This is a guest post by Samantha
I have read lots of articles over the years that have been full of fluff. In fact, that includes some of my own articles. I’ve had my fair share of 700 word articles that could have been cut down to 300 words producing a more coherent, readable, and interesting article.
Clear writing has one huge advantage. It has a better chance of keeping our attention. A lack of fluff leaves our minds clear of confusion and boredom. No matter what type of writing you do, learn how to keep your readers’ attention with clear, concise writing.
Introductions are important. They tell readers what’s in store for them if they keep reading. It should pull them in. It should not be so overflowed with excessive explanations and planning that they fall asleep before they get halfway through the article.
Be direct. Introduce the main point of the article and immediately begin tackling the supporting points. Interesting writing and an attention-grabbing topic will get the reader’s initial attention just fine. Now you need to give them what you promised.
The same goes for individual paragraphs and sentences. Don’t write more than necessary. Here is an example of a proper direct sentence and a drawn-out one.
You should learn how to write sentences more clearly and directly because your writing will be a lot easier to understand.
Learn to write sentences more directly for clearer understanding.
Can you see the difference?
I’ve always had a tendency to say “you should” or “you can” at the start of sentences. Commands don’t need those intros because it’s already implied that I’m speaking to ‘you’. Also, saying “I believe” or “I think” is usually unnecessary because your opinion is implied.
Of course, this isn’t always the case. It depends on what kind of articles you’re writing. If it’s technical writing, you need to be more careful with your choice of words.
Sometimes writers don’t realize when they’re doing this. Restating a sentence to clarify a point is one thing. Repeating yourself over and over because you forgot you already said it or because you think you’re saying something new is another.
Always proofread your work. If something sounds strange, work on it until it flows right. Repeating yourself in a rough draft isn’t a problem. Not catching it and cleaning up your work, that is a problem.
Sometimes you will have a certain word count to reach or a range to stay within. Don’t worry about this while you’re writing. It will only frustrate you and mess you up. You’ll end up missing important points and opportunities for good writing in your articles because you’re worried about the word count.
Write your first draft and see where your article is at that point. Write fluidly and the word count will fall into place. If your word count is way off by the time you finish, go back and edit to adjust the count.
If you need to add more, you have a better idea for how much needs to be added once the article is complete. Add an entire new point instead of lots of filler sentences added to the existing topics.
If you are unfortunate enough to have a word count to follow, worry about it after you’ve finished your masterpiece. Writing a good article should take as many or as few words as it needs.
You’d be surprised how much you can write about very narrow topics. With that said, a broad topic will be impossible to adequately cover without an excessive amount of words. If you’re writing articles, they should be articles, not novels.
If you finish your article and notice that each sub topic is not adequately covered, consider narrowing down the topic or cutting the number of subtopics. The topic needs to be well-covered without redundancy. It’s a delicate balance that will be easier to find with practice.
Whenever I write, I always have subtopics, and I always write them out before getting to the meat of the article. This will keep your article focused, make writing easier, and keep the process more efficient.
When you have each point listed and waiting for you, as soon as you meet each one, you can get right to the discussion instead of getting stuck trying to think about what to write.
An article should read like one article, not 5 smashed together. Lead paragraphs into each other. Organize each point so that one falls into the next. If you picked a good topic and planned it out right, flow should be easy.
The hardest part about writing a good article is grabbing and keeping the reader’s attention. Unique, eye-catching information is just the first step. Always have clarity in the back of your mind while you’re writing and you’ll be able to do justice to the excellent information you have to share with your readers.
Samantha writes for TeenMoneyCentral.com about a variety of make money online and small business topics. She has been blogging for almost 6 years with a focus on financial topics, but she also likes writing about her other hobbies including baking, gardening, and art.
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