Back in my school days, if the teacher demanded a term paper I knew just what to do. I quickly researched the report, and wrote it as fast as I could.
Next, I reached for a thesaurus and looked up complicated, multi-syllable synonyms for my easy words. This turned my paper into a complex, obtuse mess.
That was wrong, wrong, wrong! Once I started to write for a living, I quickly discovered that if readers don't understand something, they simply quit reading!
So how can you make your writing less formal, more personal, and turn readers into interested friends? Here are some ideas I've stumbled across:
1. Think about a specific reader when you write. I usually picture a family member. This tends to make my writing less formal.
2. Ask a question. Example: "Do you ever get bored reading a long, complicated report?"
3. Propose a solution. Example: "Here's a way to alleviate afternoon boredom."
4. Present new evidence: Example: "My brother ? a historian ? claims he's discovered three new traits about medieval knights."
5. Offer free advice. Example: "I've found a new way to write research papers."
6. Share a shortcut. Example: "Here's a timesaving method to exercise better and more efficiently."
7. Tell how or why you started a project. Example: "I started this company with one goal: to help people find the job best suited for them."
Rix Quinn wrote the book of writing tips "Words That Stick." It's available at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/1580085768/qid/
For more information on his frequent phone seminars, e-mail him at mailto:rixquinn@charter.net
home cleaning services Deerfield ..As a previous article ("Making Better Word Choices ? 4... Read More
"The Magic of Layout..."???Okay... "magic" might seem a bit over... Read More
I am sure that at in some era, at some... Read More
ELICIT, ILLICITElicit means to extract or draw out; illicit means... Read More
~TYPES~You Want Us to Write What? Understanding the Task AssignedWhich... Read More
When you get stuck for ideas, and the words won't... Read More
Sometime one must coax the words out.Each day is a... Read More
The hardest part of nonfiction writing is finding a subject... Read More
During the past few months I have received many questions... Read More
Okay. So I'm not David Letterman. But I doubt if... Read More
It's important to have a space set aside in your... Read More
What is a prologue? When should you use one? Should... Read More
How many of you take the time to really write... Read More
So, you want to freelance as an editor, writer, copy... Read More
Ever wondered how the most successful children's book writers get... Read More
Don't they drive you nuts?You can visit all the rules... Read More
Poems. Just the mention of them makes me smile. Why?... Read More
First drafts are for getting down the ideas. Anna Jacobs... Read More
In his book, "Achieving Financial Independence as a Freelance Writer,"... Read More
This article is to help identify which style, technique or... Read More
Have you been guilty of procrastinating on your book project,... Read More
ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. It is a... Read More
ESSAY 2Andre Malraux once said that what interested him in... Read More
Writing technical articles is a challenge. There you sit, surrounded... Read More
Have you ever read someone else's writing and thought one... Read More
recurring housekeeping Highland Park ..Weather posting a page to your Website, writing a letter... Read More
If you find your sentences filled with commas, and they... Read More
Good writing requires self-examination. Why is one writing? What part... Read More
Charles Dickens was born in Portsea, England, in1812. His father... Read More
Sometimes I can be dense when it comes to realizing... Read More
Far too many inexperienced writers create flat, stereotypical characters: the... Read More
No one is born a novel writer. But do you... Read More
Some writers are just too kind.They hate to put their... Read More
ESSAYS ON AUTOBIOGRAPHY: NUMBER 1Preamble:Nearly seven years ago I wrote... Read More
If you haven't realized the success you wanted last year,... Read More
Why is it that so many people don't take writing-as-a-job... Read More
Dave, I just got a contract for a book... Read More
Writing papers and book reports has long been the bane... Read More
Clustering, also called Mind Mapping, is a great way to... Read More
If you are a serious writer who wants to publish... Read More
You have a great idea for a poem, a story,... Read More
It's the funniest thing. When someone asks me what I... Read More
The principle for writing good screenplays begins with good idea... Read More
There is an image most people carry of the artist... Read More
It would be very selfless or noble of me to... Read More
So you want to be a successful author? You want... Read More
SO YOU WANT TO BE A WRITER?Many people have entertained... Read More
During my 25-year career in a variety of professional positions... Read More
The only way to become a writer is to write.... Read More
1. Use Logic: Check for External PressuresAre you under physical... Read More
Writing |