When I'm writing from the world instead of from my head ... blogs, magazine articles, non-fiction books and such, rather than fiction ... my heart is still involved in the work, and only what can sit there right gets on the page. Before I make a move I have to understand what I'm writing, and I must have a darned good grasp on the bits I can't or don't have time or need to absorb so those are illustrated correctly for others to interpret. If I don't get something, I never fake it, but spell out clearly that I'm confused or unclear.

If I make a mistake, I will correct what I can and apologize for my error. I research thoroughly, but with the volume of my output, there are times when something gets by me. I always appreciate correction and I love to learn new stuff.

Attribution is something else I'm picky about, and a wonderful part of writing blogs. The ability to link directly to sources broadens the scope of most articles, and knowing that curious readers have instant access to the roots of the information I'm writing about makes the process more fulfilling for me and for them.

Style can't be quantified, and like every writer I have my own. Some like it, some don't, but it's a reflection of who I am. (And I don't expect everyone to like me, either. Good thing, huh?)

Some say they don't "mince words" when they're actually quite adept at mincing, dicing and chopping a composition into a meaningless, and often completely dishonest mash of pap that has nothing recognizable left of the meat that was to make it nourishing. Mangling issues, diverting attention through tossing word grenades meant only to startle, going all flowery and verbose for the sake of flowery verbosity, all are common tactics among the unskilled or intentionally deceptive. This is not my style.

I am direct and I am fair. When I'm voicing an opinion, I'm completely clear about my intent to do exactly that. If I draw from other sources, I attribute. If I quote, I quote correctly. I don't put words in mouths, but let others speak for themselves. Assuming what others might be thinking is not my job, so I don't bother wasting time doing that.

Maybe most importantly, I write for smart people ... people who get a buzz out of thinking ... people who ponder just for the lovely feeling of having thoughts roll and tumble around in their heads ... people who find new ideas a blast, to whom a challenging concept is more fun than a trip to the mall.

I couldn't care less if folks don't notice that my grammar and punctuation abide by the hard and fast rules such things abide by or appreciate the lengths I go to keeping spelling errors to a minimum. Nope. I'm no snob and appreciate a good mind no matter how many punctuation classes sank in over the years. My readers don't need to diagram sentences over breakfast to earn my respect. It's life lessons, a love of learning, and bravery in approaching the new and perhaps different that I appreciate.

Continued in the next post.