Writing On The Web - Part 3

Bytepowered Article Writing Tips

Where to start or First rough draft

Start anywhere--it doesn't matter. Putting words on paper is like planting a seed in your subconscious. Your mind will go to work on it while you're busy doing your daily tasks. No need to consciously dwell on it. When you go back to your writing, suddenly out of nowhere, ideas will come. That's the power of the subconscious, use it to your advantage.

You might try writing with the monitor off or using pen and paper to start. This way you are not inhibited by your error correcting and can get the thoughts down quickly without interruption. Also this frees the mind for roaming creativity. This is a first rough draft so grammar does not matter--just type. Having said that... Always use a text editor to spell check your writing when you are finished. If you would like some inspiration take a look at Article Writing Questions For You, by James Lowe.

Can a newbie, novice or high school dropout be a writer?

Yes! No college English degree needed. It's not always what you know, but whether you can tell others what you know! Everyone has a head full of knowledge about some topic. That doesn't help anyone but yourself if you're unable to relate it to others.

Common Writing Mistakes or Things that make your readers go away

Avoid using 'I' frequently

Forms of 'I' such as 'me' or 'myself', should be used infrequently. Over use will make you appear self-absorbed and self-centered. Readers are not too likely to finish reading this article as it is obviously all about you.

Example: I went to the college of my choice and I made good grades. I then graduated with honors.

Fixed example: Went to the college of my choice and graduated with honors.

Avoid run-on sentences

Run-on sentences are a common error. Take the time to make shorter more understandable sentences. The longer it is the more confusion ensues for the reader. Break it up! In the example below for each comma a period and new sentence should start as well as some conjunctions deleted. As a general rule if it has more than one comma in it, start a new sentence where the second comma is. Can you tell the examples subject below? No, because there are many.

Example: Went on a trip to my sister and brothers house so we could work on my computer and I took the pups with me so they could play with the other critters there.

Fixed example:Went on a trip to my siblings home. Needed my brother to work with me on this computer. Took my pups with me so they could play with their critters.

Delete unnecessary words, phrases and commas!

This is one piece of advice I will always remember because of the startling effect on the readability of my writing. The most common mistake made by new authors are unnecessary words and phrases, the killers of readability. Consider the example sentence below and lets try to make it more readable.

“I have written this article because of a huge and growing interest that there is in MySpace, the sort of explosion of interest that has not been seen for quite some while.”

First - Remove unnecessary words. The reason for your writing should be obvious after reading the first paragraph even if the title does make it clear! This example is not a good way to start an article.

"I have written this article because of the huge and growing interest in MySpace,..."

Next - Consider removing and reordering words to make the sentence more readable.

"...the sort of interest explosion that has not been seen for quite some while."

Finally - the sentence revised: Wouldn't the sentence sound better this way?

"I have written this article because of the huge growing interest in MySpace. This sort of explosion in interest has not been seen for quite some while."

BIG Words

Don't use big complicated or techie words unless necessary. Don't try to use big words to impress your readers. If you are not sure of the exact definition of a word--look it up in a thesaurus for a better word. If you don't fully understand a word there is a good chance your readers won't either.

If you don't understand the rules of punctuation and grammar, get an English book or search the Internet for grammar tips or tutorials. Most importantly, let other people check your writing. Choose people not as knowledgeable in the subject as you to see if it's easily read and understood. The process of allowing other people to check the grammar and readability of your article is used by even the most accomplished writers. It is extremely easy to over look simple grammar or spelling mistakes.

More Bytepowered Article Tips coming soon.

Next: Writing On The Web Part 4