How to Increase Integrity in Your Writing

When it comes to business, having integrity is critical. If clients don’t believe you’re true to your word, your business suffers. 

But how does integrity play a role in your writing? 

Here’s my take: If you wouldn’t say a particular word when speaking, you shouldn’t use it in your writing, either. 

Just as it does in business, a lack of integrity in writing can come back to bite you. 

When I was still teaching at the college, I once participated in a plagiarism case. I’ll never forget the student whose work was examined. 

After reading her essay, our committee was unanimous that it couldn’t have been her own work (her regular teacher was very familiar with her in-class writing, and this wasn’t it). Still, we gave her the benefit of the doubt. 

As the student sat across the table from us, we each asked a question about the essay. When it was my turn, I said, “In this sentence, you write: ‘the underlying proclivity of the dominant sector highlights the abysmal decrepitude of the subjugated.’ Can you tell me what ‘abysmal’ means?” 

Her answer: “No.” And not even a shred of embarrassment!

A similar series of questions and answers repeated about a dozen times. Finally, in frustration, the head of the committee blurted out, “How do you expect us to believe that you wrote this if you can’t define even one of the words we asked about?”

She shrugged. “Well, I knew what they meant when I wrote it, but I forgot.” And not even a shred of embarrassment! 

In the end, she was suspended from the college after her teacher unearthed several huge swaths of text lifted verbatim from online essays and articles. She couldn’t quite explain away identical paragraphs to those in the New York Times, Science, or Wired. 

Let me say this again: the best way to write with integrity is to use language you already know and understand, language that comes naturally to you. 

If you wouldn’t comfortably say it (whether in a conversation with a friend or on a stage in front of 500 people), then you shouldn’t write it. 

So if being comfortable with words is so important, how do you acquire the vocabulary you need to have them at your disposal? How do you gain access to the perfect word, the one that not only means what you want to say, but also affects the reader in the exact way you want it to? 

The key is, first: regularly expose yourself to a huge variety of words; and second: use them yourself, until it feels natural. 

This means you must read, read, read, read. Read books. Read articles. Read blogs. Read newspapers. Read cereal boxes. Read advertising flyers. Read novels. Read essays. 

Read and read some more. 

I see the process as similar to the way I create recipes (because with me, almost everything comes back to food, one way or another).  

When I develop a new recipe, I’m already familiar with all the ingredients in my cupboard because of my background with food and cooking.I might envision a cookie with a warming, comforting spice blend, so I reach for cinnamon, ginger, cloves. 

I know which spices to pick because I’ve eaten cookies made with these spices over decades, and I’ve baked, also for many years. 

Now, it’s quite possible that coconut or butterscotch could be added to the cookie batter, but they wouldn’t have the effect I’m looking for. In other words, the final product would suffer if I didn’t know exactly which flavors were perfect for that recipe. 

When it comes to word choice, it’s the difference between using “grey” or “cloudy” or “somber” or “ominous” to describe the sky. Sure, they could all work–but the final product will differ depending on which one you choose.

Like any worthwhile endeavor, writing effectively takes time and practice. You don’t expand your working vocabulary in a week. 

But keep reading, keep looking up those words in the dictionary, keep practicing–and you will get there. 

Here’s to integrity in all the ways: who you are, what you do, and what you write.

Looking for help with your writing? As a book coach, I offer accountability, guidance, mentoring and all the support you can imagine. All done with integrity! 

To hop on a free call and see if we'd be a good match to work together, click here. I can't wait to speak with you!