Eight Keys to Great Writing

Great writing is both an art and a skill. As such, it requires certain fundamentals. The following list reveals eight keys for great writing.

1. Valid epistemology. No doubt about it: this is the starting point for great writing. Without an explicit, valid epistemology, one is essentially operating in the dark -- cognitively speaking. One blends facts with mysticism to produce partially valid written works. But upon developing a valid epistemology, one integrates concepts and ideas into information-rich writing. In short, valid epistemology, which is reality-based principled thinking, supercharges one's writing by compressing maximum knowledge into minimum words, sentences, and paragraphs.

2. Mystic-free psychology. This is vital for great writing and it shows in one's work. Such a psychology is not hampered by mysticism. A mystic-free psychology lets one freely peruse all the material in one's subconscious. It also enables one to make striking identifications and breakthroughs. This is crucial for limitless creativity.

3. Undivided honesty. Without undivided honesty, one's thinking and writing remain trapped in closed circles of rationalizations. With undivided honesty, one breaks into wide-open thinking and writing. This reduces to one alte
ative: static versus dynamic writing. Breaches in honesty culminate in static and erroneous writing while unbreached honesty culminates in dynamically valid writing.

4. Mastery of grammar. This is no surprise. One can begin by mastering the principles of grammar instead of getting lost in all the minutiae. With a clear understanding of the fundamentals of grammar, one has a solid base on which to continually refine one's knowledge of grammar.

5. Mastery of the mechanics of writing. Again, this is no surprise. The ability to form coherent sentences and paragraphs is essential for great writing. One can also develop powerful skills such as predominantly using action words, delimiting subject matter within each paragraph, editing one's writing so it reads smoothly, and so on.

6. Broad base of knowledge. This separates one's work from the crowd. With a vast base of knowledge -- i.e., knowledge of philosophy, literature, psychology, science, technology, business, art, and history -- one can produce widely integrated writing, develop brilliant analogies, and increase one's readership. Simply stated, as one's knowledge expands, one's writing will become more potent and valuable.

7. Cultivate knowledge from cyberspace. Limitless access to facts and knowledge enables one to produce writing that is alive and growing. Yet, before the rise of cyberspace, facts and knowledge were easily suppressed. In cyberspace, however, the suppression of knowledge is almost non-existent. Thus, only in cyberspace can a person access facts and knowledge without limits.

8. Practice writing every day. This is self-evident. Like an Olympic athlete, if one wants to produce great writing, one needs to practice every day. After several months or perhaps years, one will wake up and discover that one's writing is in fact great. In reality, there is no substitute for consistent effort.

These eight keys unlock the door to powerful and valuable writing. To be sure, they do not come automatically; nor are they easy to develop. But with them, one will produce preeminent writing. nnn