My husband, a very good business writer, has taught me more about direct writing than I ever learned in undergraduate or graduate higher education. He worked in the corporate world for thirty-two years as a Contract Manager for Honeywell International. I spent the same number of years as a public school teacher of music and reading. My Master of Education degree allowed me to teach at a Junior College as an Adjunct Professor of Reading and English.

Business writing is different from most academic writing. That is my writing experience with an almost to retirement aged professor who taught the course where I wrote my graduate thesis. I wrote flowery passive sentences that seemed to go on and on. Instead of saying “John hit the ball,” I would say “The ball was hit by John.”

After a few years of marriage and being edited by my wonderful husband, I am a better writer. I am still far from perfect, but perfection will always allude me. William Shakespeare, Earnest Hemingway, David Baldacci and a few others are true writers and made/make quite a living from writing. Who knows? I may or may not ever become a published author, but I never will give up either.

Maybe if I learn to type correctly, think that might help me be a better writer? My opinion is “No.” If I typed any faster, then my thoughts would not be able to keep up. I do know that when I spend time practicing piano, my playing improves. Think writing more will make my writing improve? The thought that crosses my mind is “Dream on, little broomstick cowboy,” or cowgirl as the case may be.

I keep thinking after reading my writing, “You need to develop those thoughts further.” I answer myself be thinking “That is all there is for me to say on that subject” Then I read it again, think some more and sometimes more thoughts arise and I can add more sentences to the writing.