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How To Write for the WebGlenn White The Scanning Reader Writing for the Web is different than writing for print. The differences are slight but significant. First, people don’t really read online; they scan because of what is called the “flicker rate” of a computer monitor. This means people read 25% slower online than in print publications. What does this mean for you as a writer It means you have to write differently to connect with readers. Begin at the End Writing for the Web is like good journalism. Use the old, "Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How" journalistic formula when you write for the web. This is called the inverted pyramid. Put your conclusion at the beginning and then write the details. The Web is a no-nonsense, grab-it-and-go, and give-it-to-me-now medium. You must connect with a reader immediately or you lose them. Write Chunky Since the reader is scanning rather than reading you must break your text down into bite size portions. You’ll notice this article has short, chunky segments. Each segment only needs 75 words or less. This opens up the white space surrounding the text and provides comfortable reading. Chunky writing takes some practice but it is quite easy. When you write chunky, create strong headlines and subheadings. Make your main points and move the reader along. Also, use short bulleted or numbered lists like this: Bullets
See how the text opens up and moves along Sail the High Cs There are four C words you need to know when writing for the Web. Concise
Clear
Clean
Credible
K.I.S.S. Keep It Simple Sweetheart! The last “S” was changed intentionally to a term ala Humphrey Bogart. Because you should never, ever insult your readers’ intelligence. But at the same time, write in easy-to-understand terms and your readers will love you for it. And they will keep reading what you write. Every writer needs a good vocabulary but that doesn’t mean it should be used to make readers feel unlearned or uneducated. The bottom line Keep it simple, encourage and inform your readers with short, clear, crisp writing. Then you will enjoy success as a great web writer! Copyright © 2002 Glenn White
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Publish Anything: The Saga of a PublishAmerica Author My story is that an author who’d done online writing for such dot gones as Themestream, Written By Me, and The Vines, someone trying hard to have fiction, poetry and nonfiction in print for real, recommended PublishAmerica. She claimed it was a traditional book publisher. I was struck with their slogan, “We treat writers the old fashioned way – we pay them.” Wasn’t that what publishers were supposed to do Three Steps To Pump Up The Drama In Your Copy All the world’s a story. Video games have storylines; newspapers report stories; country music lyrics tell a sad tale. An Article about Articles Everyone that publishes a newsletter or ezine knows that the "list" is the most important thing, if you want to be successful with any online venture. To build that list we are told to submit ads to other ezines, join as many ezines as is humanly possible to read in a 24 hour day without food or sleep. And of course write articles. Knock-Out Writers Block: Listening To Your Inner Voice When I was young, I used to talk to myself. Long, drawn out, one-sided conversations. I didn’t have an imaginary friend, I just talked to myself. My mother says that’s why I became a writer: because of my overactive imagination. I admit she may be right. Those conversations currently get me through my worst cases of writer’s block. Pulling Sales with Your Ad Copy One of the best marketing tools available to your internet business is good sales ad copy. This can pull in sales faster than just about anything. The Value of Adding Images to Technical Documentation It’s cliché, but true—a picture does paint a thousand words.This is an important message to remember when writing any sort of user documentation, such as an installation guide or an instruction manual.A document that makes judicious use of images and diagrams will be much easier to understand than one that is composed entirely of text descriptions. |
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