The best quotes are those that dazzle and enlighten with one sentence. That quick one two punch that leaves you thinking. Quotes wandering along into two, three or more sentences loose their power. You have to read them and think as you're reading. It spoils the effect.
Condensing your sentences, your whole essay, story, whatever you're working on, will also give it more power. Short sentences get noticed. Long winding sentences wandering around to make their point tend to blend into the wood work and take longer to be absorbed. See the difference?
When you're writing an article draw the reader in using content and focus. Content being the subject. Focus is making the subject clear and important or interesting enough to be read. You can get someone to read about bug spray if you write it right. Tell them something new. Don't muddle the idea. Use short sentences like a trail of bread crumbs. Keep your wordage uncomplicated too. Don't load them down with dictionary words they'll have to stop and think about.
Later, when they're into your subject and you've given them questions they want answered, you can bring on the longer sentences and the more detailed information. First the focus and then the heavy duty content. At the end you give them closure of some kind.
Not so different from a quote. Think about that next time you're writing. What was the last really great quote you read and why did you like it? Maybe your eye was drawn to it because it was one simple sentence. Possibly one word had some personal appeal to you or perked your curiousity, so you read it. When you rewrite see if you can shorten a few sentences, yank their chains and make them stand up and take notice. Check for extra words just hanging around not adding to the focus or the content. If you want to be read think about what gets read.
Get FAQ'ed
Try this: Consider your website (or your computer if you don't have a site) and put together a FAQ (frequently asked questions) page all about your site. Don't forget a guide to how to use the site as well as the purpose for it being there. Study a few other FAQs to get ideas.
This is what I wrote as the new writing exercise for HerCorner. What do you think? Could you write a FAQ for your website? You should be able to. In theory at least, your site should have a theme, one main idea or purpose, right? So, it seems reasonable to expect a FAQ could be forthcoming.
Anyway, I like the idea. So tonight I am putting my fingers where my mouth is and I am creating a FAQ of my own for HerCorner. I might even do one for my personal site. But, I freely admit my personal site is not a great example of sticking with one idea.
So, getting down to the FAQ of it. What do you need to include in a FAQ? Likely you've read a few or skimmed them as I tend to do. Which is a good point, actually. Your FAQ should be skimmable when you get it into HTML. Do you know how to set up targets? Targets are those clickable points in the middle of a page. You can read a table of contents and find a clickable link to that exact section of the large body of content. If I sound like I'm gabbling send me an email and I will hunt out a link to demonstrate this target idea for you. Most FAQ's will use this, if you check for examples on your own.
Now, the meat of the matter. What does a FAQ need to include? I think the first thing is a statement of purpose. Someone reading this sentence (or short paragraph) should be able to understand what your site is about. But, this is a time to keep it simple. Just the basics. If it appeals to them they can dig into your FAQ for the details and specifics.
Next, explain the parts. Think basic and plan out what you really need people to know. Put it all into logical order, sort of a learn as you go thing. Read it back, try to think like someone who doesn't already know the answers. Did you miss anything?
Do your best, ask for feedback at the end and don't try to be some computer melded brain. It's almost certain you will leave something out that someone else will pick up on later. You are not the world's most perfect writer, you're just someone trying to be creative and share their FAQ with the world.
Now go get FAQ'ed!
This is what I wrote as the new writing exercise for HerCorner. What do you think? Could you write a FAQ for your website? You should be able to. In theory at least, your site should have a theme, one main idea or purpose, right? So, it seems reasonable to expect a FAQ could be forthcoming.
Anyway, I like the idea. So tonight I am putting my fingers where my mouth is and I am creating a FAQ of my own for HerCorner. I might even do one for my personal site. But, I freely admit my personal site is not a great example of sticking with one idea.
So, getting down to the FAQ of it. What do you need to include in a FAQ? Likely you've read a few or skimmed them as I tend to do. Which is a good point, actually. Your FAQ should be skimmable when you get it into HTML. Do you know how to set up targets? Targets are those clickable points in the middle of a page. You can read a table of contents and find a clickable link to that exact section of the large body of content. If I sound like I'm gabbling send me an email and I will hunt out a link to demonstrate this target idea for you. Most FAQ's will use this, if you check for examples on your own.
Now, the meat of the matter. What does a FAQ need to include? I think the first thing is a statement of purpose. Someone reading this sentence (or short paragraph) should be able to understand what your site is about. But, this is a time to keep it simple. Just the basics. If it appeals to them they can dig into your FAQ for the details and specifics.
Next, explain the parts. Think basic and plan out what you really need people to know. Put it all into logical order, sort of a learn as you go thing. Read it back, try to think like someone who doesn't already know the answers. Did you miss anything?
Do your best, ask for feedback at the end and don't try to be some computer melded brain. It's almost certain you will leave something out that someone else will pick up on later. You are not the world's most perfect writer, you're just someone trying to be creative and share their FAQ with the world.
Now go get FAQ'ed!
Letter Writing
When was the last time you wrote a letter? A real letter to a friend or family with news and other idle chatter? Letter writing is a skill. These days it's becoming quaint, old-fashioned as email and typed notes take over.
There is a little formality to letter writing. You start with the date and then add a greeting. It's easy to forget the date and it may not seem important when it's a casual, personal letter. But, the date gives it relevance for when they read it later. Even now, it shows when you wrote the letter and how long it took to get through the mail.
The greeting is also known as the salutation. It's a fancier word for hello. Standard salutations for letters start with Dear. But, that's quite old now. I think even Emily Post would be ok with an update there. You could write Hello, just the person's name or something else which would mean the same to the person you are writing to. After all, this isn't a formal business letter, it's allowed be personal, friendly and intimate.
The body of the letter is freewriting. Write news, updates about past news, how your day is going, what you're thinking about, the town you live in, what you did on vacation, whatever comes to mind. Keep it in paragraph format. That just makes it easier to read. Everyone likes a break in reading now and then. Add a double space between paragraphs. Not everyone does this and it's only become the standard since letters started being typed. But, I think it's a very practical practice. The clever use of white space can only add to the presentation whether it's a magazine layout, a website or a family newsletter.
At the end you sign off. This is a time to be really creative. You can wind down your letter with comments about hope you write back soon, hope you are well, how was your vacation, etc. Or this could all be included in the body. But, there should be some sort of wind down to the closing. Still, every letter ends with some version of good bye: "Take care, Laura" That is my standard close to a letter or an email. It's polite, slightly formal and works for just about anyone I'm writing to. But, I don't have to stick with that and either do you. Be informal, be memorable or just be personable, it's up to you. Don't forget to sign your name though. I once had a letter from a penpal who didn't sign their name, didn't mention who they were in the letter and didn't add a return address to the outside of the envelope. I guessed who they were; the postage was a help since I was writing to people all over the world at that time.
So we come to the last part of writing a letter, the envelope. If you have used fancy stationary you may need to choose the best spot to write the addresses and stick the stamps. Some stationary doesn't leave space in the right places. The post office likes everything done just the same for their machines to read the letters. This also gives your letter an edge in delivery time. If the machines can handle it all the way it goes through the system faster. If humans have to take over it will be delayed. Anyway, the standard is to put the stamps in the upper right corner, which I'm sure you know well by now. But, did you know they actually like the address and postal code on the low side? I'd usually write them in the middle of the envelope so that the whole address was centered. But, I found that the postal machines are set up to read lower on the envelope, they pick out the postal code and sort it that way. (At least that's what I was told when I asked here, if someone works for the post office let me know if I'm mislead about this). Don't forget a return address. You can write it across from the stamp on the front of your letter, the upper left corner. Or you can write it on the back of your letter where there is more space. However, if there is a chance your letter won't reach your intended destination write the return address on the front. This makes it easier for the letter to be returned to you.
I feel like I've just written the Martha Stewart guide to writing a letter. Though this is simple stuff to most people I expect there are some people who have never written a personal letter. You're missing out on something. Letter writing is a great way of keeping in touch with people and with yourself. When you write about yourself, your life and your feelings you let go of some things and hang onto others that are good. At times it's like getting to know yourself. It's therapeutic and it's almost free.
Also, as writers, we can always use more writing to practice our skills with grammar, punctuation and spelling. More than that, we practice our skills with communicating in words. Letter writing gives you feedback in a way you miss out with writing articles, stories and such. People will reply to letters but you will seldom get feedback from any other writing you do. Another plus, letter writing feedback is tempered with good attitude and their comments about your grammar goofs will be meant well and given from a friend rather than a human dictionary who seems to just live to correct others. Don't you hate people like that? (Not that I mind learning from my mistakes but spare me the attitude).
One other excellent thing I found about writing penpal letters was how much I learned about the world and the people in it. Other cultures, lifestyles and values are at your pen tip. I always think it's a shame that some people cut themselves off from the world and live in a very small space inside their own head. There is so much out there in the world around us. Even if you never travel you can be an armchair traveler through your letters. Ask about things, find new ways of thinking, seeing and doing things. Make your life an expedition into the world, even if it's only through the paper of your letters.
There is a little formality to letter writing. You start with the date and then add a greeting. It's easy to forget the date and it may not seem important when it's a casual, personal letter. But, the date gives it relevance for when they read it later. Even now, it shows when you wrote the letter and how long it took to get through the mail.
The greeting is also known as the salutation. It's a fancier word for hello. Standard salutations for letters start with Dear. But, that's quite old now. I think even Emily Post would be ok with an update there. You could write Hello, just the person's name or something else which would mean the same to the person you are writing to. After all, this isn't a formal business letter, it's allowed be personal, friendly and intimate.
The body of the letter is freewriting. Write news, updates about past news, how your day is going, what you're thinking about, the town you live in, what you did on vacation, whatever comes to mind. Keep it in paragraph format. That just makes it easier to read. Everyone likes a break in reading now and then. Add a double space between paragraphs. Not everyone does this and it's only become the standard since letters started being typed. But, I think it's a very practical practice. The clever use of white space can only add to the presentation whether it's a magazine layout, a website or a family newsletter.
At the end you sign off. This is a time to be really creative. You can wind down your letter with comments about hope you write back soon, hope you are well, how was your vacation, etc. Or this could all be included in the body. But, there should be some sort of wind down to the closing. Still, every letter ends with some version of good bye: "Take care, Laura" That is my standard close to a letter or an email. It's polite, slightly formal and works for just about anyone I'm writing to. But, I don't have to stick with that and either do you. Be informal, be memorable or just be personable, it's up to you. Don't forget to sign your name though. I once had a letter from a penpal who didn't sign their name, didn't mention who they were in the letter and didn't add a return address to the outside of the envelope. I guessed who they were; the postage was a help since I was writing to people all over the world at that time.
So we come to the last part of writing a letter, the envelope. If you have used fancy stationary you may need to choose the best spot to write the addresses and stick the stamps. Some stationary doesn't leave space in the right places. The post office likes everything done just the same for their machines to read the letters. This also gives your letter an edge in delivery time. If the machines can handle it all the way it goes through the system faster. If humans have to take over it will be delayed. Anyway, the standard is to put the stamps in the upper right corner, which I'm sure you know well by now. But, did you know they actually like the address and postal code on the low side? I'd usually write them in the middle of the envelope so that the whole address was centered. But, I found that the postal machines are set up to read lower on the envelope, they pick out the postal code and sort it that way. (At least that's what I was told when I asked here, if someone works for the post office let me know if I'm mislead about this). Don't forget a return address. You can write it across from the stamp on the front of your letter, the upper left corner. Or you can write it on the back of your letter where there is more space. However, if there is a chance your letter won't reach your intended destination write the return address on the front. This makes it easier for the letter to be returned to you.
I feel like I've just written the Martha Stewart guide to writing a letter. Though this is simple stuff to most people I expect there are some people who have never written a personal letter. You're missing out on something. Letter writing is a great way of keeping in touch with people and with yourself. When you write about yourself, your life and your feelings you let go of some things and hang onto others that are good. At times it's like getting to know yourself. It's therapeutic and it's almost free.
Also, as writers, we can always use more writing to practice our skills with grammar, punctuation and spelling. More than that, we practice our skills with communicating in words. Letter writing gives you feedback in a way you miss out with writing articles, stories and such. People will reply to letters but you will seldom get feedback from any other writing you do. Another plus, letter writing feedback is tempered with good attitude and their comments about your grammar goofs will be meant well and given from a friend rather than a human dictionary who seems to just live to correct others. Don't you hate people like that? (Not that I mind learning from my mistakes but spare me the attitude).
One other excellent thing I found about writing penpal letters was how much I learned about the world and the people in it. Other cultures, lifestyles and values are at your pen tip. I always think it's a shame that some people cut themselves off from the world and live in a very small space inside their own head. There is so much out there in the world around us. Even if you never travel you can be an armchair traveler through your letters. Ask about things, find new ways of thinking, seeing and doing things. Make your life an expedition into the world, even if it's only through the paper of your letters.
Stop the Blame Game
Do you catch yourself thinking about why you can't write or why you can't succeed or why you can't try for bigger markets? Following that people will tend to look for something or someone to blame. Maybe they hope to find the blame so they can fix the problem. But, I think, the blame game is a waste of time. You may blame yourself, momentarily. Likely you don't settle there and instead look for someone else who can be at fault. Why bother?
Stop playing the blame game and start making better use of your time. If you want to write more, do it. Set up a writing schedule and stick to it. Let your family and friends know the schedule and that you will not be available. If you feel you aren't succeeding stop being negative. Instead look at the things you are accomplishing. Make a list and keep it visible where you work at writing. Inspire yourself with the success you have rather than looking at the glass half empty and discouraging yourself. If you want to try bigger markets suck up your courage and just do it. The worst they can do is say "no thanks". If you know you've done your best to send them work that is topical for them, work that you have diligently proofread and directed to the right place at the right time, then you have done well. Let it go. Move onto another market goal and send work out to the intermediate markets too. Keep trying and keep your name on the desks of editors and publishers. Someone will say yes if you keep sending them quality work.
So, next time you look for someone to blame for whatever the problem is, stop wasting that time. Put it into doing rather than blaming. Find solutions for problems without stopping to find someone to blame. In the end, what you do and how you do it are in your control.
Stop playing the blame game and start making better use of your time. If you want to write more, do it. Set up a writing schedule and stick to it. Let your family and friends know the schedule and that you will not be available. If you feel you aren't succeeding stop being negative. Instead look at the things you are accomplishing. Make a list and keep it visible where you work at writing. Inspire yourself with the success you have rather than looking at the glass half empty and discouraging yourself. If you want to try bigger markets suck up your courage and just do it. The worst they can do is say "no thanks". If you know you've done your best to send them work that is topical for them, work that you have diligently proofread and directed to the right place at the right time, then you have done well. Let it go. Move onto another market goal and send work out to the intermediate markets too. Keep trying and keep your name on the desks of editors and publishers. Someone will say yes if you keep sending them quality work.
So, next time you look for someone to blame for whatever the problem is, stop wasting that time. Put it into doing rather than blaming. Find solutions for problems without stopping to find someone to blame. In the end, what you do and how you do it are in your control.
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