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I’m a writer — have been since I was twelve years old. My first full-time job, fresh out of college, was as Technical Writer for a small company that made fishfinders and GPS devices. The interview process was a grueling review of my writing abilities, conducted by a Senior Technical Writer who had spent ten years in the industry (and twenty years before that as a newspaper journalist).
He reviewed my college transcript and asked why I hadn’t taken more writing classes (and mine was a writing degree, so I’d taken plenty). He had copies of the writing samples I’d submitted, all covered in red ink, and he went over them page by page, discussing my writing style. Then he sat me down in front of a monitor with 600 words of copy and asked me to fix it, while he watched over my shoulder.
It was grueling, but it was exciting, too. After all, writing is what I do, and I’d carried a certain amount of dread that after leaving college it wouldn’t matter anymore. That all my years of practice, all my hours of intensive study, would be wasted effort. After all, who really cares about good writing in the real world?
Four hours into my interview, I had my answer: Technical Writers. He offered me the job that same day, and I accepted it on the spot.
Good Writing doesn’t have to Be Hard
Over the course of the next three years, I learned the painful nuances of that answer. It turned out that while, yes, my supervisor put an astonishing amount of effort into good writing, it often seemed like he was the only one in the company who did.
We had to fight to get access to the engineers designing the products we were supposed to be describing. We had to fight to get our hands on the products, or to get illustrative material out of the guys in marketing. We had to fight, tooth and nail, to get more than a day to write a user manual between the time the engineers finalized the product design and the time our shipping department started sending out boxes.
So many of the people we had to work with, all of them highly educated people, thought of good writing as a waste of time (or, at best, a necessary evil). I think most of that sentiment comes from a perception that good writing is toilsome, that it requires years of education (in a field many people consider frivolous) and a ton of effort to make strong sentences and good grammar.
The tragedy of that sentiment is that it’s taught in schools — it’s taught by English teachers, for crying out loud! There’s no reason for writing to be that way, though. The fact of the matter is that good writing isn’t difficult and it shouldn’t be at all stressful. Good writing is just a matter of caring about the way you communicate, and then developing a few good habits.
Good Writing Saves Time
Once you’ve got those habits, good writing saves time. When we had to fight for time with the engineers, we fought using hard numbers.
The better our manuals were, the fewer calls we got to Customer Service, and the quicker they could resolve those calls. My supervisor had a trend chart from them that showed clear savings over his time with the company, and another huge improvement after they hired me.
Not only that, but good documentation becomes free marketing. Our manuals got reviews in magazines, and tons of comments on websites like Amazon, recommending the product because it was so easy to use.
Good Writing is Your Product
What amazes me is how often I run into those same sentiments on the internet, where writing is the product. As a blogger, you work in an industry that manufactures written communication. You are the company’s lead writer, but you’re also the product designer, the marketing department, and customer service as well. Your whole company exists to ship words out to your customers.
Take a moment and ask yourself, how much time is your Tech Writer getting in the design process? And would it be worth making a small investment to get your staff the training it needs to stay competitive?
If so, I’d like to help. I offer precisely that kind of training every week at Unstressed Syllables. Hence, Dave invited me to develop a series dedicated directly to bloggers — to you. Over the next few months, I’ll teach you the key things you need to know to improve the quality of your site’s content.
First, let me know where you’re starting from. Leave a comment below describing your design process. How do you prepare a post? How much time do you spend trying to get the language right? And what’s your writing background? I’m making these lessons just for you, so the more I know about you, the better they’re going to be.
Aaron Pogue is the creator of
Unstressed Syllables, a general writing advice
site featuring interesting, useful articles
on topics ranging from business to storytelling.
His decades of experience in creative and
technical writing
makes good writing easy for you.
Sounds really good Aaron.
I think at the moment I don’t spend too much time actually writing my posts – about half an hour to an hour on the non-technical ones. Possibly that should be longer. I do read through it and edit slightly before posting though (do I get brownie points for that? ;) ).
As for writing background… I’ve been writing fiction since I was pretty young, never really finished anything but short stories though I do have a couple that are upwards of 50k words. Didn’t take English in school because I was home educated for all of the exam years then I went to college for more computing based things. At one point over the last couple of years I was going to start working with a tutor from Cambridge by distance, paid my fee, then didn’t have the time or commitment to carry through. I loved it, but it wasn’t a huge area of confidence for me. =)
Other than that it’s all been college essays and blog posts.
Really looking forward to seeing where you take this though, always up for improving my writing.
.-= Heather´s last blog ..The Mayans: Intruder! =-.
Thanks, Heather! Your enthusiasm is encouraging.
I’ve got big plans for this series. It should be a lot of fun to write, and I expect it’ll be pretty helpful for all of you.
.-= Aaron Pogue´s last blog ..Working with Google Docs and Spreadsheets =-.
I’ve never actually written professionally. That aside, I have always been very articulate, both with the written word and the spoken.
As a tortured teen I would spend hours writing poetry and song lyrics. Now I blog. I couldn’t believe how much I love the process. The challenge of researching my topics and presenting my findings, as well as, my opinions to my readers. It’s invigorating and more rewarding than I ever dreamed.
I find that writing an opening paragraph and a closing paragraph first is really helpful. Then I make a list based outline to get me from the one to the other. I also like to use a very conversational style.
As I read many of the blogs online today, I wonder where the quality is. But I guess the cream will always, eventually, float to the top.
I will happily tell my readers of your upcoming series just for bloggers. Many of them will surely benefit. Hopefully I will learn a thing or two as well!
.-= Blog Angel a.k.a. Joella´s last blog ..New Social Networking Widget For Bloggers – Megaphone By Unified Social Media =-.
I hope I can teach you something, Joella, but it sounds like you’re already focusing on a lot of the important steps. For one, it’s a pretty big deal that you even have a design process.
So much of getting it right is just expecting it of yourself. I’m glad to hear you’re already doing that.
.-= Aaron Pogue´s last blog ..Working with Google Docs and Spreadsheets =-.
Oh you can always learn something new. I believe that the day you stop learning new things is the day you truly die. Being open to new things is what keeps us young.
See? You’ll be contributing to my longevity! LOL
.-= Blog Angel a.k.a. Joella´s last blog ..A More Visually Pleasing Blog With Free Desktop JavaScript Slideshow Applications =-.
Joella, there is curious thing about all that crap floating around on these blogs: even when the writing is crap and the topic is mundane (or inane), you and I and the author share something uncommon with everyone else.
To wit: we write to learn.
I wrote a fair number of those crappy articles myself last year… which I am quietly revising. =)
That last bit is one of my favorite things about the digital age, Dave. Sure, as long as we keep learning, we can always look back on the things we wrote “before” and roll our eyes at how bad we used to be.
But our old stuff isn’t destined to stay that way. I’ve written nine novels in my time (over the course of eighteen years), and my writing improved by leaps and bounds between each of them.
Looking back on them, though, the first two I ever wrote have some amazing potential. The mechanics are awful, the style is erratic and the voice stilted, but the story is great.
And all I have to do to fix them is open them up in Word, and start on a rewrite — just like I would a new novel I finished last November.
As long as you keep getting better, nothing is ever wasted.
.-= Aaron Pogue´s last blog ..Your Blog Posting Schedule in Google Docs (Redux All Over Again) =-.
I’m really looking forward to this training series! I’ve been addicted to writing my entire life and have written in some capacity in every job I’ve ever had (newsletters, manuals, etc.). In my spare time I’ve written short fiction, full-length fiction (in progress), and articles, and have worked full time for internet (content work) clients the last couple of years. My typical blogging style is to mind map an idea, free write a rough draft, and then let it sit for a while before revising. Usually I revise in one sitting and then come back for a final proof later on.
.-= Jean Sarauer´s last blog ..Empire Building 101: Designing a Custom Content Strategy =-.
That’s a strong process, Jean.
I’ve spent most of the last six years just working in iterations — really rough draft, less rough draft, rough draft, etc…. For a while I formalized that process by doing all my initial work in a scribblebook, then cleaning it up when I transferred it to the computer.
These days I’m all about outlining, though. It just kinda happened on its own, starting a month or two back when I was writing up some tips for a friend. I decided to practice what I preached, and it’s been addictive (and quite rewarding).
As I said to Joella above, having a process at all goes a long way to making your stuff work.
.-= Aaron Pogue´s last blog ..Working with Google Docs and Spreadsheets =-.
This takes me back to my college writing class – my only college writing class. I was very frustrated because at the time, I thought that I had nothing to write about because I never did anything interesting. I didn’t have a clue. Fast forward 50 years and here I am blogging, putting out something like 8 400 word posts on three blogs each week. I just finished one about Iris. Was sit interesting? Was it good writing? Probably not. Dave tells me all the time that I am a writer – just no a good one. at this point I don’t really care. It’s what I do.
.-= Ralph´s last blog ..Sunday Funnies – House Attack =-.
Ooooh Ralph, you aren’t half naughty. I read the exchange between you and Dave about your being a writer. He never said you weren’t a good writer. He just didn’t say you were a good writer either ;) It was more like ‘Ralph, you’re a writer. Whether you are good or not is for someone other than me to decide.’ Or at least that’s the way I read it ;)
Funny, he seems to know about everything else. I wonder what the horse thinks. Anybody remember Mr. Ed?
.-= Ralph´s last blog ..Sunday Funnies – House Attack =-.
I don’t doubt that both Dave and the horse have an opinion. Everyone has an opinion, just some prefer to keep it to themselves ;) As for Mr Ed, not the original run ;)
You two are cracking me up!
.-= Aaron Pogue´s last blog ..Working with Google Docs and Spreadsheets =-.
We’ve got a saying in the creative writing field (although we usually keep it quiet until somebody’s been around for several years). It goes, “You have to write a thousand pages of absolute garbage before you write a single page that’s good.”
The upside is that every word counts — shopping lists, thank you notes, business letters complaining to the town council, whatever.
If you focus on quantity, and if you just care about quality, quality will come. Trust me.
Of course, if you want to speed things up a bit, you can pay close attention to my incredible advice. That’s just my vanity speaking, though.
.-= Aaron Pogue´s last blog ..Working with Google Docs and Spreadsheets =-.
I guess at this point, I don’t see much value in advice, at least not in the usual form of do this and then do that. I don’t even outline because I don’t know what I am going to say. So to heck with the rules and actually, to heck with the content. I am not writing a user manual. Nobody needs to read anything I write in order to manage their life. What keeps me going is that at some point they might want to, irrelevant as it might be.
.-= Ralph´s last blog ..How I learned to ace blog post maintenance =-.
Y’know, there’s a big freedom in that. And I do my share of that type of writing, too.
It’s all a matter of using the right type of writing to suit your purposes. Thanks for the reminder.
.-= Aaron Pogue´s last blog ..Working with Google Docs and Spreadsheets =-.
The thing I find ironic now that I’m back writing on a daily basis again is that I’m sort of getting round to what I always wanted to do. I remember at the age of 14 or 15 I told my dad that I’d found my job. I wanted to be a copy writer. Somehow though we managed to persuade ourselves that a copy writer was someone who copied out other people’s work rather than one who wrote so I knocked that ambition on the head ;)
Fast forward 15 years and I’ve been writing ever since but rarely for pleasure. Whether it be school essays, graduate college assignments or more recently, for the GAB blog, I’ve always written for a purpose. Just recently though I started my own secret(ish!) blog where I finally have a place that is just mine own. I love it!
As for your other questions, I must be honest and say that I don’t prepare a lot. I usually have an idea what I’m going to write about, a title and an overall goal. Then I just let it all pour out before going back to edit ;)
I love language and am in awe of the descriptive powers of the likes of Kelly Diels and Dave Thackery. If your lessons would force me to get more clever with words, wonderful :)
Eleanor, definitely check out my note to Ralph above. The amount of time you’ve put in writing, you’ve got to be good at it by now.
Of course, it sounds like you’d love to have a richer voice, more personality in your prose. A big part of that is giving yourself permission (especially after years of writing academic papers, where that’s absolutely taboo).
When you first start trying to write like that, it’s easy to feel pretty foolish any time you say something other than a simple statement of fact. That awkwardness is just part of the process, though. You’ve got to transition through it before you can get where you want to be.
If it’s any consolation, you can know with perfect confidence that Kelly and Dave both had to go through it, too.
Oh, and if you really want to focus on that, you might find it easier to do if you do adopt a more structured writing process.
I’m not saying you have to — your articles seem just fine to me — but if you want to improve any specific aspect of your writing, it helps to formalize all the other things, the things you’re okay with, because that will give you more time and attention to dedicate to the one thing you’re trying to improve.
.-= Aaron Pogue´s last blog ..Working with Google Docs and Spreadsheets =-.
Thanks Aaron,
With the stuff for GAB, it’s much more about the charity voice (which yes, I admit, is much my own too!) I’m comfortable enough with that for now. What I’d really like to improve is the stuff on my blog. The posts over there really have zero structure or formality. I just go with the flow. So how do I start? Or is that part of the course?
And assuming it’s the latter, when do you start and how much? ;) I go away on Friday until June 12th. I hope I can play catch up :)
.-= Eleanor Edwards´s last blog ..Thankless Tasks: Looking for a button in a car park =-.
If I understand right, my posts will be running on the third Monday of every month, Eleanor. That means you’ll already be back and ready to hop right in when lesson #2 goes live June 21.
As several other commenters have pointed out, there are real merits sometimes to unplanned, unstructured writing. If you thrive on that, by all means, stick to it.
If you want to improve the structure and style, though — or even just try some out — that’s exactly what the course is for. Stay tuned.
.-= Aaron Pogue´s last blog ..Your Blog Posting Schedule in Google Docs (Redux All Over Again) =-.
Eleanor, I’ll have all of Aaron’s articles linked into a series once he gets going. You’ll be able to click right through, one after another.
.-= Dave Doolin´s last blog ..Secrets of the Tomorrow Blog, Today =-.
Hi Aaron,
Great to see you here. I am looking forward to this series. Part of my actions for achieving my blogging goals this year is to learn to write better articles, and I am sure your series will help me with that. Here’s to perfecting our craft, one post at a time :)
.-= Gurl´s last blog ..Four “Scary” Movies I Love =-.
Glad to see you, too, Gurl! I hope I can help.
Like I said, that commitment to write better is really the most important step along the way. Thanks to Dave, I get the opportunity to provide some of the specific details, but you’re already well on your way before I even start.
.-= Aaron Pogue´s last blog ..Working with Google Docs and Spreadsheets =-.
This was a great post, Aaron. And I agree with you completely. You can have really good advice and well informed opinions on your blog, but it won’t be worth anything if you can’t write.
It’s not just a case of writing well technically, either, but of having an original voice. For instance, a lot of corporate blogs are often terrified of allowing any human personality in their posts.
But really, why would anyone come back to a blog that is just plain boring to read.
[Michael, you would get a lot more traction from my readers with a gravatar and a link back to Pure360's blog. Thanks, Dave Doolin]
Mike, I think a lot of people quit before they get comfortable with their real voice.
Thanks, Mike! And you’ve got some great points. I’ve definitely seen some cases just like that, with perfectly structured writing and absolutely zero connection to readers.
I’ll be addressing that in this series, too. Just like Dave pointed out a couple comments down, there’s a lot more (and more important) to good writing than just getting grammar and punctuation right.
.-= Aaron Pogue´s last blog ..Your Blog Posting Schedule in Google Docs (Redux All Over Again) =-.
Sounds like a great idea. I typically just sit down and start typing. If I don’t have any research to do, it takes me about 15-20 minutes to write a post. I don’t stress too much over the grammar, punctuation, etc., but I do try to get it right. I have no writing background, but I do have a college degree. Thanks!
.-= Mike Roosa´s last blog ..I’m Giving Away The Farm — Read This If You Like Free Stuff =-.
Mike, it turns out that speaking with an authentic voice and having something interesting to say will trump grammar and punctuation. My current favorite example is James “Infopreneur” Richmond, who’s English is self-admittedly execrable, yet commands a sizeable audience by force of will.
I think that’s pretty cool.
.-= Dave Doolin´s last blog ..Persistence – the critical trait for success, in any endeavor =-.
James’s story is definitely a cool one, Dave. It caught my attention a long time back.
I can’t help wondering how much greater his appeal would be if he learned a few tricks and got his written communication up on par with his voice.
It’s possible his style just shines in the video format, and the people he appeals to wouldn’t stick around to read a traditional post. You never know.
For those of us sticking to the written word, though, it sure helps if we’re writing them well.
.-= Aaron Pogue´s last blog ..Your Blog Posting Schedule in Google Docs (Redux All Over Again) =-.
I have no writing background as well and my method is basically to speak as I write. maybe this is the way I found to “speak” with my readers in general. I always try to keep it simple. I let the flow go and then go back and do editing. If I’ll get better? Hopefully one of these days:)
BTW: @dave – nice redesign.
DiTesco, thanks, the design is still evolving a bit.
About the writing: if you can speak clearly, you should be able to write clearly.
Most people can’t even think clearly.
.-= Dave Doolin´s last blog ..Secrets of the Tomorrow Blog, Today =-.
DiTesco, that’s not a bad method at all.
One of the things I’m loving about writing this series for Dave is that I get to talk to a slightly different crowd. Over at my blog, I have to keep reminding the Creative Writers how important it is to read their writing out loud. Over here, you’re doing that before you even start!
Speaking your words will help you catch aspects of the written language that are awfully hard to spot once it’s sitting silently on the screen. Sounds like you’re doing exactly what you should be.
And I agree with your other point, too. The new site design is excellent, Dave! Can’t believe it’s taken me this long to say something.
.-= Aaron Pogue´s last blog ..Your Blog Posting Schedule in Google Docs (Redux All Over Again) =-.
Re: Site design. This is just the beginning, really. But these things take time.
I think this series will really help me. I think of myself as a competent writer, but I write by the seat of my pants a lot of the time. I need help with design and structure, making those mental bullet points and then hitting them. For now, I just think up a topic and then go at it.
I do some freelance writing, so I have a tendency to mentally edit and shift things around as I go. The end result always winds up decent, but it’s not always concise.
.-= Jillian´s last blog ..What’s in the Works? =-.
Jillian, I have an ebook lurking around my hard drive somewhere explaining the difference between “planners” and “pantsers.” I believe that chapter was written by Kristine Kathryn Rusch; you may be able to dig it out of her web site.
So, pantsers get a bad rap, bad they do write a lot of pretty damn good books.
So I wouldn’t worry too much.
.-= Dave Doolin´s last blog ..How To Unlaunch Your Ebook =-.
Now see that leaves me a bit confused.. I plan out a lot of what I write at least somewhat. Yet there are times when I just fly with the idea with no planning.. So am I a planner, a pantser, or some strange and as of yet undefined creature? ;-)
.-= Gurl´s last blog ..Goal Setting: Get It In Writing =-.
We’re all a little strange around here.
Except we think it’s normal.
LOL Must be why I feel at home around here! I keep telling everyone I am normal, its the rest of the world that is strange.
No one is ever 100% planner or 100% pantser, Gurl. It’s more a matter of rati0.
And the better you get at any particular skill, the less time you’ll spend planning that aspect of your writing. Eventually, structured writing looks a whole lot like spontaneous writing. That’s getting back to the old refrain, “the pros make it look easy.”
.-= Aaron Pogue´s last blog ..Your Blog Posting Schedule in Google Docs (Redux All Over Again) =-.
And here I wanted to be some strange, as yet unnamed hybrid :P I’ve actually gone to being almost total pantser to mostly planner…not sure if its helped the writing any though.
.-= Gurl´s last blog ..5 Things To Consider Before Starting A Blog =-.
Writing is great fun but it does take time to write up a killer post, we’re not all pros like you Aaron :-)
.-= Jorgen @ Personal Branding´s last blog ..Clarity is the Key to a Strong Personal Brand =-.
Jorgen, when I ran across Aaron the first time, I got this sort of sick feeling in my gut: the bar just racheted up several notches.
Even worse, a couple of weeks ago, he sort of casually scribbled hundred page ebook which, as far as I can see, is 10 times better than just about anything else out there.
I decided, “Not even gonna try to go head to head with this guy.”
Much better to snap him up before somebody else get their claws into him.
So many people in this social media space are completely unable to discern quality from crap. I don’t have that problem. When I find someone who is a completely unknown blogger or writer, and their writing is good, I’m going to attempt to recruit them.
.-= Dave Doolin´s last blog ..SEO for Writers and Artists (or, how to date your search engine) =-.
Aaron, this is going to work out really well. I suspected so, and I’m delighted my suspicions proved accurate!
.-= Dave Doolin´s last blog ..How To Unlaunch Your Ebook =-.
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
.-= Ralph´s last blog ..How I learned to ace blog post maintenance =-.
Y’know, Dave…I’ve hinted at it, in the post and in a couple comments, but I’m really grateful for the opportunity. These posts are fun to write, and it’s more fun than I’d ever guessed getting to talk with a new audience.
I’m also impressed how much enthusiasm your readers have got for the topic. That makes it way too easy!
.-= Aaron Pogue´s last blog ..Your Blog Posting Schedule in Google Docs (Redux All Over Again) =-.
Quality matters not quantity .write blog with a great afford with more time .If blog will consume time and more research.No dought post will better.exactly my friend deep research and better writing skills make your blog better.
.-= jai prakash´s last blog ..Remove your comment mistakes-Use Jquery Comment preview plugin =-.
I’ve had a few writing experiences like researches and user manuals but blogging is different. As Jorgen said, it’s fun but takes time to write a killer post. At least for me at this point.
As for the design process, I would usually do research, write the opening sentence/paragraph, write the closing sentence/paragraph, outline the content, fill in the gaps. And that’s in any order.
Having said all that, I think this series would benefit me as well.
Have a good one.
.-= Gines´s last blog ..Scratch the Surface then Start Criticizing =-.
Gines, it *does* take time to write a killer post. I’m probably 12 hours into an article I am going to send out as a guest post in the near future. I’m having to do a lot of background research and link checking. Since I’m discussing technology new to bloggers, I’m having trouble figuring out exactly what story to tell, and how to tell that story.
The total word count for the article went over 3000 words. At that point I extracted about 1000 words as the core of the article. It’s up to around 1400 words right now, and I’m planning on topping it out at 1600 words. Might be able to do it in less, will see after what I can cut out once it’s finished. The point is, writing seriously great articles can take a serious amount of time.
.-= Dave Doolin´s last blog ..Secrets of the Tomorrow Blog, Today =-.
Sure, I’ll admit it (here in the “anonymous” interwebs), when I was young I wanted to be a writer.
Now I laugh.
Turns out, that magical something comes through a camera lens for me. Who knew?
Recently, I started putting words with my daily photo posts. I don’t know how to (or maybe don’t want to) label what I write, but it is arguably more poetry than prose.
And this is actually an effort for me.
Generally speaking, I use far too many words. That is my voice. I like words, I like putting them together, I like describing. I don’t know that I’m all that good at it, but I like to do it.
But my blog is about the photos. About the magic that my camera can sometimes capture. About that view of the divine, the joyful, the mysterious, the inexplicable that captures me from the center of a flower, or the glimmer of sun on rushing water.
And I don’t want my words to take away from your experience of it.
So, I pare down the thoughts from the long sentences that reside in my brain, to something more visceral, more raw, directly from the heart.
I spend a lot of time walking, usually with my camera, and during that walking meditation of sorts, topics come to me. The phrases come and go and ripple through my psyche, so by the time I set down to my laptop to let the words bubble up, they are changed, and so am I. I think it’s working for me.
My plan is to keep writing like this as the accompaniment to my photos, but as I work through a complete website re-design, there will be pages (oh, yes, there will be pages) of prose. Descriptions, introductions, philosophical discussions perhaps.
And can I use your help to do this? Absolutely! I’m looking forward to your course. Bring it on!
And thank you!
Hugs and butterflies,
~T~
.-= PicsieChick´s last blog ..It Holds Me…. Hostage =-.
This comment will make an excellent blog post once you get moved over to WordPress. Looking forward to having you moved!
Dave, you flatter me!
My site is second…after John’s. Amanda was just tinkering with it….and I’d still love some more feedback….
It will all come together eventually.
Hugs and butterflies,
~T~
.-= PicsieChick´s last blog ..It Holds Me…. Hostage =-.
You’re welcome, PicsieChick. And thank you! For your enthusiasm, and for your perspective.
I’ve got a good friend who’s a professional photographer, and she tells me one of the best ways to sell photography online is with galleries that wrap stunning photos in compelling stories. (In fact, that dynamic became a major theme in my most recent novel.)
From the story you threaded into that comment, I don’t think you’ll have any problem with that. Efficiency of language is important but I think strong storytelling and connecting with your audience both do more — and you’re already doing those well.
.-= Aaron Pogue´s last blog ..Your Blog Posting Schedule in Google Docs (Redux All Over Again) =-.
I failed all my English exams at school. I was ‘into’ maths/science.
A few weeks ago, someone commented on my blog, they thought I was one of the best writers on the net.
I know I’m no-where near that but it was a huge compliment and confidence boost.
Andrew
.-= Andrew @ Blogging Guide´s last blog ..Avoiding The Pitfalls Of Internet Scamming =-.
As several other commenters have pointed out, Andrew, some of the things that most appeal to readers have nothing to do with mechanics — the things like grammar and punctuation that you so often get graded on in school.
The problem comes when people take that information and interpret it to mean there’s no need to deliberately improve their writing at all. Things like personal voice, clearly communicating your ideas, and establishing a connection with your audience are all things that you can (and should) learn how to do well.
That’s most of what I’m focusing on in this series, actually. I doubt anyone will object to lessons like that.
.-= Aaron Pogue´s last blog ..Your Blog Posting Schedule in Google Docs (Redux All Over Again) =-.
Aaron,
No objections from me! AND I doubt from others!
Andrew
.-= Andrew @ Blogging Guide´s last blog ..Make A Blog Income Without Working Hard =-.
I think it’s surprising to see just how many people don’t even have a good grasp of the English language, let alone good writing skills.
I am not a native speaker (writer?) of English myself, and I know that I often make mistakes. I try to proofread and filter them out. I still cringe when I see others who make even worse mistakes :p
.-= Anne´s last blog ..Blogging about Blogging =-.
Anne, I cringe at some of the mistakes I make, and I should know better!
Anne, what you’re seeing is the difference between deliberate and spontaneous writing.
A native speaker ought to be able to write better than someone who learned English as a second language, but when you start to write you pay a lot of attention to what you’re doing and make sure to get it right. A lot of native speakers just say whatever first springs to mind without thinking it through, on the assumption that they’re already good enough.
That’s a lot of what I’m talking about in this post (and in this whole series). Taking the time to think through what you’re saying — and how you’re saying it — is often enough by itself to make your writing a lot better than the norm.
.-= Aaron Pogue´s last blog ..Your Blog Posting Schedule in Google Docs (Redux All Over Again) =-.
Like yourself, Aaron, I’m a pro writer. I should be protecting my trade from competition – but I’m actually helping people to express themselves putting their personality first, professionalism second.
Let me elucidate. The best way to add value to any interaction, and to create incredible customer relationships, is to express yourself in the most transparent way you can.
That means doing things in the way you feel most comfortable. If you’re a gardener and don’t like words, use pictures of your work and the odd caption.
If you don’t take great pictures, and don’t like writing, just be yourself. Think in your client’s shoes – what would they want from you? What would it take to be incredible in their eyes.
What’s so great about your business?
Quickly it becomes clear you have a lot of ideas you want to share: The rest is down to letting your personality run riot; the rest is pure gold.
.-= Dave Thackeray´s last blog ..Are you an estate agent? If not, go crush the competition… =-.
I like your perspective, Dave!
Professionally, the writing I do is all required material. It’s always interesting the first time I work with an engineer, and they find out I’m nothing but a writer. They almost always expect me to write long-winded speeches and flowery poetry instead of the technical information that’s needed.
I could be insulted, but it’s gratifying to see their reactions change over time as they see how well I do what I do.
And the funny thing about is that I’m fantastic at writing long-winded speeches and flowery poetry. That doesn’t mean it belongs in a maintenance handbook, though!
There are lots of different types of writing out there, and good writing isn’t about following the same set of rules every time. Just like you said, it’s about understanding your audience and crafting the best style to reach them.
.-= Aaron Pogue´s last blog ..Your Blog Posting Schedule in Google Docs (Redux All Over Again) =-.
Hi Aaron, it’s nice to land on your blog. When I prepare my post, first I do research on the person and then write the first part in a way where I’m not trying to talk “at” the reader. During the second part, I write my opinion. Like you, I also don’t think writing has to be hard. Being an English major, I know that the blogging writing style is not anything like writing an essay or college paper. It’s a lot more personal and frankly, I think it’s a lot easier. You still need to use some thinking power though and not just write anything. :)
Hulbert, thanks for stopping by. I just spent the last 30 minutes reading over on your site.
It’s true what Aaron said above: the pros make it look easy. But that’s only a consequence of the vast amount of hard work they have already put into their craft.