I’ve been writing a fair number of articles recently and people often ask me various questions about how to successfully craft short, impactful pieces of copy.
If you’re writing articles or blog posts and you’re finding the process tricky, here are 6 quick tips.
- Always be clear about your purpose in writing before you pen even one word. You must know why you are writing this piece and what you want to achieve as a result.
- Visualise who you are writing for – see your ideal reader in your mind’s eye.
- Sketch out the structure of your piece. No matter it’s only a couple of paragraphs long, resist scribbling away until you have noted down your main point and the logical sequence of your argument.
- Write your first draft quickly if you can. And avoid getting stuck at first base by grappling to come up with the perfect opening line. Just get started, write anything at all but just get going.
- You’ll probably revise it a few times and when you are happy with the draft, read it aloud to yourself. If you hesitate or stumble at any point, it’s a sign that something there requires a little tweak to keep it flowing.
- When you think you have it done, let it go cold. With short pieces, making a cup of tea or getting on with something else will do (longer pieces, leave overnight). Your subconscious will relax and may just pop up with something inspiring improvement and, on re-reading, you may well find you can reduce and craft a tad further.
