This week, I’m going to wrap up my series of posts about hard-to-define elements of writing, like emotion, structure, theme, and flow. This post will cover writing tone, which reflects the writer’s attitude about his or her topic and audience. You know how important tone is in conversation (think about how a switch from formal…
Category Archives: Writing Fundamentals
Create a Solid Structure to Help Readers Navigate Your Ideas
Strong writing is made up of many components: grammar, flow, style, word choice, and of course strong ideas. But, none of these things alone will help you communicate effectively, and even the right combination of these elements will only confuse readers without a solid structure. Structure is the foundation on which the other components rest,…
Working With Word Count: How Long Should Your Business Document Be?
At its simplest, word count is just a number: the number of words in your case study, brochure, website page, or e-book. You may wonder, then, why you need to be concerned about it. It’s the number of words; so what? When you are preparing to write a document, you should know the intended word…
10 Questions to Ask Before Writing Any Business Document
If there’s one thing that can help you be more successful in writing, it’s careful planning. Before you even begin researching or drafting a website, blog, article, brochure, case study, elevator speech, e-book, grant proposal, or other business document, you need to ask yourself some basic questions. Here are a few to get you…
5 Keys to Writing Project Success – Part V: Finalization
This is Part V in a five-part series on keys to writing project success. In Part I, I introduced the topic, suggesting that a document may be good (i.e. well written, well organized), but not successful. I defined a successful writing project as one that “delivers not just the necessary content, but also the higher-level factors…
5 Keys to Writing Project Success – Part IV: Revision
This is Part IV in a five-part series on keys to writing project success. In Part I, I introduced the topic, suggesting that a document may be good (i.e. well written, well organized), but not successful. I defined a successful writing project as one that “delivers not just the necessary content, but also the higher-level factors…
5 Keys to Writing Project Success – Part III: Drafting
This is Part III in a five-part series on keys to writing project success. In Part I, I introduced the topic, suggesting that a document may be good (i.e. well written, well organized), but not successful. I defined a successful writing project as one that “delivers not just the necessary content, but also the higher-level factors…
5 Keys to Writing Project Success – Part II: Research
This is Part II in a five-part series on keys to writing project success. In Part I, I introduced the topic, suggesting that a document may be good (i.e. well written, well organized), but not successful. I defined a successful writing project as one that “delivers not just the necessary content, but also the higher-level…
5 Keys to Writing Project Success – Part I: Planning
Good writing and successful writing are two different things. In the context of developing a website, brochure, newsletter, press release, or case study, you could thoroughly understand organization, flow, theme, brand, and grammar. Your logic could be flawless. You could compose a stunning document that is a pleasure to read. And you could still miss the…
Better Writing in 10 Minutes
No matter where you are on the writing skill scale, there is always room for improvement. While working toward better writing does take practice and time, there are things you can do that are quick and easy. Here are some simple suggestions for improving your writing right now. None of them should take more than…
