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Articles for
Writers: How to, Tutorials, Facts, and Tips
These articles provide writers with the information they
need to hone their writing skills. And, really, everyone is a writer. You
may not write books, blogs, or magazine articles, but you do write. Think of
all the things you write: reports to the boss, notes to friends, e-mails,
business letters, and request for information. Why not write right? These
writing articles will help you do exactly that! |
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Writing Quicklinks:
Some general tips on writing
- Use less words. That's a direct quote from Strunk and White. Most
people use bloated prose. For example, instead of "in order to" just say
"to." They mean the same thing.
- Kill adverbs. Use the correct verb to convey the idea you wish to
convey.
- Kill redundant modifiers. Rather than say "He ran very quickly,"
just say "He ran." Running is, by definition, quick. In order of speed,
we crawl, walk, and then run.
- Kill useless modifiers. Something cannot be "very unique." It either
is one of a kind or it is not.
- Eliminate irrelevant statements. These simply detract from the
message you are trying to convey.
- Organize your thoughts into a logical sequence. This just makes it
easier to follow what you are saying and absorb it, versus a free
association meandering style.
- Think in terms of clarity. Keep asking, "How clear is this?" This
helps you stay on target in getting your message across so that you are
understood.
- Use active voice, but not slavishly. The big advantage of active
voice is it makes things clear. When you say, "Bill fixed the problem"
there is no doubt about who did what and who deserves credit.
- Pay attention to spelling, sentence structure, and general issues of
grammar. Mistakes here can completely change the meaning from what you
intended to something entirely different. Maybe even the opposite.
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