Writing Meme: Roar for Powerful Words

Katharine Swan has tagged me for a Roaring writers meme, the point of which seems to be to offer three writing tips I “believe are necessary to make writing good and powerful.” Here goes…

1) Step into your readers’ shoes. Whether you’re writing sales copy for the latest tech gadget or you’re writing an informational article on the health benefits of buying organic produce, your writing won’t be powerful unless you can reach your reader. To do that, you’ll have to know who your reader is, what he’s looking to learn or buy, what his motivations/desires are behind that learning or buying, and how you can best connect on a personal level with that reader. I try to imagine what I’d be looking for if I were the reader and write accordingly. It’s a system that generally works for me.

2) Leave room for the reader to make up her own mind. I’ve heard that in composing music, the rests (silences) are what makes the piece most powerful. I believe it’s the same with writing. If you tell someone what to do (or buy), it might work, but you’ll likely be more successful leaving room for someone to form his own opinion (or make her own buying decision) based on the information you give and the way you deliver that information.

3) Be original. There’s so much regurgitated writing out there, from news to general web content, that reading online can make for a dull experience. The best, most engaging pieces I’ve ever read (in any genre) are ones that offer a clearly unique point of view or previously unheard-of information.

Others I’d like to see roar about writing (if they haven’t already participated):

Jeanne Dininni of Writer’s Notes
John Hewitt of Writer’s Resource Center
Tom Colvin of Becoming A Writer Seriously
James Chartrand of Web Content Writer Tips
Opal Tribble of Addicted to Writing