Writing with Expresso

I’m always looking for ways to improve my writing.

It’s kind of amazing, considering that I haven’t had a course in English since secondary school  Even there, I only took the courses grudgingly.  Looking back now, I wish that I’d paid more attention or put more enthusiasm into my efforts.

I don’t think I do a bad job – I generally get my its and it’s correct; same with they’re, there, and their.  I try not to leave things hanging or dangling.  I usually do a pre-writing, writing, and proofreading when I do my blogging.  Thankfully, I also have kind readers who’ll fire me off a note or a message on the sly should something still slip though.

I do subscribe to blogs that promise to make you a better writer.  I think I’ve got the blog format down pat – a title to catch attention, a first paragraph or two to set the stage, a body to elaborate on my thoughts, and then a closure with usually a call to action to the reader.  I try to leave the door open for thoughts or suggestions on my premise to encourage interaction should readers wish.

I use the WordPress writing checker to help me make my efforts as good as they possibly can be.  I’m still working to avoid writing in the passive voice but I’m starting this that that may, in fact, be just me.

When I read about “Expresso“, I thought that this was great.  It will make me a better writer and, hopefully, a better blogger.

Expresso is a web app.  You just enter the text you want analysed there and sit back to read the results.

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I sent the above to Expresso and here are the results.  It’s actually, four images that align fairly well below.

Whoa!  (I should do it again – I now have 1 exclamative sentence)

I think I got cheated in my English classes.  I don’t think I’ve ever had an analysis of my writing like this ever.  Usually, it’s just a return of my original writing with lots of red circles and arrows.

The tab that lists the metrics applied against the writing reads like a curriculum document.  There’s a great deal of good information here.  It did indeed bring back a flood of memories about learning.

There’s a great deal to think about as a result of this analysis.  I think I’m going to try this app for a while as I write to see what it can do to make me better.

Would you trust an app like this to help make you better?

The site’s best piece of immediate advice?

Good writing style remains an art, not a science…

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