Writing (as opposed to word processing)

If 'writing' is literally interpreted as 'handwriting', when it comes to document writing these days, the word,'writing', is a bit of a misnomer, really, isn't it? Today, when a student has an assignment to write or when a business person has a document to prepare, is it literally handwritten with a pen or pencil onto paper? My observations would lead me to believe that it is more likely that the student or the business person 'logs on' to their computer of choice and word-processes the document, from ideas stage through to final copy.

Twenty years ago, writing the same document was a much more time-consuming process. Drafting and redrafting, prior to a finished copy being prepared, all took place by hand. Possibly, the finished copy was typed, but all steps leading to this point were by hand. When I think back on this, I can remember many instances of asking my mother to proofread what I hoped would be the final copy of a school assignment for me with trepidation, knowing that if she found even one or two errors, I would have to start afresh so as to submit a perfect copy. On more than one occasion, this was exactly what happened and I would have to go 'back to the drawing board' and rewrite the entire assignment.

We writers of today are so much more fortunate - all we have to do is hover our cursor at a particular point on the screen, click on the backspace key, and type a correction. The efficiency allowed by the tools we have at our fingertips makes such a difference to our ability to produce writing at the pace and volume at which we do.

Having said all this, I don't think it matters so much whether the document is entirely handwritten, entirely wordprocessed or some combination of the two. As long as the world keeps writing, that's all that matters to me.

http://www.wordwriteforsuccess.com.au/

What is a paragraph?

A paragraph is defined as a collection of sentences which focus on one key idea. That key idea is introduced and expanded upon in the series of sentences. One of these sentences is known as the topic sentence. In most cases, the topic sentence is easy to identify as it appears as the first sentence of the paragraph, however, it is possible for a topic sentence to appear midway through or even as the final sentence of a paragraph.

A good guide to optimal length of a paragraph is four sentences, but there is no definitive length. The four sentence paragraph allows for - topic sentence, expanding sentence, evidence sentence and concluding sentence. One sentence is certainly not sufficient to fulfil the purpose of the paragraph. Conversely, a ten sentence paragraph may cause the the reader to become confused as to the key point the writer intended to convey.

To check whether you have written an effective paragraph, ask five people to read it and have each of them tell you in five words the paragraph's key idea. If their responses are similar (and close to what you hoped to convey), you'll know your paragraph works. If their answers are all quite different, vague or much longer than a five word summary, that's a sign the paragraph needs revision.

http://www.wordwriteforsuccess.com.au/

Font Matters

Often, when I am proofreading a document, especially web copy, I find myself distracted by the font choices the writer has made.

Common font foul-ups:

* wrong font choice for document type - the bottom line is that some fonts were never meant to be used for writing more than a heading and a large heading at that. Try writing a paragraph using Chiller in font size 10 and then reading it back - unless you enlarge it by 200%, you will have a LOT of trouble! I find Times New Roman, Arial, Bookman Old Style, or Georgia (what you are reading now) the best fonts for standard documents. Have fun with the fancy fonts if you are needing to do a one or two word heading, but make sure you adjust the size accordingly.

* too many different fonts used within one document - even if it's a website, consistency is key to your reader absorbing what you have written, rather than the being distracted by the look of it. If it is well-presented, font-wise, the reader won't even notice the font itself. However, the reverse is also true. A document with poorly planned font use is glaringly problematic. A website should use the same font type in every page of the website.

* bold/italic/underline feature overuse - don't overuse features. Just because they are available doesn't mean you need to use them constantly. The reader becomes confused and your message is not effectively communicated. By being selective in the use of these features, you are able to draw the reader's attention to particular points of interest.

* font size variability - using a larger sized font is fine, for example, for a heading, as long as it is distinctly larger. Writing a heading in size 14 font, then writing the following paragraph in size 12 may be too similar. It would be better to use a 16/12 contrast, or, alternatively, maintain font size for the heading and paragraph, but bold or underline the heading.

* CAPITALISING everything - once again, capitalising everything in your document reduces the impact of the message you are conveying. Instead, capitalise KEY words for effect. Some writers entirely avoid capitalisation of whole words, as the reader may perceive unintended aggression in the message.

Next time you are creating a document, keep these simple tips in mind. You'll be happy with the results.

http://www.wordwriteforsuccess.com.au/

Write for Your Audience

When writing, you must keep your reader in mind at all times. This is easier said than done, but ultimately achieveable.

If I am writing a text message to a friend, I'm going to keep it very casual. I might not worry about capitals or full stops, and, correct spelling will probably be sacrificed for the sake of convenience. After all, I want to send the text message quickly, and my friend won't care whether it's a perfect specimen of writing or not.
eg. "Hi cindy...r u up for coffee @ 4" would make complete sense.

An assignment being written for a teacher or university lecturer will be an entirely different story. First of all, you know that what you write and how you write it is going to be marked, usually against a set of criteria which have been clearly stated. These criteria become your guidelines, a kind of 'rule book' as to what is necessary in order to enjoy success. You're crazy if you choose to ignore these guidelines - now is not the time to be writing for your own pleasure or to experiment!

Similarly, in business, keeping in mind the audience for whom you are writing is critical. Often, you are writing for a known client, perhaps in the form of a letter or company report, but, if you are in a marketing phase in business, the audience is not necessarily obvious. Say you want to attract potential clients with written material such as advertising brochures or even shopfront signage. Every word you write must seek to attract attention and elicit a desired response from the reader. As a guide, this kind of writing will remain formal in style, as a reflection of the professional relationship which exists in business.

It is becoming more and more likely that your writing is going to be published electronically these days(such as a blog post like this), as traditional forms of communication are being replaced by the instant result provided by the internet. When was the last time you hand-wrote a letter and mailed it through the post? For me, it was quite a while ago! Anyway, the fact is that with electronic communication it's almost impossible to know for sure who will be reading your writing. However, if we take this blog as an example, it is possible for me as writer to guess at who would be most likely to be still reading. You may be a family member or friend whom I've told about writing a blog and you're just trying to be nice, or, you may be a person who is keen to learn more about writing for different audiences and how writing must alter to suit the expectations of its known or intended reader.

The bottom line is exactly that - knowing what you can humanly know of your reader, ensure every word you write is for them.

http://www.wordwriteforsuccess.com.au/