Here's the second thing I found on the old floppies.
Gyppo
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How can you write a readable article? One to make readers and editors ask for more?
Writers have a problem which tutors don't face. In class I can demonstrate, with much waving of arms and jumping around if necessary. On paper I have only the words to do the business. And words, as we all know, can easily be misunderstood.
Here's one secret, which successful (selling) writers and teachers have been using for years to avoid misunderstandings.
Keep it simple. Write as if it was a letter to a friend. If you've no friend interested in the subject create an imaginary audience of one. But make it a tough one. Not someone who just nods when you say 'you know what I mean'.
My shooting articles of a few years ago were written as if leaning on a fence, 'shooting the breeze'.
Obviously a real conversation isn't as one sided as an article, but visualising a target listener/reader helps you respond to the kind of questions they would ask. And this is the whole purpose of any instructive article. You should be responding, not lecturing.
I sometimes get my students to write 'How to' articles in question and answer format. Providing their own questions and answers. When finished they cross out the questions and see if the answers - read alone - still make sense.
The usual result? Not complete sense, but a solid base of direct and uncluttered information which can be tidied and rearranged to form an article.
Rearranged? Almost invariably, because first drafts hardly ever start at what becomes the printed beginning. Opening lines are often grafted on afterwards to grab attention, and unexpected links will sometimes form when you read it through.
That first reading also reveals any unnecessary repetitions, and the vital bits you've left out.
This method works. Sometimes better than other times, but it works. With practice you can leave out the written questions as you go along. But, when tackling any new subject, it can still be worth writing the questions, to get them straight in your own mind. Know your enemy before tackling them.
Target Reader
The clearer your visualisation the easier it is to pitch content at the right level. Appearing condescending will really turn readers off. Alternatively, you may assume too much existing knowledge, leaving out some basic information without which everything else means nothing.
It often helps to visualise someone just a few years younger than yourself. Similar background, but a few years behind in knowledge. You can't treat this person as an idiot, and you know them well. Because that was you, before you learned what you know now.
I still recall being terrified that I'd hit the wrong keys and wipe everything. So, when I'm teaching others, this is the first thing I reassure them about.
It's not easy stepping back those few years. Once a thing has become instinctive you tend to assume everyone knows what you know.
But think! If that was true you wouldn't need to write the article, would you?
Writing for this magazine (PCW Plus) I can assume the average reader understands the basics of Locoscript. Or can I? The periodic appearance of articles aimed at total beginners proves you have to cater for all needs.
But this is best done by specialised articles, rather than trying to be all things to all people. This also allows you to sell more articles, which is what professional writing is about.
So, keep the reader fixed in your mind. Would they understand? If you ever hear your own voice saying, defensively, 'You know what I mean', stop and think again. They probably don't.
'You know what I mean', is equivalent to a mechanic saying 'It should be alright.' It's a cop-out.
A target reader keeps your style accessible to someone at that level. Vitally important, because information at the wrong level is a waste of time for both reader and writer.
Tuition Direct!
Your approach will also be direct. The best teaching is One-to-One, wherever possible. The most ineffective is when you try to please everyone. I know that sometimes my style - in life as well as writing - alienates a small percentage. But I accept that in return for getting through to most people.
Another benefit is clarity of thought. It is all too easy to get carried away with your own brilliance, especially when the words are flowing freely and beautifully and your fingers are dancing skilfully over the keyboard.
With your target reader in mind you will be thinking as you would talk, rather than as you have been taught to write. At school the ghost of Shakespeare looms threateningly at our shoulder like a stern editor. At University turgid and circumlocutory phrasing may be misconstrued as a sign of literary brilliance. (Bull**** baffles brains.)
Forget both of these when you are instructing. Keep it clear and unambiguous. Use straightforward basic English. If flowery phrases and jargon are your everyday language, fine. Just remember you are restricting your market to a small group of your peers.
Another benefit? It's easier to write, unless your natural gift of expression was totally enchained by a brutally formal education.
Believe me, this approach to writing works. If it didn't, you wouldn't be reading this.
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