Luke Dench – Innovation

Write More, Write Faster – Plan Your Writing For Success

// November 27th, 2009 // Comments Off // Writing

Want to write more and write faster too? Let’s discover the secrets of great writing habits, which completely eliminate procrastination and writer’s block.

Great writing habits start when you realize that writing is a process. Although others’ writing (including articles and books) may seem effortless – as though a piece of writing has been written in a single seamless session – that’s always far from the case.

If you understand the writing process, and that it’s messy and chaotic, then your own scrambled writing process will seem natural to you, because not only is it completely normal, but you’ll realize it’s essential.

You can’t create without chaos. If you try, you’ll choke your writing. Writing will be difficult, if not impossible.

Let’s look at three tips which will help you to get comfortable with chaos and to write more and faster too.

1. Set writing goals – what do you want to write?

All writing starts with setting goals for yourself: process goals, which only you can accomplish, and which you control.

For example, you may set a goal to have your writing appear in a particular magazine, or on a specific Web site by a certain date. This is a worthwhile goal, however it’s not a process goal that’s solely under your control.

A process goal would be: “By ________ (date) my essay for _______ (magazine name) is complete.”

Always set process goals – goals which you control. Yes, you can set financial goals, however the basis of all your financial goals MUST be process goals. There’s no point in setting a goal of making £250,000 a year from your writing if that goal isn’t supported by many process goals – if you don’t write enough, you won’t sell enough. It really is that simple.

So set process goals, and enter the daily tasks you must complete to meet those goals into your planner.

Break the tasks down – chunk them.

2. Separate planning, drafting and writing

Writing is a process which involves planning, drafting and writing.

Always chunk your writing process right down.

For example, I plan the articles I’ll write the following week each Sunday. I write the topics, the titles, and the outlines for all the articles.

During the week, I draft the articles further, and then I write them. Drafting for me involves a combination of free writing and mind maps. I separate the draft for a project from the writing by at least one day, often by a week.

3. Down-size your expectations while you write

I hope you have great expectations for your writing. Confidence is vital.

However, when it comes to the actual writing process, take the pressure off. All I expect from myself during a writing session is that I write – that I complete a certain number of words, and that those words are formed into sentences. That’s all.

Writing is a whole-brain exercise. It’s creative and mysterious. If you read the first draft material of any professional writer you’ll get a shock. It’s a mess, and that’s fine. The writing muse sends you hints, which you write down.

Over several sessions, a project takes shape. If you demand that your writing is like typing, that the finished project gushes from your fingertips like water from a tap, you’ll be disappointed.

If you take the above tips to heart, you’ll find writing easy. And once that happens, you’ll write more, and write faster too.

Web Writing Tips – A Writing Tip For Every Occasion

// November 27th, 2009 // View Comments // Writing

Every webmaster–even those who have been writing for the web for awhile–can benefit from a good writing tip. The following 10 tips are guaranteed to improve your copy and make writing for the web easier. Although most of the tips are geared toward the average webmaster, they can be implemented by anyone who is writing for the web.

Webmaster Writing Tip #1: Write What You Know

Although every webmaster has already heard this writing tip, it is worth mentioning. Writing what you know is always the best policy when writing for the web. There’s a lot of bad info online already–no sense in adding more.

Webmaster Writing Tip #2: Research What You Write

Since writing what you know isn’t always practical when you’re writing for the web, you should at least research what you write. This will help you turn fuzzy knowledge into viable facts.

Webmaster Writing Tip #3: Use Correct Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation

Using correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation is really important when you’re writing for the web. When in doubt, look it up.

Webmaster Writing Tip #4: Try to Answer Questions

Writing for the web is a lot like writing for a newspaper. You need to answer all of the essential questions that a user might have. Think who, what, when, where, and why.

Webmaster Writing Tip #5: Pick a Keyword

When you’re writing for the web, you should pick at least one keyword or key phrase to stick with from the beginning of the article to the end. This tells search engines and human readers what your article is about.

Webmaster Writing Tip #6: Use Lots of White Space

Writing for the web is not like writing a book or a column. You should have lots of white space in between text. It makes your article appear cleaner and more appealing to readers who like to scan information.

Webmaster Writing Tip #7: Keep It Short

When it comes to writing for the web, shorter is better. Internet users have limited time and short attention spans–they don’t want to sift through lengthy text. The ideal word count for a web article is between 250 and 500 words.

Webmaster Writing Tip #8: Choose a Good Title

A good title is important when you’re writing for the web. Titles tell readers and search engines what articles are about. The best titles pique curiosity or give readers something they want.

Webmaster Writing Tip #9: Edit What You Write

It is easy to fall in love with what you have written, but you need to learn how to cut the fluff. This is especially true when you are writing for the web. As stated earlier, Internet users have limited time and short attention spans. In other words, they have no patience for a chatty webmaster.

Webmaster Writing Tip #10: Proofread What You Write

Writing for the web is no different than writing for any other media. You must proofread what you write. If you forget every writing tip you heard today, remember that one. It is probably the best writing tip you will ever get.