Before you put pen to paper, or finger to keyboard, ask yourself: What is your point? This blog looks at what to do if you don’t know, and why it is so important to be clear about the point you are trying to make. [Read more...]
What Is Your Point?
January 3, 2011 By 4 Comments
10 Great Writing Tips for Producing Articles
December 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Are you worried about writing articles? Not Sure where to begin? Have a tight deadline to meet? Then this blog on 10 great writing tips for producing articles is just for you – and it contains a bonus! [Read more...]
12 Great Writing Tips for Writing Articles
December 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Someone asked me the other day what is the difference between writing for blogs and writing letters. e-mails etc. Thinking about it for a bit, I came to the conclusion that there is little difference between the mechanics of writing a good blog article and other forms of writing. The following points immediately came to mind: [Read more...]
Tips for Writing when Faced with Writers’ Block
December 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Have you ever sat down and been faced with “The White Screen of Death” – an empty screen and the words just won’t come?
I’m going to ask Tom Evans, author of “Blocks” to write a longer guest post on the subject, but here are some tips for writing through those blocks. They are all various ways of changing the angle you are taking on your subject; I’ve found that making the change often helps me break through a block. [Read more...]
You, me, I, we… and more!
December 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment
For a long time, psychologists have known that the way that individuals talk and write provides an accurate insight into their mental and emotional worlds. This has been confirmed by modern research that has shown that there is a direct correlation between the words people use and their health.
I wrote an article here , analysing the writing of some of the Social Media greats. The article you are reading now looks further at some of the issues involved and announces a service for all writers. [Read more...]
Writing Myth 3 – Get it Right First Time
November 29, 2010 By 2 Comments
I wish! Sometimes, it’s true, the words flow and the piece is pretty good after one draft. But this is not the norm, by any means.
More often, it’s the opposite and the words just won’t come. Tom Evans has written a useful book called “Blocks” that gives lots of ideas about how to deal with writer’s block and I strongly recommend that all authors and writers read it.
Let’s look at a few practical issues: [Read more...]
Writing Myth 1 – Great Writers Are Born
November 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment
This is the first of a series of articles that examine three of the myths surrounding writing:
- Good writers are born writers
- Good writers wait to be inspired
- Good writers get it right first time
Ten Top Tips to Remember
November 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment
A brief post today, just looking at a simple checklist you can use to improve the quality of your writing:
- Keep to the principle of one idea per sentence to produce simple sentences, not complex ones with subordinate clauses.
- Write short sentences of about 20 words. However, you can vary the length for interest.
- Sentences should be linked – use “signpost language”, (suitable connecting words which link the sentences together in a logical way) …
- Check pronouns. It should be clear to which noun the pronoun relates.
- Do not overuse the passive.
- Rewrite sentences you are not happy with rather than try to modify them.
- Check that the sentences have the meaning you intended. Remove any ambiguities.
- Identify and avoid wordiness, jargon, circumlocution, cliches and slang.
- Check the word order.
- Check tenses, prepositions, subject/verb agreements, spelling and punctuation.
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