| Looking to improve your writing? Here are three | | | | sound stuffy and old-fashioned. Too casual and |
| great tips to make your writing clearer, punchier | | | | you sound unprofessional. |
| and more fun! | | | | Think of online writing as a balance between fine |
| Time-Tested Advice from TV Land | | | | dining and fast food. You don't want to be the |
| As a former on-air reporter and news anchor, I | | | | waiter with the starched collar and a bow tie. But, |
| use many of the lessons I learned in Broadcast | | | | you don't want to be the long-haired teenage |
| Writing 101 in all my writing, from magazine | | | | burger-flipper, either. |
| articles to marketing copy to case studies. Now, | | | | When you write online, take a tone that is upbeat, |
| don't get me wrong. Everything you write should | | | | conversational and friendly -- but not overly |
| not sound like a radio commercial. Far from it. | | | | relaxed. If you write the same way you talk with |
| Think more network evening news. | | | | a potential client over a lunch meeting, you've |
| One hard and fast rule of broadcast journalism: | | | | probably got it right. |
| write simply, but not stupidly. Acclaimed journalist | | | | Sizing your Sentences |
| Edward R. Murrow once told his staff, "Imagine | | | | In writing, it pays to start short. In today's |
| yourself at a dinner table with a local editor, a | | | | fast-paced world, starting with a lengthy sentence |
| banker and a professor, talking over coffee. You | | | | can be a major reader turn-off. Whether you're |
| try to tell what it was like, while the maid's | | | | writing a quick email, a brochure or a novel, |
| boyfriend, a truck driver, listens from the kitchen. | | | | sentence length matters. |
| Talk to be understood by the truck driver while | | | | As writers, our first goal must be drawing the |
| not insulting the professor." | | | | reader in. By keeping your opening sentence |
| Meaning? Avoid jargon. Don't use a fancy word | | | | short, catchy and to-the-point, you leave your |
| like "ascertained" when "learned" will work just as | | | | reader wanting more. Once you have their |
| well. Always keep your audience in mind, and | | | | attention, you can fill in the missing information. |
| write to them as if you are speaking to them. It | | | | The best way to keep a reader interested is |
| takes courage to stand behind simple words and | | | | mixing up your sentence lengths. Short sentences |
| short sentences. But these words, when crafted | | | | keep your writing punchy. But, adding too many |
| correctly, have the most power to influence your | | | | can annoy your reader. Longer sentences give |
| readers and cause them to act. | | | | your words a flow and rhythm, but too many |
| The Right Style for Online Writing | | | | read like a dissertation. With the right mix of short |
| When it comes to writing a Web site, blog or | | | | and long, your writing becomes more interesting, |
| e-mail, many of us struggle to find the right tone. | | | | engaging and powerful. |
| Too uptight, and it makes you (or your business) | | | | |