"Just start writing: "Selwyn Crawford, one of my favorite editors and a former editor at The Dallas Morning News, used to tell me, 'I can't edit what's not on the page,' and I'm not sure why, but that phrase always encouraged me to actually get words on the page. Fill the page with nonsense, if you must. Even if I'm just writing a stream of consciousness, some of those streams have led to major breakthroughs," Johnson said."
"Here's a rather nonintuitive writing tip I learned early in my career: When there's tragedy, drama or big emotions in a story, pull the writing back. Do less. Let the story carry the weight of what's happening. It's similar to a writing tip from Roy Peter Clark , who suggests to " use shorter words, sentences and paragraphs at points of complexity.""
""Find the moments, places and sensory experiences that connect us all," Johnson said. "We are all humans experiencing this moment, and that connects us. Build a world, build a sense of place, because place connects us." And remember to invoke the senses: "Life is a sensory experience, and we should feel that even when it's on the page," Johnson said. "Use words readers can hear, feel, smell or taste. The clang of pots. The grit of sand under a fingernail.""
Pull writing back during tragedy, drama or big emotions; do less and let the story carry the weight. Use shorter words, sentences and paragraphs at points of complexity. Deploy humor and memes to convey poignancy and reflect industry challenges. Begin by getting words on the page; allow nonsense or stream-of-consciousness to create breakthroughs. Say hard things plainly and directly. Seek moments, places and sensory experiences that connect people and build a vivid sense of place. Invoke sensory language readers can hear, feel, smell or taste to make scenes tangible.
Read at Poynter
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