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Overview

We live in an age when videos and pictures are widely available. Therefore, who needs to write anymore?

But it’s important to write well, especially in today’s world. If you don’t write well, no one will read your website or blog.

To write well, you need to dedicate time and attention to your craft. These key points provide some handy hints and simple rules to help you not only improve your daily writing but also win customers with your words.

In the following points, you’ll learn why having an ugly first draft is better than writing a beautiful one that no one will read. You’ll also learn how to write less and get more done by focusing on your client’s needs rather than your own.

Big Idea #1: If you’ve a message you want to get out to the world, you need to know how to write it well.

Writing is an important skill in today’s world. With the internet, words have become currency and a way to communicate with others. Companies need to pay attention to how they use their words on websites and social media if they want success.

Companies shouldn’t use jargon or unclear language on their websites, because people will simply turn away.

Writing is extremely important. The good news is that anyone can become a great writer, if they follow the right steps.

Before you write, identify your goal. What do you want to accomplish with what you’re writing? Then, find the data that will prove your point.

If you have to write an article about a restaurant opening, start by thinking about who is going to read it. In this case, people who like to eat out and families or couples will be the audience. Next, look for data on the restaurant and its menu as well as when it’s opening. Now you’re ready to write!

Big Idea #2: Your first draft will be ugly; embrace it! Then take the time to edit it, paying attention to word choice.

So, the first step to writing is defining goals. Most of us don’t get past this step because starting to write is hard and we expect too much from ourselves. We can’t just grab a pen and start writing a masterpiece; it’s unrealistic.

Writing is a process. It’s like taking a piece of stone and carving it into something beautiful. So, don’t be discouraged by your first draft because you can always rewrite it later on.

You’re writing a film review of a movie that’s very complex and you don’t know where to start. You can write down your ideas as best as possible, knowing there will be gaps in your text for things like “insert example” or “need to add more.” Once you do this, you’ll get an idea of the strengths and weaknesses of your first draft, which will help guide how to improve it next time.

The next step is to make sure your draft is understandable. You can do this by making sure the reader doesn’t misunderstand you or get distracted from your message.

Line editing is a more specific way of checking over your writing. You look at every line and delete words that don’t fit, are redundant, or are cliched.

Big Idea #3: To keep a reader, you need to grab him early. Get to the point, and quickly.

The start of a sentence is the most important part. If you get that wrong, your reader will stop reading your message. To grab people’s attention, make sure you place the most important words at the beginning of each sentence.

The first sentence should engage the reader and pique their interest. It should be able to capture the readers’ attention immediately! Let’s look at a great example from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “According to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy, released in 2006 by the U.S. Department of Education, 30 million adults struggle with basic reading tasks.” That’s an amazing way to start off a paragraph!