1. Get to the point. One of the biggest mistakes when writing an article is to over-complicate a sentence. Good writing is not about showing off how many long words you know. Good writing is about delivering information clearly and effectively. If it takes you three long sentences to explain that the Ravens beat the 49ers, then you’re doing something wrong. But If you can deliver information clearly and in as few words as possible, then you’re a good writer.
2. Have a voice. Blog articles are more relaxed than newspaper articles. If you’re writing an article for TheUrbanTwist.com, you’re not just regurgitating a news story. In terms of content, this means you need to add your own opinion or humor In terms of writing, this means you should not be writing in a dry, descriptive newsy style.
3. Stay on topic. If you’re writing about one specific topic, like a review of the Galaxy S3, then stick to that topic in your article. If you mentioned the iPhone 5 while talking about the Galaxy S3, don’t be tempted to veer off into a whole paragraph about that. The Galaxy S3 is your topic. Stay on topic. You may or should however be able to do a separate comparison type article between the iPhone and Galaxy S3 using the example above where you can dig more into the relationship between the two phones.
It may sound difficult to combine all three of the tips above. But if you can write clearly and efficiently about one topic, and do so in your own voice while adding opinion and/or humor, then you’ll be writing good articles and essays.
For more general writing advice, read Sara Christensen’s Six Ways Blogging Differs From Other Types of Writing.
Also See:
- Topic Selection
- Strong Introductions
- Article Length
- Article Structure
- Spelling and Grammar
- How to Get More Links
- How to Get More Comments
Back to TheUrbanTwist.com Writer’s Guide.
