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Public Affairs Officer -
Developing Writing Skills
Basics
Use short words whenever possible, and avoid Latin-root
words if you can. English sounds best Anglo-Saxon origin words are used.
Avoid the passive voice. It is convoluted and sounds
stilted.
Whenever elegant, use the apostrophe-s possessive rather
than the "of the" prepositional construction.
Write clear sentences. If you must write a long sentence,
follow it with a short one to relieve the monotony.
Do not repeat a word in the same sentence. Better yet, do
not repeat it in the same paragraph. Ideally, just don't repeat it.
Repetition should be used only when there is a compelling reason to do
so (as in this case), or when quoting someone else, such as,
As Michael walked along the lake, he heard a splash.
Immediately, "Help, help!," cried a voice, loudly and with a tinge of
panic. As he scanned the water in the direction of the sound, he saw
splashing about, some 300 feet from the shore. The victim seemed to be
in distress. Michael was puzzled, since he couldn't see any vessel:
where had he fallen from?
When quoting, it is permissible to use the quoted
person's own words, even if ungrammatical, within the boundaries of
taste. But the sentence leading up to the quote, and whatever
explanation or parenthetical comments follow are your own words and need
to be in correct grammatical form.
Keep your verbs in harmony. If you are not comfortable
with complicated verb tenses, write the piece in the present tense or
the simple past. Do not write an entire piece in the present participle;
if you do, you'll probably lose your reader by the second paragraph.
Avoid slang at all costs. What makes sense to you locally
might have quite a different meaning elsewhere, at times objectionable.
English derives its grammar from German, which in turn
got it from Latin. This grammatical tradition gave us prepositions and
rules for what must follow them. In general, prepositions must be
followed by either a direct object (accusative) or indirect object
(dative).
A verb following the preposition "if" must be in the
subjunctive mood. It is extremely common to hear or read, "If I am ready
to go..." when that sentence fragment should read, "If I were ready to
go..." (Remember "The Fiddler on the Roof," who sang, "If I were a rich
man, ...")
Writing for CAP
There is no better training than hands-on,
up-to-your-eyebrows commitment to an article. Do your best and send it
to the Group PAO for editing. When you get it back, read it carefully
and compare it with your original submission. Your Group PAO has
published articles up to and including national magazines, so he must be
doing something right.
Writing Style
Get a copy of The Associated Press Stylebook. It's
more of a specialized dictionary than a book, but its aim is to codify
how things are presented or said. Be warned: it falls off on military
ranks, and things military in general, since it was written by
civilians. It is a valuable resource book because most newspaper editors
adhere to it, so if your piece is written in that style, it'll have a
better chance.
Download a copy of the
Air University Style and Author Guide. There is much good advice
here.
Buy The Elements of Style, by Strunk & White. This
short, wonderful little book will be useful to you for a lifetime.
Get a good English Grammar book. Read it, study
it, and practice it.
Read for form as well as content. Writing is a craft: the
more you practice it, the better it should get. However that won't work
unless you have something to say. Here is a very short list of some of
your Group PAO's favorite authors (and recommended works):
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George Orwell (Animal Farm; also short
stories, especially The Killing of the Elephant - a cameo drama
wrapped in indifference)
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Ursula K. Leguin (short story: Those
Who Leave Omelas - a story of ethical dilemma, pity and sympathy)
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Ayn Rand (Anthem - a journey of
discovery and enlightenment)
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Ernest Hemmingway (The Old Man and the
Sea - the best book he ever wrote, makes all his previous works seem
childish)
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Oscar Wilde (Short stories, especially
The Nightingale and the Rose - dramatic altruism in a world of
selfish carelessness)
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Martin Buber (I and Thou) - This is an
existential / theological short essay. Should you read it repeatedly
over the next 20 years, you'll find something new in it every time.
Drama
Drama cannot exist unless there is at least the
possibility of death. Neither can drama exist unless at least one person
is at dire risk. In CAP, especially in emergency services and disaster
relief, we face drama both as a phenomenon and a personal tragedy.
Here are some examples:
PAO Seminars & Workshops
Group III will offer a PAO Seminar quarterly. Attend as
many of them as you can, and bring your questions and experience.
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