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What Makes A Good Writer / Have What It Takes To Be A Good Writer? / A Good Writer Should Help Me Write This (2) (3) (4)
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Qualities Of A Good Writer by Nobody: 12:23pm On Oct 02, 2014 |
Good writing anticipates reader questions. Good writing serves the reader, not the writer. It isn’t indulgent. “The reader doesn’t turn the page because of a hunger to applaud,” said longtime writing teacher Don Murray. Rather, good writing anticipates what questions readers will have as they read a piece, and (before they ask them) it answers them. That means most good writers are natural skeptics, especially regarding their own work. They relentlessly think of things from their reader’s point of view: What experience is this creating for the reader? What questions might they have? (I did this above, when, before listing the qualities of good writing, I thought, “Why does good writing even matter to you? Why should any of us care?”) George Orwell said the “scrupulous writer” will ask himself at least four questions in every sentence: “ What am I trying to say? What words will express it? What image or idiom will make it clearer? Is this image fresh enough to have an effect? And he or she will probably ask himself two more: Could I put it more shortly? Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly? ” (Hat tip to The Economist style guide for that one.) Here’s where marketing can really help add value in a business context, by the way, because “simple” means “making it easy for the customer.” It means being the advocate for them. As Georgy Cohen writes, “The marketer should be identifying (and ruthlessly refining) the core messages and the top goals, then working with the web professionals to create a website supporting them.” 2. Good writing is grounded in data. Data puts your content in context and gives you credibility. Ground your content in facts: Data, research, fact- checking and curating. Your ideas and opinions and spin might be part of that story—or they might not be, depending on what you are trying to convey. But content that’s rooted in something true —not just your own opinions—is more credible. Said another way: Data before declaration. If you are going to tell me what you think, give me a solid reason why you think it... Follow this link to read the rest: http://ebiag.com/index.php?topic=11.0 1 Like 2 Shares |
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