She's a Little OCD,

But This Woman Can Definitely Spark Joy In Your Writing

In 2018, Marie Kondo became an American sensation. The Japanese native’s book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up lit the publishing world on fire, selling millions and millions of copies.

I love the title. Who would guess that “life-changing magic” could share anything in common with tidying up the house? Words and phrases I associate with cleaning include “drudgery,” “boring,” and “this is the only way to keep my wife off my back.”

Seriously.

Who knew cleaning could be SO MUCH FUN?

In her book, Kondo confesses that, as a child, she was such a decluttering nut, that one time she de-cluttered her brother’s room while he was at school. That means she went through all of his stuff and threw away everything he didn’t need.

Imagine coming home from school and seeing your previously cluttered room all neat and tidy. Then you discover that your favorite shirt—you know, the faded one spotted with random holes and tears, but so, so comfy—now resides in the smelly trash can outside?

Granted, my wife disposes of my old shirts without me knowing, but at least she does it one at a time.

Sometimes when I look at a messy room that I need to clean, I admit to feeling a bit overwhelmed at the prospect. 

Marie Kondo offers us advise about knowing what to pitch and what to keep.

“Hold each article in your hands,” she says, “and ask yourself, Does this spark joy? If the answer is ‘yes,” then keep it. If “no,” then throw it away.

Today’s blog post is all about sparking joy for you, and ultimately, your readers.

Let’s go!

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Let's Start With Your Audience

You know what sparks joy in your readers? Clear writing. Decluttered sentences devoid of run-ons, extra clauses, unnecessary modifiers, and repeated redundancies. 

READ. THAT. AGAIN!

(Yes, yes, I know that “repeated redundancies” is a redundancy.)

I realize you want to make your point, but the unnecessary clutter drives your readers away.

Clear writing sparks joy in your readers.

Writing that dances around the point doesn’t make a lasting impact. 

Your readers do not have infinite attention spans, nor infinite time. You must take every chance you get to communicate your message. 

Every sentence matters.

We are the biggest obstacles to our best writing. 

You must get out of your own way. The more you resist making your sentences short and clear, the more you inhibit your growth as a writer and limit the success of your book. 

Here are three surefire ways to declutter your writing 

#1. Cut out unnecessary words.

“I believe many writers use unnecessary words, including lengthy phrases that go on tangents.”

Let’s use the above sentence as an example. To make it even clearer, delete the phrase, “I believe.” By virtue of writing the sentence, your reader already assumes you’re expressing what you believe. 

Writers make this mistake all the time.

When editing, I often recite this piece of advice from author George Orwell: “If it is possible to cut a word out, cut it out.”

If you can cut the word and the sentence still holds together, CUT IT OUT!!

Orwell also said, “Never use the passive where you can use the active. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.”

You can take that to the bank!

Again, regarding the phrase above, you can even take the advice to the extreme and remove all words but the bare bones: “Many writers use unnecessary words.”

Once you’ve gone back to basics, you can spruce the sentence back up by adding what’s absolutely necessary. You might discover that words you thought needed to be there don’t really need to be there at all. 

#2. Strengthen your verbs.

Verbs drive the sentence, so use them wisely.

Evaluate every verb. If it’s a “to be” verb  (i.e. I am, he is, she is, they are), do everything you in your power to make it stronger and more specific. The “to be” verb is the most common verb form in the English language.  

Power tip: Never, ever include the "to be" verb in the first sentence of your book. Instead of sparking joy in your reader, it'll spark boredom.

Rather, ask yourself, what action verb could take this sentence up a notch? 

For example, instead of writing “have,” employ a more descriptive verb, like “must. Instead of “You have to accept the space aliens' invitation to tour their floating tortilla,” write “You must accept the space aliens' invitation to tour their floating tortilla.” 

In our example sentence, how about replacing the verb “use” with “employ?” A thesaurus is your friend here (I like the thesaurus on RhymeZone.com best). 

Clear writing requires being decisive. Figuring out what you want to say is half the battle.

#3. Simplify your sentences.

Break down long, complex sentences into shorter, simpler ones. This makes your writing easier to follow and understand. Avoid using too many subordinate clauses or convoluted structures.

Building on that, you need short paragraphs. A long paragraph of short sentences will drive your readers away.

One-, two-, and three-sentence paragraphs will spark joy in your readers.

You know what else sparks joy in your readers? 

An uncluttered cover that directs your readers' attention to the title.

Professional copyediting that makes your writing dance off the page.

Interior formatting that invites your readers into your story.

That's what you get when you work with the Illumify team.

Click here to schedule a meeting with me and let's spark joy in your readers!

In James Keena's novel Outcast Island, Rebel John Paine is exiled to Outcast Island, a devil’s den of criminals and dissidents. There, he forges alliances with fellow outcasts yearning for freedom and leads his allies against the chaos and brutality on Outcast Island. 

Can one man’s unwavering courage become a beacon of meaning and hope in a dark world lost in conformity and subservience?

Read Illumify's newest novel, Outcast Island.

Congratulations to Maria Rodero on the launch of her memoir Journey Into Living Waters! Because she lives in the Denver area, I was able to celebrate her book launch with her at the Boulder Barnes & Noble. 

In her book, Maria tells her inspirational story of financial ruin, despair, fleeing the country—and ultimately surrendering to God and finding healing for her and her family. 

Congratulations, James and Maria, on your new releases!

Let’s bring your book to life!