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A Simple Contest with a Strong Message for All Writers: Wake Up Your Writing Spirit
The Blogfest 2005 Writing Contest has only been running for two weeks and already the results are overwhelming. And not because we’re getting far more entries than we expected. It’s because along with entries, we’re also getting heartfelt messages...
Article Writing Do's and Don'ts
Still following along on the Copywriter's Crash Course in article marketing? Ahh, I'm so pleased! With any luck, you'll be an article-writing machine by tomorrow. But before you being submitting articles on the web as a brand-building strategy,...
Freelance Writing on the Internet
So, you’ve decided to take up a career in freelance writing. You’ve hooked up the computer, installed the printer, and learnt the nitty-gritty of your word processor. You’ve maybe even been published a couple of times. You’re all set to conquer the...
Ways To Promote Your Business When Your Passion is Writing
There are at least a "zillion" ways you can market yourself and your business. Marketing intelligently means finding what you're passionate about and then using your passion to market. If you are passionate about writing, below are some ways to...
Why Aren't You Writing Ezine Articles?
I'm amazed! Everywhere I go on the Web, people are desperately searching for ways to get more traffic to their websites. Some will even pay hundreds of dollars foran Express Listing in Yahoo. And yet one of the most powerful ways of driving...
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The Writing is in the Rewriting. Seven Steps to Getting it Right
Writers who are so fluent, facile and sure-footed that they can write their stuff down and that's the way it runs are rare.
Ernest Hemingway rewrote the last paragraph of THE SUN ALSO RISES 28
times before he got it right. David Ogilvy confessed that he'd done as many as
19 drafts on a single piece of copy before presenting it to anyone.
What we're talking about here is good writing for easy reading. Writing that
doesn't puzzle the stranger, but clearly conveys the meaning the writer intends.
It's a sweaty proposition, this rewriting, because it demands that we serve as
our own critic, editor and teacher. And that means being able to spot the
problem areas before we can even begin the revising, polishing and cutting.
Here are seven questions you must ask about your copy before you begin
another round.
1. Are your sentences short enough?
Experts say that a "short" sentence is anything under 17 words. That doesn't
mean you can't write longer sentences, just don't fill up the pages with them.
Too many long sentences slow the reader down; a good mixture of sentence
lengths acutally heightens interest.
2. Is your sentence structure varied?
Starting every sentence with "a" or "the" makes your writing read like "duh."
Varying the beginning of your sentences with nouns, adverbs and -- even an
occasional conjunction -- keeps your reader from getting bored.
3. Have you been too passive?
Use the active voice, instead of the passive. Make it a habit. It makes your
writing more direct, more energetic. And, usually, your sentences shorter.
4. Are your verbs active?
Action verbs rule. Use verbs that describe physical or mental activity instead of
a state of being. "Our widgets outshine the competition" is more vigorous than
"Our widgets are of the highest quality."
5. Are you using little modifiers
excessively?
Nouns and verbs that are specific give good writing toughness and color. So
use adverbs and adjectives sparingly. And remember what your Strunk&White
says about modifiers like "rather," "very," "little," and "pretty" -- "...these are
the leeches that infest the pond of prose, sucking the blood of words."
6. Is your phrasing too fat?
Vigorous writing is lean writing. Put your sentences on a diet by cutting
unnecessary words: reduce your paragraphs by eliminating unnecessary
sentences. Get rid of expressions like "the fact that," especially when "since"
or "though" will do. Look for places where you can express a thought in one
sentence instead of two.
7. Does your beginning lead to an end?
All copy should have a clear beginning, middle and end. The shortest pieces as
well as the longest. Begin with a lead sentence that captures the essence of the
piece, then jump right into the action. Make sure the middle section is tight and
well organized. Keep like items together. If you're comparing cars and trucks,
describe the cars first, then the trucks. The end of your piece should have a
crisp closer or zinger and contain a call to action or quote. For instance, an apt
ending here might be something like this from Dickens: "All writing is
misery."
© Burek Group 2003
Thank you for your intrerest in this article.
You may freely publish it in print or
on the Web as long as you include the byline and credits. Also, please advise
me of publication by mailto: walter@walterburek.com
About the Author
Walter is an professional advertising copywriter who writes, edits and
publishes "WORDS@WORK", a FREE bimonthly newsletter of advice and
about writing that works. To view his award-winning portfolio and to
subscribe, visit http://www.walterburek.com You may also subscribe via
mailto: WordsAtWork@comcast.net
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| Daily and interactive writing prompts. |
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