Last week, I talked about setting and typing up parts of a favorite book to better understand the flow of words. One of the Snarky readers, Word Doctor, agreed that it’s a great way to study mechanics.
There is another plus to this practice.
Have you ever picked up a book and been utterly enchanted by the arrangement of words, the attitude, the very talent on the pages? When you take that book and type it onto your screen–not the whole book, just a page or two–you’ll understand something more than mere mechanics.
You see, some of the magic goes away.
You’ll see that work laid out as the author did. Yes, it helps with the understanding of mechanics and flow, but you’ll also see exactly what made the words pop.
You’ll see that maybe this gig isn’t as hard as you sometimes think– that maybe you can do this. Not in the same way–uh, no, that would not be good— but in a way that’s yours. Individual and talented.
Your individual and talented style.
Now, someone hit me for using the word POP.