Qualities Of Modern Writing

These are the main qualities that contribute to the effectiveness and modernity of the newsroom:

1. Specification In writing, specifying is "abbreviating to the most essential the
subject on which it is written ". This means avoiding useless detours — as is much of the natural verbiage used in. oral expression. "TAI grain!" is the formula. The idle words "content voids" should be discarded. The time for long and pompous paragraphs, which lulled the reader, not pressed by time as now, is over. The filler paragraphs are no longer justified ("No more for the moment, and waiting for the answer to be served.. . ") or the extensive parliaments with their obligatory synthesis or attached clarification (" That is to say.. . "," Which could be synthesized or clarified by saying that.. . ") or the idly flipping formalities (" I beg you very kindly to kindly arrange... ."). Today economy and functionality are sought in all orders of human activity, and the writing could not be exempt from these requirements.

2. Clarity Nothing that has been said should give rise to doubts or misunderstandings. The
Words must be used properly, an inescapable condition for men to be able to understand each other in a language. (If "angina" is used for "tonsils", "pamphlet" for "brochure" or "to" instead of "from" —as is often the case in Mexico—, there will undoubtedly be a reason of incomprehension for many Spanish speakers.) It is advisable to avoid circumscribed phrases or idioms —except for special cases—, so that there are no bad interpretations. Especially when the writing goes outside the country or can be translated into other languages, it is necessary to adhere to the general or academic forms. Conventional abbreviations, acronyms and symbols must be used correctly, in a generalized way, with strict use for the necessary cases. When faced with doubts about the appropriate writing or possible comprehension, it is best to put the whole words. The use of terms that may refer to different people should also be carefully monitored ("his" = "of him" or "of you"?; "le" = "to him" or "to you"? ) or that can be interpreted with different meanings ("courage" = "courage" or "anger"; "meticulous" = "fearful" or "scrupulous, meticulous") or that have similar forms with others that the common people confuse ("reaffirm" and "reaffirm"; "ratify" and "rectify"; "latent" and "beating"). In sentence construction, gerunds and relatives are often sources of darkness. And why say what happens with badly placed, excessive or absent punctuation: its influence produces interferences ranging from the simple doubt to the most chaotic confusion, passing through the equivocation, ambiguity, absurdity and other nebulosities interpretive. The obscurity or secrecy - which reaches cryptography in some special cases - is only justified when has a specific purpose, as occurs in some kind of suggestive or avant-garde literature, or in certain documents. In the current wording, it is a serious defect.

3. Simplicity Modern writing, in general, is characterized by simplicity
or absence of affectation. This implies a logical approach to the naturalness of the conversation, although with the inherent limitations of written language. The bloated and ceremonious expressions, sometimes routinely servile, are inappropriate in this age of practicality and realism, in which even the entrenched "command? "," to serve you "and" your house of you "- instead of" my house "- are disappearing in the mouth of the most advanced Mexicans. Courtesy has been lightened of outmoded tinsel: thus, the classic ending of the letter "I repeat myself as your most affectionate, attentive and secure servant", has has been reduced to the more logical "Sincerely, I am at your disposal" - if this is true - or to the synthetic "Sincerely", which implies "Lo greetings". Simplicity (not vulgarity or rudeness) gives the writing a tone of expressive truthfulness that favors its effectiveness and attraction.

4. Adequacy It is a key virtue in every act of human relationship: "Each
something in its place, with its why. "It is not advisable to address everyone in the same way — except in the case of group situations. The same topic dealt with in a scientific report, a formal document, a newspaper article or a family letter, requires a different wording, perfectly suited to each case. "I write like this" or "This is my style" will be a good formula for a man of letters, who is an artist, but not for a writer, who is only the exhibitor in writing of an already given topic. The adequacy in writing means an act of logical consideration towards the addressee. The core question is: "Who will read what I write? "; and the answer, a writing adapted to the understanding, taste and needs of that "who".

5. Functional ordering The choice of "each thing" convenient to achieve
the aforementioned adequacy of what is written to the reader is linked to the choice of the appropriate place for these "things" to function functionally. Items should not be ordered randomly or always automatically, by routine or custom. Each part of the writing (beginning, middle and end) has a mission to fulfill: the chosen order must respond to the strict fulfillment of that mission. If the beginning is to be a portal for attraction or curiosity about what will be expressed in the core part of the writing, basic informational elements will not be used in it. If, on the contrary, the initial "impact" is sought, to later develop the themes in the body, the most important thing - or a synthesis of topics - will go to the beginning; or if one seeks to appeal to the growing expectation —the "suspense" of so many works—, logically the elements will be ordered in the form of a climax, until the final "bombshell". Of course, there are other forms of mixed or free ordering, which appeal to crossover, the curl line, dispersion, and so on. In all cases, the endings will be a natural consequence of the structure chosen to order, with a view to the objective pursued. If we stick to the modern slogan "Success is a good plan", and we take into account that the plan includes as a fundamental element the appropriate ordering, we will admit that in the correct distribution of the elements lies a basic condition for the achievement of effectiveness in written.

6. Originality When writing, as a general rule it is advisable to avoid
any sign of automatism, copy or indifferent attitude. Writing without thinking about the terms used, in its best distribution or expressive functionality —like a robot—, is not knowing how to write. What is written is cold, mechanical, superficial. Instead, the departure from routine leads to originality. Although, of course, not every type of writing admits strict originality, there is often a loophole - you have to know how to look for it - for the personal touch, used appropriately. Formalism cannot always be avoided; but the formulas must be used with awareness of their usefulness and must be updated in their content and form so that they have expressive force. Sometimes originality is achieved simply by resorting to the naturalness and simplicity of everyday speech, in terrain in which the majority get bogged down between bombastic formulas and phrases shaped by the mentalities of other epochs.

7. Interest This quality seeks to produce "positive influences" on the mood.
of the addressee, so that he concentrates his attention on the content of the writing. It is based on attraction and is a condition of curiosity - desire to know, active participation in the search for "whys" - an important element in many forms of human relationships. In order to interest, it is necessary to cross the limit of the routine, impersonal or abstract: it is necessary to look for reasons of rapprochement, to touch incentives, to make satisfactory impressions. One way of doing this —basic in conversation— is to refer to what interests the other, not yourself, and use the most suitable way for it. Thus, the writing "speaks" to the reader's self as it suits him, and penetrates the area where his interest is born. It is effective because of the liveliness of the forms used, chosen according to the principle of expressive efficiency: no dead, invalid or misleading phrases; Only those that serve with integrity should be accepted so that a valid communication is established between the person who writes and the person who captures what is written.

8. News "Being up to date" or "living the time" are phrases that summarize the ideal of spiritual youth - not old - and progressive. The way of approaching the topics, the data used, the construction of the paragraphs, the vocabulary, the punctuation, the form spelling, the conventional symbols, the material elements that accompany the writing, everything must reveal agility and validity current. To ask for something in writing, it currently makes no sense to come to the humiliation of the "earnest entreaties", nor to the submission of "begging at your mercy (you) to deign to see fit contemplate.. "Today we do not" have need ", but we need something; and the "No place" with which some "ladies and gentlemen" answer us is nothing more than the "I do not grant it", which would be the normal and understandable response for a denied request. It is logical to accept that updating —as an accommodation to the expressive demands of the moment— is an inseparable quality of modern and efficient writing, in all respects.