recommend Readability Test Tool as an easy-to-use, free option. Copy and paste chunks of your writing into this tool to receive your score.

Many Microsoft Word users don’t know that Word can give you a readability score and grade level of your documents. Open an existing document and try it out now. Here’s how it works:

1. Go to File > Options.

2. Select Proofing.

3. Under When correcting spelling and grammar in Word, make sure the Check grammar with spelling check box is selected.

4. Select Show readability statistics.

After you enable this feature, open a file that you want to check, and check the spelling by pressing F7 or going to Review > Spelling & Grammar. When Word finishes checking the spelling and grammar, it displays information about the reading and grade levels of the document.

Deciding what to include for this post was difficult. As I said, this barely scratches the surface of books and online tools available to help you improve your writing and editing skills. I'd like to know what resources you rely on. Drop your favorites in the comment box.

How to Write Good Dialogue

I edit and do manuscript assessments for a living. I also coach a couple of young creative writers on the side, in a voluntary capacity. Creative writing is not my thing; I know that and they know that. I have only ever written short (and very short) stories. I am not particularly good at coming up with interesting plots. I can think of cool characters and I can write beautifully detailed descriptions. But an interesting plot? Not my forte.

I know just enough about the elements of fiction and creative nonfiction to be dangerous:

• Plot (conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution)

• Theme (the point of the story)

• Characters

• Setting

• Description

• Dialogue

Some creative writers have the coolest ideas for plots. And awesome characters. But two of these elements often take a hit: description and dialogue. At the start of 2019, I wrote two blog articles about using descriptive language, Writing Sensory Description Part 1 and Part 2. I reminded writers to help their readers not just see but also hear, taste, smell, and touch their surroundings, as well.

Idol Chitchat, The Devil’s Playground

Lately, my novice writers have presented me with drafts of romance and murder mystery manuscripts. And, consistently, the weakest element has been their dialogue. Idol chitchat. Small talk. Pointless prattling. The dialogue serves no discernible purpose—and it must.

So, let’s have a dialogue about…dialogue.

Make It Matter

Fight the urge to write dialogue that is nothing more than a mundane exchange. As I said, I often read boring conversations in manuscripts I’m editing or critiquing. I’ve never asked a writer why they’ve written dialogue like this:

I saw him walking toward me. “Hi,” I said.

“Hi,” he replied. “How are you?”

“Good,” I answered. “How about you?”

“I’m OK,” he said. “Whatcha doing?”

“Nothing much. Just hanging out,” I replied. “You?”

“Same.”

Ugh. I have my own theory as to why people write dialogue this pointless. I think it’s an attempt, consciously or subconsciously, to present authentic or realistic conversation. But, really, I’m guessing. I mean, I know people have pointless exchanges like this in real life. At least, I know I do. But just because people do speak this way, it does not mean you should create this kind of dialogue in your prose.

(In memoir, I think people include dialogue like this because this is what was said. It’s real. But every verbal exchange does not need to be recounted 100% accurately, especially if it results in dialogue like this.)

Every element of creative writing serves a specific purpose. Getting most of them right will not make a great book. The best books nail all the elements. A great storyline will be derailed by one-dimensional characters whose presence you don’t understand, flat dialogue that doesn’t make sense, or a lack of setting that would help you envision and feel a part of every scene.

The Four Functions of Dialogue

So, back to dialogue. Here is the simple truth. Properly written dialogue performs four functions:

1. Provides information

2. Exposes emotion

3. Advances the plot

4. Reveals something about a character

Some lists I've seen include up to ten functions, but these are the Big Four. If you have written dialogue that you cannot, in all honesty, say performs at least one of these functions, toss it. My business motto is “Every word of every sentence matters.” This includes dialogue—it must be there for a good reason.

Dialogue never exists for its own purpose.

Dialogue as Narrative

Dialogue is a form of narrative conveyed as speech between two or more characters. Narrative is an account of what’s happening in a story. Narrative is used to set the scene, describe the surroundings, give insight into a character, throw in a plot twist, present foreshadowing, and so on. All of this can be accomplished through dialogue, too.

It Don’t Have to Be Right (Wink, Wink)

Dialogue does not have to be grammatically correct. It can and should read like actual speech. The “Whatcha doing?” from my example above is perfectly OK. That adds a touch of casualness, which, if the dialogue was vital and well constructed, would add realism. If you have created a character (or, in memoir, a person from your life) who has an accent or a peculiar speech pattern, breaking grammar rules to bring that character alive is acceptable. Beware though—handling vernacular well is trickier than it seems. You might end up with a one-dimensional stereotype.

Dialogue should be written to give readers details about a character in more clever and intriguing ways. Well-written dialogue can be used to describe appearance, race, gender, ethnicity, and even offer a glimpse into morality and ethics.

Just For Fun

Narrative, then dialogue as narrative.

He walked into the room. I was shocked to see his clothes were tattered, and he was thin and filthy.

Or…

He walked into the room and I stammered, “You sure have hit on hard times. How long has it been since the money I gave you ran out?”

He grimaced. “I’m keepin’ my shoes together with rubber bands and Elmer’s Glue. A rope’s holdin’ my pants up. I cain’t remember the last time I used soap. That’s how long.”