First, go back to basics. The whole idea of article writing is to communicate. You have found good information, news, drama, or opinion on a timely subject and feel you have something to say about it. Perhaps you have no more to say about it than anyone else but your way of elucidation may help people to see something a little better or something they may have missed. This is good stuff but then comes the business of writing it.
I have found myself
getting too long winded in some of my articles. When I found out that the best
article length in general is between 450 to 650 words, I started to modify my
writing to fit that criteria. I still get cramped up sometimes wanting to write
more but knowing I’ve said enough. In time I found a way to keep things both
simple and readable without sparing important content.
It is so simple I
am almost embarrassed to say it. But if a thing works it should be made known.
If you were to pick up a pen and write a letter to a friend what form would it
take?
Would it have a
summary, seven points and a huge wrap up? No, it wouldn’t. What it would have
is three major divisions, an introduction, two or three points and a
conclusion. This may not be the best form for every article you write but it is
an excellent place to start if you’re new to article writing. It is also a good
place to fall back to when you have gotten far too complicated and bogged down
in form and polish.
I am not suggesting
that you cease to get all the advice you possibly can to improve your writing
skills, however every once in a while, I have to re-simplify to make sense of
something I’m trying to say, try it yourself. Remember, introduction, two or
three points and a conclusion.
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