WRITING
Life-Changing Writing Tips
Too much? Maybe the first tip is “Use hyperbole wisely.”
We’re not talking magic beans or lotto numbers here, but what we are talking about is communicating—something most people try to do every day…and continue to fail at miserably.
These days most of use are in constant touch with friends, relatives, and co-workers, both nearby and around the world. But whether you’ve succeed in communicating with those people—whether you actually conveyed a message (or a feeling or data) and whether it’s been successfully received—depends on your skill. I hope these basic tips can help you craft a better message so you can successfully complete the communication transaction and provide a message that people will hear.
1 Think about who will be reading what you write.
People who read what you write are not you. Maybe you think they are, but they really aren’t. It’s important for you to consider who will be reading what you write. Understand that their world view is most likely different from yours, figure out how that affects your message, and then adjust your communication accordingly. Don’t make assumptions which can cause unnecessary confusion and send everyone off on a tangent. Practice mindfulness and always take the time to look at what you’ve written from another point of view.
2 Garbage in, garbage out.
Remember that the point of writing is to communicate. If garbage is what you want to communicate, then writing garbage is exactly what you should do. However, if you have a different message to communicate, then make sure that message is clear and makes sense at the outset. Do your homework and know the topic you plan to write about. Clarify the arguments you want to make and the main points you want to convey to your audience. Be succinct. Don’t hide your message in a jumble of five- and six-syllable words that end in tion and ship. If your original message or proposition is vague and ill-conceived, all the excellent writing in the world won’t make it better.
3 Know where you want to go.
Where are you taking your audience? Is there a point to what you’re writing? Sometimes there’s not and that’s okay, but those examples of writing tend to be for you—journal entries or exercises where the point is simply the act of writing. If you have something to say, tell them—not just once, but multiple times—and the sooner the better. If there’s a reason you’re writing, don’t hide it from your audience. Make it as easy as possible for them to receive your message. Respect their intelligence and value their time. Check in with them to make sure they understand. Pretend you’re getting paid based on how well your readers understand what you wrote. Remember that it’s in your best interest to make your message easy to digest.
4 Read what you write. And then read it again.
If it doesn’t make sense to you, it won’t make sense to your reader. The best way to test this is to read it—not as a writer with your editing pen in hand, but as a reader who wants the information, directions, or feelings you’re offering. There’s no translation app that I know of that takes jumbled, ill-conceived, unorganized, convoluted, gobbledy-gook and turns it into clear, concise, compelling content. If you took the trouble to write it down, then you should take the time to read it. If you don’t, then don’t expect others to read it either.
5 Help your reader navigate what you write.
Content is king in today’s online-centric world, but even the most compelling content will lose its impact if it contains spelling errors or subject/verb disagreement, if it uses the wrong word, or if it eschews punctuation. Grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence construction, and other tools of a writer exist because they help your audience understand your message. They are the crib notes for correct, compelling content that does it’s job. Grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary are the tools of the trade for any writer. Know them well (or at least know how to look them up).
6 Don’t squander your good name.
People start out believing what you write—it ‘s just the way we’re wired. We like to believe nice things about each other. People are also generally gracious and will forgive a genuine mistake or a bad call because—well, because nobody’s perfect. However, if you repeatedly give people poorly written (e.g. typos and missing words), incomplete (e.g. one-sided information and missing relevant information), inaccurate (e.g. facts not in evidence or distortions of generally known facts in the world around us) and biased (e.g. unlabeled opinions and theories) content in the guise of fair, accurate, complete content they will eventually stop reading what you write. And, given the choice, they will never trust you or your writing again. Respect your audience and they will respect you.
