Fundamentals Make a Good Impression: by Deborah Lyn Stanley
Each article we write, be it blog post or book chapter, is a chance for us to make a good impression. It shares who we are and our love of the subject. Make it clear so the words stand out: fluent, confident, and persuasive.
You’re a writer, so think of yourself as one. And the writer’s job is to communicate, encourage, and inspire. Stay with your voice so as not to lose your personality. Write like you speak.
Keeping your reader in mind will help guide your word choice. The goal is to create a meaningful piece that doesn’t lose the feel of natural speech.
Be personable in your delivery. Avoid the formality that is often used for business messages. Show your readers you are enthused about your subject. Choose words that convey your enthusiasm and let your subject speak for itself, making it meaningful for the reader.
These points are fundamental for our next step, which is to edit the draft. Sometimes an edit needs a rewrite, which to me sounds like starting all over. Not necessarily. We often need to rewrite or reorganize a sentence, or several sentences, but that’s good. You are moving your article closer to polishing for the finish line with each revision you make.
Let’s consider the following questions as we re-read our article, post, or chapter:
1. Was the main point introduced early?
2. Is it straightforward and understandable?
3. Does it grab the readers’ attention?
4. You’ve set out to communicate a meaningful message, did it?
5. Does the information flow, sentence by sentence, logically?
Keep your reader’s hat on as you ponder these questions.
6. Check the word choice:
a. Any unnecessary words?
b. Is the information the reader needs included? Is it accurate?
c. Was the message delivered in a positive tone?
Online Grammar Aids: ProWritingAid and Grammarly,
Identify Trouble Areas. But We Often Need More
Self-Editing Book List:
William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White: “The Elements of Style”
Renni Browne & Dave King: “Self-Editing for Fiction Writers”
Carolyn Howard-Johnson: “The Frugal Editor”
Bruce Ross-Larson: “Edit Yourself”
Deborah Lyn Stanley is an author of Creative Non-Fiction. She writes articles, essays and stories. She is passionate about caring for the mentally impaired through creative arts.
Visit her My Writer’s Life website at: https://deborahlynwriter.com/
Visit her caregiver’s website: https://deborahlyncaregiver.com/
Mom & Me: A Story of Dementia and the Power of God’s Love is available on Amazon
https://www.linkedin.com/
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4 comments:
Yay! Just imagine how many letters cross any influencer’s desk that work hard to be businesslike and so assure they will receive no attention at all!
#TheFrugalBookPromoter
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Writing with the fundamentals in mind is essential to make our writing resonate with the reader. I love how you put it: "Keeping your reader in mind will help guide your word choice. The goal is to create a meaningful piece that doesn’t lose the feel of natural speech." Thanks for sharing!
Deborah Lyn,
Thank you for this important article. The fundamentals are important to make a good first impression. Every writer only has one chance to make a good first impression.
Terry
author of Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success (Revised Edition)
Thank you for your thoughtful comments! Best always, deborah
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