A Roar for Powerful Words

I'm a little late with this one . . . I've been tagged by Beth, Wicked Flower Girl, for this meme. Here are the rules:

*Link back to the person who tagged you.
*List three things that you believe are necessary to make writing good and powerful.
*Tag five others and comment at their blog informing them that they’ve been tagged with this award

So, three things that make writing good and powerful.....

1. Truth: Write what you know and know what you write!

2. Clarity and Simplicity (kudos to WFG--I totally agree!): Make each word mean something. I used to tell students, pretend each word you use in an essay/paper costs a dollar. How much do you really want to spend? Don't ramble, don't use three words when one will do, don't use words to show off your expansive vocabulary when simple words will suffice (this isn't a Scrabble tournament).

3. SHOW vs Tell. Exciting, riveting writing recreates experiences and pulls the reader in. Use vibrant nouns and action verbs (don't just pepper your writing with adverbs and adjectives--too much can be word clutter).

BONUS. Practice, practice, practice! From writing blogs and composing e-mails to writing short stories and journaling, write and write a lot. Keep your skills and creativity active. Practice using correct grammar, playing with different styles, and revising previously written work.

I tag:
RJTrue at What a Girl's Got To Do
Kat at A Thoughtful Life
Allie at Allie's Musings
Stephanie at Manic Mommy
Aliki2006 at World of One Thousand Different Things