15 tips for writing compelling content that entertains
Good writing is capable of informing, persuading, entertaining, and, in the process, bolstering the search-engine performance of the website to which it’s attached. You don’t have to be a master wordsmith to get your ideas out there – and if you’re not, there are several habits worth getting into if you want to make your writing more compelling. Let’s examine a few of them!
1. Read
If you want to write well, you need to read the type of writing you want to emulate. Think critically about which elements of it you’d like to incorporate into your own work. Don’t try to read something highbrow out of a sense of obligation – you’ll never stick with it. Instead, find something you’re genuinely interested in. Whether it’s print journalism or sci-fi novels, it’ll provide a point of comparison that’ll come across when you come to edit your work.
2. Practise, practise, practise
Like any skill, writing ability only comes after consistent, deliberate practice. This doesn’t mean blithely going through the motions while daydreaming about something completely different; to improve, you’ll need to regularly assess where you’re going wrong and spend time figuring out how you can make marginal improvements.
3. Write for human beings
If you’re writing a blog with the intention of bolstering your site’s search-engine performance, you might be tempted to cram in as many keywords as possible. Google has cracked down on this practice, and in its Webmaster Guidelines, explicitly recommends that content creators 'make pages primarily for users, not for search engines'.
4. Use facts and statistics
The positives of bolstering your writing with facts and figures is twofold. Firstly, they strengthen your argument by reducing the possibility of people refuting what you've written and add empirical weight to your point of view. Secondly, they increase your credibility with the reader as they show you are knowledgable on the topic – to further solidify your view, provide references for any facts and statistics used.
5. Be bored
Inspiration tends to strike when your mind isn’t focused on anything in particular. It’s for this reason that many of your best ideas arrive when you’re in the shower, doing the dishes, or on a long walk. Take the time out of your day to unplug.
6. Take notes
When inspiration does strike, you’re not always sat in front of a keyboard. Capture these stray thoughts with the help of a pen and paper or with a cloud-connected, note-taking app like Evernote.
7. Make sure everything makes sense
Writing that’s incomprehensible is unlikely to be entertaining. We suggest thinking about the information you’re looking to get across – and the order the information should be presented – before you start typing.
8. Rules are made to be broken
During your writing travels, you might find yourself burdened with arbitrary pieces of wisdom. For example, you might hear that you should always use the active voice rather than the passive.
Like all rules of thumb, this one has merit if applied judiciously. However, there are some instances where the passive voice can be better. Perhaps it helps parts of your sentence flow into one another more pleasingly; perhaps you’d like to modify the subject with a lengthy clause; perhaps you’d like to omit the subject entirely. If in doubt, go with your preference.
9. Revise, Revise, Revise
As Ernest Hemingway once noted, the first draft of everything is usually worthless (we’re paraphrasing). To get something worth reading, you’ll need to do a round of revision – sometimes several. Being ruthless with what you've written will improve it. You should also look to cut your final word count by around 10%.
10. Read it Aloud
Once you’ve got a piece to a certain standard, it’s time to read it aloud. If you find yourself stumbling at certain sections, you need to think about rejigging them.
11. Write what you know
Here’s another well-worn pearl of wisdom. If you’re knowledgeable and enthusiastic about a subject, it will shine through in your writing. If you’re blagging, an informed reader will be able to sniff it out. Moreover, thanks to the internet, it’s easier than ever for them to tell you about it!
12. Give it some distance
Spending a long time working on a single piece of writing will distort your perspective on it and it’s worth taking a step back. Churn out a first draft and return to it a few days later and you’ll be able to spot flaws instantly.
13. Ask for feedback
For much the same reason, it’s worth bringing in outside perspectives. They’ll be able to tell you where they’re tripping up, and they’ll be able to point out any writing ticks or habits you may have developed.
14. Ignore feedback
Sometimes you’ll get feedback you don’t agree with. You shouldn’t feel obliged to follow advice of this sort – your opinion, after all, counts for more than the person providing the feedback. But if five different people all make the same point, it might be time to reassess.
15. Get some help
Proofreading tools have become extremely sophisticated. Subscribing to an app like Grammarly can help make the difference between substandard drivel and sparkling prose. While many of the suggestions thrown up can be dismissed, they’ll offer an occasional gem of advice that justifies the price of admission!
This article was written by Ben Allen for woocontent.com
