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| 6 TIPS FOR BETTER WRITING |
By:
Bob McElwain |
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When writing most anything, the objective is produce copythat is easy to read. This is particularly true on the Web,because chances are the majority of your visitors and newsletterreaders are in hurry-up mode. They'll pass on anything thatseems hard to read. Here are ways you can improve thereadability of your work.1) The simplest word available is the best choice. Mark Twain often got paid by the word. He once commented hepreferred city over metropolis. Sure, the "joke" is that he gotpaid for either word, and that city is quicker and easier towrite. But he also knew it made his work easier to read.2) Avoid using adverbs and adjectives. "This is very hard to do." "This is awfully hard to do." "This is hard to do." Which of the above do you feel is the best? I've asked aloaded question here, for "best" doesn't really apply. Tostrengthen your work, minimize the use of qualifiers. Thereis simply no question here. The last form is the strongest. The point? Adverbs such as "very" and "awfully" oftenweaken, rather than strengthen. In the previous sentence I wasforced to use "often," for without it the sentence is not true.That is, adverbs and adjectives do not always mess things up.But they often or usually do. Alternatively, consider breaking the flow. Then hit hard.For the above, try: "This is an awesome task."This is a stronger claim than, "This is hard to do." Which isbest depends upon the way you want to make your point and whoyou want to make it to.3) Keep sentences as short as possible. Above, "This is hard to do," is also the better choice, forit's shorter. Here's a sentence I wrote for another purpose.(I'll refer below to this as the, "Original.") "Subheadings must flow from the headline, revealing themajor benefits so that at the end of the page, the reader hasa good feel for the content, even when only the headlines arescanned." It's much, much to long. 34 words. While it's not hardto read, it does slow reading because the length makes it moredifficult to follow. Personally, I try to hold to under 15words, and less whenever possible. Even though it's longer(45 words), the following revision is easier to read. Revision #1: "Subheadings should flow from the headline.Each should reveal a major benefit to the reader. And at theend of the page, you want the reader to have a good feel for thecontent. This matters because most only scan the headlines andsubheadings."4) Seek brevity and eliminate unnecessary words. Revision #2: "Subheadings flow from the headline. Eachreveals a major benefit to the reader. Collectively they needto describe page content. This matters because often onlysubheadings are scanned." This version is only 28 words. Which of the above do youprefer? Actually this is another trick question in two ways. First, it's the wrong question. You should be asking whatyour readers prefer. The better question is which of the threeversions best makes the point clear to your readers? And whichwill they find easiest to read? Second, what you prefer does not matter. That's justpersonal reading taste. What does matter is which of the abovebetter fits the way you want to write. I might use the original form to introduce a topic. Thenfollow up with a paragraph or two about each of the key pointsincluded or implied in the sentence. However, Revision #1 isstronger, and usually my choice.5) Use Bulleted Text Revision #2 is a bit blunt. It doesn't flow well frombeginning to end. If your writing tends to be in this form,use lots of bulleted text. In this format, brief works great.Further, there's no requirement for even complete sentences.Subheadings ... > Flow from the headline > Reveal a major benefit to the reader > Collectively describe page content > Are often all your visitors sees when scanning Bulletting allows brevity. And it makes it easy for yourreaders to follow. One thing I love about this format is thatit adds more space to the page. It helps to erase that senseof great black globs of text.6) Edit and rewrite. Then do it again. And again. Editing often lifts modest work to first rate. But tomake this happen, think of this fundamental task as more thanediting. Think of it as rewriting. Do so routinely, and yourwork will improve with every piece you write. Always seek ... > A better word than one you have used, and a simpler one is best > Try to replace several words with fewer > Rewrite an entire sentence, even a paragraph, if you can find a way to make your point more clearly and/or brieflyWrapping Up You can beef up your writing just as you can improve anyskill. All it takes is time. In the above, the need forrewriting part of your work is the item most often overlooked. It's tough to impossible to keep all such ideas in mind asyou seek to communicate your thoughts. One effective approachis to focus on one idea each time you begin writing. If you seek to improve one aspect of your work in eachwriting session, then edit and rewrite, your work willconstantly improve. Try it. And see for yourself.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bob McElwain, author of "Your Path To Success." How to build ANY business you want, just the way you want it, with only pocket money. Get ANSWERS. Subscribe to "STAT News" now! mailto:join-stat@lyris.dundee.net
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