Edit What You Write

I am a busy person.  I check the computer many times each day in order to pull orders as they come in.  Once or twice a day, when I log in, I quickly check my emails, forum postings, and blogs that I follow regularly.  And I have no interest in along self-indulgent email or post about something of little importance to anyone other than the person who wrote it.  Fortunately, I don’t run across these very often and I read by scanning. 

But your customers may not be speed readers and will quickly go to something else if you don’t catch their attention immediate and KEEP IT!

Here are some tips for doing just that!

  • When writing business memos, letters, blog posts, emails, and articles, get to the point quickly and don’t digress from your message.  Follow the journalist’s mantra of include who, when, what and why in the first paragraph.
  • One of the most important things that I learned in writer’s workshops was that it is best to set your work aside for a few days, let it season, and then come back and reread it before clicking send.  That’s not always possible in today’s fast-paced techno world, but at least take the time to read through it again before sending it off.
  • If you’re a fisherman, you know you have to keep the tension on that line all the way from the time you hook that trout until you reel him in.  A reader shyould feel the same sort of tension.  Otherwise, just like that big fish, you’ll lose him!
  • If you’re writing something that will be around for awhile, such as an article, it helps to read it out loud.  Some writers read into a tape recorder and then play it back.  If you stumble while reading or something doesn’t sound right to your ears, it may not read right either.
  • Remember to use short words, short sentences, and short paragraphs. 

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