This week, I have a couple of new articles posted at eHow. Below are the links so you can check them out.
More are linked on my samples page on the static site. Stay tuned for more to come.
Lately, I’ve gravitated toward computer and business writing, which is reflected in the topics I pick from the Demand Studios articles pool. That may change in time, or depending on what writing requests I get.
Since I read that eHow has taken to deleting some of the duplicated content, I have to check on mine to be sure they’re still there. I don’t know where mine fall in their selection process.
For that reason I’m checking somewhat regularly, right now. I don’t want to have a link to an error page or something. If you come across a bad link, I’d appreciate it if you let me know.
Quick Tip
Just like there’s an inside voice and outdoors voice, there is also an optimal voice for copywriting. It’s active voice. Active voice means you write about doing things, as opposed having things acted upon. Active voice lets you breathe life into your message.
- Read on to learn more.
- Ideas and information will be gained by reading further.
See the difference? It’s subtle sometimes, other times more pronounced. You may have noticed too, active voice is a more precise use of words.
It makes a difference, so it’s important to know and use it where it counts. You need to use active voice to write effective copy for web and print. Sometimes things just come out of my head in a passive voice. So, in the revising and editing stages, I rev up my copy to make sure it grabs the reader’s attention.
You can do this too by using your action verbs and moving adverbs. There are two parts to writing effective, engaging, action-grabbing copy.
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There are many writing useful writing techniques to get your writing a lot of attention. Three of them I come across often lately, are are being exploited by many who write.
- Sensationalism
- Euphemism
- Fanaticism
These three can backfire pretty good if not wielded properly. This post addresses sensationalism. Something that can be really useful and fun to read when it’s used well.
Yourdictionary.com defines sensationalism as:
a. the use of strongly emotional subject matter, or wildly dramatic style, language, or artistic expression, that is intended to shock, startle, thrill, excite, etc.
b. preoccupation with or exploitation of what is sensational in literature, art, etc.
This definition works for the most part. Defining a word with a variation of the word is not generally useful, but it is passable here.
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Remember Spelling tests when you had to know how to spell the word and what it meant? Way back when I was just learning to read and understand words, my mother would quiz me on my weekly list. She told me back then, that you never define a word with the word or a form of it. That meant I couldn’t take the lazy way out.
Really it’s only logical. Consider this fictitious conversation:
Person A: Obfuscate?! What is that? What does that mean?
Person C: Obfuscate? You don’t know what that means? Man! It’s a verb–you know, to obfuscate…the act of obfuscating? Dang! Don’t you know anything?
Writing copy is an important endeavor. The smart writer knows this and knows enough not to underestimate their readers or disrespect their clients by trying this. It takes time to make your point and it makes all the difference to your clients and your reputation. And if you do a shabby job, be grateful if someone takes the time to let you know you suck!
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Writing to people is a joy. But make no mistake, it’s a job too. It requires focused attention and the desire to learn and teach. And throughout your writing, for various types of clients and subjects, you can develop routines to improve your efficiency.
Particularly when you are writing about a new topic, you need to ask the questions to fill in the wholes in your knowledge base. It’s helpful to know the questions that are important to your subject matter. Being inquisitive is a big help when you need to find answers. Another thing that helps is knowing what points will resonate with your target audience. With these two traits present, you are well on your way to cranking out your assignments.
Once you write a few articles for your client, and read what good things they’re already using, you begin to get a feel for the writing that works for them. Your goal isn’t to ghostwrite unless that’s what you’ve discussed. You do, however, want to maintain the flow of the site by delivering a document that strikes a tone similar to the other good quality articles that are on the site. You can develop a writing routine to easily deliver documents that are in keeping with your client’s favored means of communication. And you can make them as uniformed or different as suits your need.
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