How to Use Triond to Become a Better Writer

 Beautiful!

This material is copyrighted. Please do not distribute/reproduce it without permission. The link to the article may be distributed/reproduced.

Writing for the Web/Internet has become very popular. But we’ve all seen really badly researched and written articles. It’s not necessary if a few things are kept in mind. Become a better writer today!

Research!

Research is the first thing someone who wants to be a better writer needs to do. Content that is always incorrect or untrue will give any writer a bad reputation. Although the tabloids (and politicians) make a lot of money with falsehoods, most people can’t pull that off. Tabloids have better legal teams to fight off libel suits! Someone writing about a subject from personal or professional experience still needs to check the facts. Fields such as science or medicine change quickly; updating is essential. Recipes need to have correct measurements and should be tested to see if they work as written. There is a difference between 200 F and 200 C! Always have the facts on hand before starting any article.

Organise!

Every article, no matter the topic, must have a beginning, middle and ending. Even the shortest piece of work still needs to progress in a logical and orderly fashion. Recipes should begin with the ingredients, in the order in which they are used. Having ideas jumping all over the place makes for confused and unreadable work. Some writers do well by making a formal outline, with headings and subheadings, of the topics an article will cover. Others may just need to make a few notes of the important points. It might help to have labels such as ‘Introduction’ and ‘Summary’ for a formal article. Don’t forget to include references and current links. Try whatever works best to organise the material. It will make the actual writing go more smoothly.

Write!

Having done the research and having organised the material, start writing! It’s not necessary to start at the beginning of the article. Write whatever sections are ready to go. Put them in the proper order after they are complete. Writers often get ‘blocked’ on one part of an article. Go ahead and write a different piece of it. It may help to organise thoughts on another aspect of the work. Use a working title until the ‘real’ title comes to mind; it’s easy enough to change. Write up the references and links, preferably in alphabetical order, if no other inspiration occurs. Just get started writing. Don’t worry about the length. Just say what needs to be said.

Edit!

Now that the first draft of the article has been written, it’s time to edit it. Most Web articles don’t need to be very long. If there is a minimum (or maximum) word count requested don’t go under or over it. Pay attention to and avoid repetition or gaps in the narrative. Avoid long complicated sentences; break them up. Unless the material is highly technical write for a competent secondary school graduate. Minimise jargon in articles meant for a general audience. Explain abbreviations the first time they are used. Above all check spelling, punctuation and grammar. There are enough tools on the Net; use them. Write in the most neutral correct language possible. Slang gets outdated very quickly! Go over the work carefully before hitting the ‘publish’ button. Don’t forget to check after publication. Something may have slipped through as it often does.

Try these simple hints when writing that next article. Use Triond and other Web sites to become a better writer!

Good Luck!

Spay/neuter your pets!
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/pet_overpopulation/facts/why_spay_neuter.html

Shelter strays may get euthanised if not adopted.
http://www.battersea.org.uk/cats/

An online dictionary: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/

Help with grammar: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_grammar