Just Another 'HowTo Write' HowTo

How To Write A Good Tutorial
Well, I would know, because i write good material. Because other people say so. Because many other people say so. They say so in front of me. And i didnt offer them any free lunch. They say so in my guestbook. So much so, that i began to believe that. So now i am trying to exercise that recognition by stamping my authority on what i think makes a good tutorial.

0) It need not be dry.
Writing tutorials need not mean you write a tutorial. You can write it like a novel.

1) Have the audience sit in front of you.
Write as if the readers, your audience are in front of you right now and you re talking to them through your words. Address them as the first person. Think not of your words or what you gonna say. Dont touch the back key, dont even think about it. How do you behave when you meet people? Do you say, "Wait! I want to construct my sentences before i speak to you". Nope you don't do that. You just speak. So, write the same way as you speak.

2) Accept your imperfections.
Writers are atists and artists are sentimental persons - read - always feeling weak, imperfect, faulty. That explains my surprise when people say i am good at writing. Haha, if they only know how i really feel. There are many instances i hit the DELETE key and wipe out my out of the blue expressions in words. I was thinking they might not be good enough. They are just evil thoughts, selfish ones, that no one in their serious minds would want to hear or read. Unless of course they are also as evil and as selfish as me. Well, guess what? They arent as evil or selfish as you, not all of them, but they seem to like your writings. Cos they say so. Now if they say so, just believe that and move on. But wait. What about those imperfections? Now, what did i just say?

3) Write, write, write
Today you can just write not that there is more paper, or more ink. There is just cheap electricity and limitless disk space out there. Of course, i meant a blog. Where u can hide, thats right, your imperfections, cos people write all kind of shit out there. Why dont u join them and just write your ass away? Practice makes perfect. Writings make authors.

4) Your audience are idiots
Hmm, kinda twisted here, but u have to regard your readers as the worst idiots on the planet. Simple fact been that they if they arent, they wouldnt be reading yours. Write in clear precise unambigous sentences. Dont hide or spare the details that you know for a fact that if you didnt say "take that turn, and turn LEFT!" they would just miss that turn, and even if they dont, they wouldnt know if its left or right.

5) Your audience are blind
Now, not only must you be so damn clear, you have to give them a big picture first. They just cant imagine what turn or what left you re mumbling about. Say what you gonna say, before u say it. For example in my title above i said what i am gonna say. Which is, i m gonna teach u how to write a good tutorial. Then i went ahead and do it.

6) Never ask for jugdement.
Never ask someone "What u think i just wrote?" Cos they won't do u justice. I dont mean they will say its bad. In fact, if someone really said that, then you have got an honest critic, which is actually good. Now, even if someone says that your writing is good, it still doesnt quite fit in. Cos, those words of praise sort of distract u and may be exagerated for all you know, and that is even worse.My advice is that you are your own best judge. You are also your own excutioner. And you choose the time of your execution. So take your time, before you bring that guillotine down on your neck. Ask yourself. Not them. But while u are at it, there will be inevitable comments that come your way. When they do, listen to them. They may give you clues on what people felt in your words. Those are sincere feelings and you ought to listen to them. Judges do listen, ok?

7) Write when its pouring.
Don't fix a specific time to write. When you re expecting yourself to write, you most certainly cannot be at your creative best at that pre-empted time. Have pen and paper ready, or in my case, my pc notebook on my back like a hapsack, always ready to swing onto the floor restored from hibernation at a moment's notice. Creativity is such. It just pours, and often with no signs of clouds prior to it.

8) Write to share, not to lecture
This is perhaps the most brilliant advice i got from a millionaire author i happened to meet (he is my neighbour). I told him of my equally craetive urges, and he asked me to write one paragraph, and when i did, he looked at it disgustingly and screamed, "Thats not writing. Thats lecturing. Dont do that. Just share. Tell you story, not tell them what they can find out from the encyclopedia!". That concept took a while to sink in, cos i been lecturing how bad everone was all the time. Prior to it.

9) Use less words
I mean economically.

10) Enjoy what you write.
There must be a reason why you wrote. It's meant for someone to read it. And the first reader is yourself. So enjoy!

maiden attempt

I finally relented to create my first blog message after visiting http://fscavo.blogspot.com/ and thus wishing to start plastering comments all over. Well, I may have been a Mongol Chief my last life, but as before, i adapt to foreign cultures, as Kublai Khan did in China and Akhbar Khan in India.

Here i use the keyboard.

And i can do with some help. Like where do i go from here?

signed,
newbie.