How to Write Better — Part 2
You may recall that I kicked off the year by providing half of 10 ways for you to write better. As promised, here’s the second half, more things you should consider to ensure everything you write accurately reflects your professionalism.
- Be specific. Rather than saying something is merely good or bad, say how good or bad it is. If you’re vague, readers may assume you’re not informed enough to be able to provide solid information.
- Be simple. “Write to express, not to impress” is one of my favorite sayings. Use a relaxed, conversational style and don’t try to dazzle readers with your vast vocabulary, as using fancy language can frustrate them.
- Define your topic. This is especially important in today’s “give it to me now” world. People have short attention spans, so you’re best off narrowing the scope of your content as much as possible for your specific audience, rather than giving them “everything but the kitchen sink.”
- Be consistent in usage. Consistency applies to everything from the use of numbers, hyphens, and dashes to capitalization and abbreviations. Do everything the same within your documents, so you don’t confuse readers by abruptly switching gears.
- Consider your page layout. You don’t need to be a graphic designer to make your content attractive to readers. Break copy into short paragraphs when you can, because long, unbroken text blocks can be intimidating and boring. Also, think about using bullet points to make navigating your writing — even scanning it — as easy as possible.
Ready to rock your next writing project? If you want easy access to all 10 tips, drop me a line and I’ll send you my Top 10 Tips flyer.
Newly Launched
I had the honor of serving as Josh Weiselberg’s editor for his newest Buried Values book, The Rookies. The first of three Mafia baseball-themed volumes set in the Roaring Twenties, this action-packed story will definitely keep you hooked. Find it on Kindle at amazon.com. Paper version coming soon.
Grab Some Holiday Garb
Whether you’re one of those people who has an outfit for every holiday or you want to be that person, you’ll find oodles of options at Joy Holiday Fashion. Shop for tops, bottoms and more to ensure you’re best dressed for any holiday. After you’ve made your purchase, check out what else Joy Holiday Channel has to offer, including holiday-focused blogs from yours truly. Grab your credit card and head to joyholidaychannel.com.