Mantras to become a better online writer
There is no singular way to write anything. And thank goodness for that. Imagine living in a world where even words—literally the smallest and the freest unit of expression—are cemented. In my defense, I’ve tried to dabble in all forms of writing: from one-liner puns to two-liner jokes to observant paragaphs to short essays to lazy blogposts to random dialogues (between two people max) to short stories to 5000-words feature articles to a long pending book. And if you ask me, as some youngsters do on LinkedIn, I’d just tell you to read more and write even more. The more you shape your thoughts, the better your output will be. Reading and writing are the yin and yang of literature; sorry for the oriental cliché. If you believe reading is not going to help you, then I am afraid nobody can help you.
Speaking of reading, let me share some mantras to improve your writing online. I hope this post helps you in some way or the other.
Context first, content next: If you are aiming to make it in the world of content, set the context right. Whatever you write needs to have a purpose with respect to the target audience. Writing for everyone won't really work. You have to be sure who you are speaking to in the first place. And that is where context enters the scene. Different types of content appeal to different kinds of people. To understand this diversity, it's best to spend some time on digging deeper on the context required. Think of this exercise as knowing your candidates before you interview them. Homework, basically.
Ask questions to your page: Whatever you read or watch or hear online is an extension of somebody's thoughts. In other words, you are being persuaded to consume. The ultimate purpose here is attention. And as we all know, it's criminally limited. So, the finest way to go about it is to figure out the real purpose behind your content. Why are you so sure about it? What do you aim to achieve with it? How far are you willing to go? Questions like this will help frame your efforts in a more effective manner. Ground work, if you may.
Become the voice of your audience: Everyone advises you to be yourself, right? Well, while you are building content for any platform, it's important to get into the skin of the entity you are writing for. You are basically the voice behind the scenes. So, it's important to set a tone, according to lessons learnt. And how do you do that? By trying to be as acceptable as possible to your target audience. You are not just writing for them, you are connecting with them. This exercise takes time because with the changing market, the audience also changes. But, the overall impact remains. When you say something from a website, you are speaking to them. That is one heck of a responsibility. Be wise in finding that voice.
Marry your words to good design: There is one principle worth holding on to while dealing with words: go with the design. Whatever design flow is in order, think around it, not not above or below it. Mix your thoughts with the chosen design. That way, you will be able to deliver the knockout combo punch of good text+design. Make your words more readable and find a way to enhance the allotted space (always remember there is a limited real estate on a webpage) with your writing. Also, learn from others – see what they are doing that appeals to your creative juice. Build on those ideas as well. Make the most of visual representations. What can be dynamic should be dynamic; what is better off static, let them be static.
Be updated, stay updated: Writing for a website means you are constantly iterating. Nothing is really fixed. Things will change and text will change, and concepts will change, too. In other words, you are constantly working on building a relevant website. A website that actually makes sense. And you do this by keeping a check on every piece of content posted live: from the dates to other information; from design templates to widgets, and so on. Basically, there has to be a regular revision process in place – to ensure nobody points out that your website is not updated. The whole point of a website is for you to inform others.
Learn from others’ struggles: If you are serious about this pursuit, listen to those who have done it already. They should be able to guide you towards making yourself more efficient at what you wish to do. There is no point in reinventing the wheel (or cheese). Always advisable to keep your mind open to new suggestions and see how you can fit in your thoughts there. Writing style varies and so does the audience. There is always going to be a perfect fit: the trick is to find it before it's too late. And chances are, the industry experts must have dealt with your problem(s) long before you did. So, listen up. Make notes and try to inculcate newer perspectives into your writing.
Offline goes online ultimately: Although web writing is considered to be an online vocation, always remember that you are dealing with offline people. So, the more you interact with them, the better your content is going to be. Make an attempt to know your (offline) audience so that you can build an excellent (online) site. This approach can help bridge the gap between what is shown and what is expected. More often than not, we tend to think of a website as an inorganic being. If done right, it can be as organic as the feedback you receive from your daily interactions with people who are mostly offline.