{"id":22337,"date":"2014-11-11T18:01:38","date_gmt":"2014-11-11T10:01:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/?p=22337"},"modified":"2021-06-21T19:50:29","modified_gmt":"2021-06-21T11:50:29","slug":"article-writing-sins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hongkiat.com\/blog\/article-writing-sins\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 6 Sins Of Article Writing"},"content":{"rendered":"

A wise man once said: \u201cTell me where I\u2019m going to die, so I won\u2019t go there.\u201d One way to figure out how to do something is to figure out how not<\/em> to do it first<\/strong> \u2013 then invert.<\/p>\n

Take article writing, for instance. To learn it, you can either (1) plow through a ton of Internet resources on the do\u2019s of article writing<\/a>; or (2) keep an eye out for these basic, but important, boo-boos, and cut them out as soon as you spot them. Here, I\u2019ve put together the 6 sins of article writing.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Recommended Reading:<\/strong> Tips And Tricks For Writing Fast (And Professionally!)<\/a><\/p>\n

1. Missing Mission<\/h2>\n

Problem:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

You want to talk about Topic 1, but you\u2019re also itching to discuss Topic 2. Oh, and Topic 3 also looks interesting, but then there\u2019s Topic 4\u2026<\/p>\n

And then there\u2019s the rub. If you don\u2019t have a clear, singular idea of what your article is about<\/strong>, or what you want your article to do for your audience, you\u2019ll struggle with the rest of your piece<\/strong>. Your travel article may end up looking like a personal blog post, or your sales copy may look as though it\u2019s more appropriate for a user\u2019s manual.<\/p>\n

Solution: <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Imagine what your ideal reader looks like<\/strong>. Then, imagine that you\u2019re facing this person right now, and the person asked you: \u201cHow would you sum up your topic in one sentence?\u201d Give the most concise answer you can come up with, and try to center the rest of your article around your answer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

And\u2026Presto! You have a focused, coherent article that doesn\u2019t try to be too many things at once.<\/p>\n

2. Ho-Hum Headline<\/h2>\n

Problem:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Your article is otherwise informative, engaging, and bookmark-able, but you\u2019re getting only a handful of hits for it. If that\u2019s the case, you may need to work on your headline<\/strong>, since 8 out of 10<\/a> people read headline copy, but only 2 out of 10 will read the rest.<\/p>\n

Solution:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Many writers prefer to start with a headline and write their article from there, but your case may be different. If so, you can write the article first, figure out the article\u2019s main benefit for your target reader, and compose your butt-kicking headline based on that benefit<\/strong>. For example, instead of a so-so and done-to-death headline like \u201cHow to Write a Good Article\u201d, you can use \u201cArticle Writing 101: 5 Steps to Wowing the Socks Off Your Readers\u201d.<\/p>\n

Be careful not to use hyperbolic words in your headline<\/strong>, though. If you develop a reputation for writing click-bait articles (i.e. articles that have attention-grabbing headlines but have little in the way of good content), your readers won\u2019t be so keen on clicking an article of yours the next time it shows up in their feed.<\/p>\n

3. Sub-Par Sub-Headings<\/h2>\n

Problem: <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

You managed to reel readers in through your headline. But, for some reason, these readers don\u2019t seem to take time to read your article<\/strong>, as evidenced by your high bounce rate<\/a>. It could mean that you don\u2019t use enough sub-headings<\/strong>, or your sub-headings just aren\u2019t as interesting as your headline.<\/p>\n

Solution:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

As a writer, you may be wary of \u201clisticles\u201d (articles in list form) in general. Here\u2019s the thing, though: Sub-headings break up your article\u2019s intimidating walls of text, making it more digestible for your readers<\/strong>. Sub-headings don\u2019t have to get in the way of your creativity; in fact, they\u2019re actually great for exercising those wordsmithing muscles.<\/p>\n

For example, you may have noticed that every sub-head in this article (with the exception of the one for the conclusion) uses an alliterative pair of words<\/strong>. They give a nice rhythm to the article, and will (hopefully) make the points here easier to remember.<\/p>\n

4. Prissy Prose<\/h2>\n

Problem: <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a sentence. This is another sentence. I will follow up the last sentence with another sentence. This sentence ends this paragraph.\u201d<\/p>\n

Individually, those last few sentences are grammatically correct, but together they sound \u201coff\u201d<\/strong>. They\u2019re robotic, lifeless, and feel as though the writer just wanted to hammer out some words and get his job over with.<\/p>\n

Solution:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

You may have heard this advice before, but it bears repeating: Write like you talk<\/strong>. Or, more accurately, write like how your best self would talk: confident, authoritative, and respectful of your audience\u2019s sensibilities.<\/p>\n

5. Wordy Words<\/h2>\n

Problem: <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s possible to take the whole \u201cWrite like you talk\u201d thing too far<\/strong>, though. For example: \u201cHey, uh\u2026 I just want to talk to you about article writing, and I have so many things to say, and they\u2019re quite important, so\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Solution: <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Admittedly, I\u2019m guilty of this too. What I do is write a draft as fast as I can, then cut out all the unnecessary adjectives, adverbs, usage of passive voice, \u201cbe\u201d-verbs,\u201dthat\u201d, and \u201cthere\u201d later<\/strong>. I don\u2019t always follow this rule to the letter, though, since there are times when including those \u201cunnecessary\u201d words actually makes the article flow better.<\/p>\n

6. Constipated Conclusion<\/h2>\n

Problem:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve poured so much of your creative energies into crafting your headline, intro, and body, that you forgot to save some for your conclusion. You end up with parting words that feel flat, and leave readers feeling cheated<\/strong> somehow.<\/p>\n

Solution:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t give away everything in your intro<\/strong>. The intro\u2019s job is to hook your readers in, while showing them the general premise of your article. The conclusion\u2019s job<\/strong>, on the other hand, is to tie up the loose ends in your premise<\/strong>, while leaving your readers with a feeling that they\u2019ve just alighted gracefully from \u2013 rather than thrown out of \u2013 the train that is your thought.<\/p>\n

Anything Else?<\/h2>\n

Personally, I\u2019m a \u201ckeep a few guidelines in mind\u201d kind of writer, rather than a \u201cstick with a ton of rigid rules at all times\u201d writer. When you\u2019ve been in the wordsmithing business long enough, you tend to develop an instinct for what works and what doesn\u2019t, and that spills over into your work<\/strong>. The best advice I can give is this: Write often and long enough<\/a>, and you\u2019ll master those pesky writing \u201crules\u201d in no time.<\/p>\n

Here Are More Articles On writing\u2026<\/h2>\n