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Zo_Om! Media group
If you need GREAT photo-support=))
You can call me 8(705)460 31 39 Or just to write on
[email protected] You are more than welcome=)
Write to Readers
It is often easier if you imagine, in vivid detail, a single individual who represents your specific audience
“Talk” to that reader, imagining a comfortable situation where that person asks you to explain the topic to them, starting with the key important issue
Go beyond the topic
The topic is only the start Find an angle or focus
Based on the significance to readers Always ask “so what?”
Find a hook or reason to give time to your ideas
Look to the side for relevant issues
Find the “Nut”
Decide your single key point Turn that into a sentence with all
the main points you want to make Then structure the article around the
flow of the sentence Make the nut clear, vivid,
expressive
Counterpoints
Writing often flows best when it poses a sequence of Questions then answers Problems then solutions Causes then effects
Choose one that fits your topic Exploring the unknown, changes,
impacts
Show, don’t tell
Don’t just talk about your topic Write with words that paint pictures in
readers’ minds Suggest connections, action and
specific qualities This will be more attention-
grabbing, more meaningful, and more memorable
Involve readers
Early in what you write, provide either Something intriguing to create interest,
or An overview to give them a mental
framework to “hang” the information on At or near the close, consider using
a “bookend” summary or image
Rules
Be ready to bend or break rules, as long as you are prepared for the consequences Good writing often breaks new
ground by thoughtfully working outside norms
Have a reason and impact when you bend rules
Who are you? Decide your type and source of
authority, then your role in the story e.g., an expert, a person who
experienced it, “God”, an explorer… Or if someone else is the authority This will help you focus on the
content (what you can show) and style (the level of formality you use)
Cut Eliminate everything you possibly can
without changing the meaning Put a page with a large-type
summary of your angle above the computer Any idea/point that doesn’t drive your
angle will drag it down Cut every unneeded adjective Combine or suggest words
E.g., verbs that suggest adjectives
Keep phrase words together
Pull together words that depend on each other e.g., clauses and subject-verb-object
sets Think of them as a team that work better
when close If anyone has to re-read a sentence,
it has probably has split phrases Unlink separate phrases
Base your writing on…
Simple declarative sentences Connections (clear or implied)
between elements of the story: Facts Observations Conclusions Implications
Write a mental movie
Write a story as if you were summarizing a documentary or film
Imagine how you would set the scene, the things you would show and why
Which “scene” would lead to and make sense of the next
Fill out the story
Include information that goes beyond simple description, such as Contrasting facts, opinions or ideas Context that helps the reader Concrete examples Introductory points Comparisons
Create levels
Descriptive, “safe” writing is the easiest to do and the worst
When you write a description, imagine The big idea it represents A detail that offers a concrete, vivid
example of what you are trying to say
Find a “mentor”
Read many authors, and photocopy some pages of the ones you like best for various kinds of writing (light nonfiction, analytical nonfiction, first-person, etc.)
Before you write something similar, read and re-read it to get a feeling for the style
Listen to Yourself
When you talk to friends etc., listen to the ways you talk (sentence length, mix of ideas/examples/description etc.) We practice this constantly and get
helpful feedback from listeners Learn (and make notes) about your
“voice” to help you make decisions when writing
Understand good Writing
When you have read something that works for you, look beyond its content and closely analyze Its levels Sentence length Paragraph structure Laying out its argument Anything else that makes it work for you
Go crazy Write as extremely and wildly as you
want, just to get down your ideas Don’t worry about writing it “correctly” Then go back to give the tone you want After doing this a few times, you will be
able to do it mentally and quickly
Read the story out loud
We use one part of our brains to say something and another to read it
So say what you write, because the sounds will let you notice more and different improvements
Look for hesitations, confusion, clashing sounds, re-reading, etc.
Center your ideas
Decide on the single central point you want the piece to make, and two or three supporting points Nothing else should go into most
stories except examples and details. This will make it much faster and
easier to make editing decisions that “move the story”
Separate Creator and Editor
Start as Creator, who celebrates but never corrects or judges
Then go over your writing as ruthless Editor Tip: Turn off the monitor, or close
your eyes, so that you write without constantly “punishing” yourself
Then look back to check spelling, etc.
Keep ideas fresh
If anything important sounds like something you have written, change it.
To get new ideas, imagine and write down the opposite of what you mean
This can loosen up your imagination and help you say something more interesting
Imagine first
Use your imagination– close your eyes and try to picture what you write. If you cannot get a mental picture, find
more vivid words/phrases Only write when you know what you
want to say This will become faster and more natural
Count syllables
Question any words of more than three syllables. Look for simpler, more direct or specific way to say it
If that is a problem, go back to decide exactly what you mean
Go through the story several times
Review it one time for the sequence of ideas and transitions between them once for spelling and grammar (ignoring the
content), once to gauge the structure of paragraphs,
once to check facts, once for parallel construction, once to get
rid of most passive constructions, once to correct frequent bad habits, and so
on.
Tip 1
Usually, a paragraph only has a single idea, and the first and last sentence of the “graph” is strongest (these are the sentences that most readers recall).
Tip 2
Keep a notebook and write your observations of any writing you read—good or bad. This might be unusual sentence construction or use of adjectives
Tip 3
In general, verbs are strongest, adjectives are the weakest words, and nouns in the middle. A very common mistake among beginning writers is to use adjectives to suggest verbs, but do the opposite; use strong verbs that suggest a noun or verb.
Tip 4 The three main steps or aspects of
communication are * attention, * acceptance, and * recall.
Go through your idea or story and ask “What gets their attention? What gets their acceptance? What will make sure they remember it?” If any of these are not clear, decide how to
achieve these goals.
Repeat carefully
Consider saying your main point in various ways at various points “tell ’em what you’re gonna say, say it,
then tell ’em what you said.” People rarely recall more than one or
two points or facts; clever repetition makes your point more memorable
Never repeat word-for-word
Read holistically
Words do not have isolated meaning, but work (or fail) together We read in chunks: write that way Try using unusual combinations and
avoiding standard phrases Ask yourself the main point
Ask a friend to read a draft and say what it meant to them
Balance known and new
People want a balance of the familiar and the novel We use the known to explore the new
The more you want to stimulate readers, the more you should do the unexpected E.g., unusual links or conclusions
Be specific
Whenever possible, use specific nouns instead of categories, such as “Dodge” instead of “pickup” Your readers will be able to imagine
the situation, and themselves in it Try to sprinkle concrete nouns
throughout the story
Work from the hook
Decide the hook (the exciting idea near the beginning that entices readers to start and finish the article) see how the lead sets it up, and how
the close relates to it This must be new and fresh
i.e., “take the reader somewhere new”
Find a story’s pivot
Decide and place the “pivot” or central point, usually somewhere around the middle Work back to the open to make sure it
leads to the pivot Work forward to the close to explain,
explore, and elaborate the pivot
Simplify, simplify
Go through once to make a) words shorter and b) sentences shorter. For more analytical or technical articles,
longer words and sentences are fine as long as you don’t make it harder to read. If in doubt, simplify.
If you wrote many clauses, the sentences are probably too complicated
Find physical focus
Make sure you are in a quiet, non-distracting writing environment Although it feels more effective to play
music while you write or edit/rewrite, many studies have shown that people don’t work as well when surrounded by music or other activities
Take a break every 45 minutes or so
Let it cool
Write early enough to allow yourself to put the story aside for a day or more When you re-read it with “fresh”
eyes, you will notice more problems and more interesting solutions
Work back from effect Start by deciding how you want the
story to make readers feel and/or think When you want more impact and comfort in
readers, use anglo-saxon words like “step” when you want to sound more erudite and
precise, use latin words like “proceed” Use a-s as your default writing style
Find your voice Good writing has a “voice”
i.e., perspective and similarity to speaking
Notice sentences or paragraphs that sound like you, and do what you want. Avoid contractions and colloquialisms
unless the writing is very conversational
Be there
When you write about an experience or activity, imagine being there Actions, feelings, etc.
That will help readers “get” the writing
Even act it out physically Take notes with extreme detail
Change up sentences
Mix sentence lengths It is hard and boring to read writing whose
sentences are all the same length The main exception is extremely
experiential and “direct” writing, like Hemingway’s
The more central your point, the shorter and more direct the sentence should be
Choose carefully
Writing is constant decision-making When you aren’t sure which way to go,
imagine yourself as your example reader and decide which option they would choose
Become aware of how you make decisions, and find which ways help you most
Teach yourself to write “Tricks” of writing well:
Reading: carefully, widely and often Noticing: observe what is (and isn’t) there Thinking: look for meanings, always and
anywhere Caring: find things you care about
Also important: Good general knowledge Writing slightly beyond your level and
as accurately as possible