Wholly Cabbage: 3 Ways to be a better writer

It was the third round of rewriting on a piece about the autumn harvest. It was all about kale, collards, squash, and Brussels sprouts. The problem was, I had it all wrong.

Instead of Brussels sprouts, I was writing brussel sprouts. No capital B at the beginning, no s on the end of Brussels.

I've cooked and eaten lots of Brussels sprouts, but clearly I'd never written about them.

Lesson #1: Proper names have proper spellings
When a red line appeared below the misspelled "brussel," I was surprised. So I checked the dictionary.

I found the correct spelling.

A bit more digging revealed the name comes from the city of Brussels, in Belgium.

Wholly cabbage.

Unless you're certain about the correct spelling of a product, a city, a town, someone's name, title, or product, look it up.

That was last year. This year, I have another editing tip courtesy of the Brussels sprout.

Last week I was watching a cooking show when the chef introduced a new segment by saying, "Today we're making Brussels sprouts."

Lesson #2: Ask yourself, "Is that what's really going on?"
Of course the chef wouldn't be "making" Brussels sprouts, as in constructing or creating them. He would be cooking them. Or, maybe he'd be roasting them.

In the context of the show, it didn't matter much. It was a live taping and viewers could watch and listen.

But his word choice caught my ear. I've been writing a lot and than means I'm rewriting and editing a lot.

I wanted to edit the script, to rewind the tape and have the chef say, "Today we're roasting Brussels sprouts."

Roasting is a more interesting and descriptive word. Making is vague and in this example, inaccurate.

Every word has a purpose.

Lesson #3: Just because you're familiar with something doesn't mean you know all you need to know.
It turns out eating Brussels sprouts didn't make me an expert. From misspellings to context and relevance, it's important to do some research.

That's how I learned those little cabbage were named after an area in Belgium ... because that's where they were cultivated in the 16th(!) century.

So dig around. What you find may not only surprise you, it could add a new dimension to your project.

Feeling the heat?

If you have a story to tell but aren't sure where to start or need help with the writing, drop me a line and get in touch.

I can help you write and/or edit your story ... and put it into book form.

After all, people love stories ... and you've got some good ones.

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