Improve Your Article Writing Overnight

I’m learning fast, and I’m taking you with me.

“It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be” — Paul Arden

We all want to learn from experts, but there’s a lot to be gleaned from beginners too.

Why? Because beginners are rarely complacent. They go about their days actively seeking new skills. They experiment. They’re always listening, information rushing to their heads like Prosecco on an empty stomach.

Take me. I’m a freelance copywriter, but I’ve overwhelmingly worked on website copy. I know all about weaving in brand identity, ensuring clarity of ethos, stripping out the sales pitch in favour of storytelling, etc., etc. Article writing? Not so much.

But in just three weeks of intense reading and quiet observation, I’ve learnt more than I thought possible. I’ve even somehow achieved a c.70% curation rate on Medium (though time will tell if that’s beginners luck). I may not be a good writer yet, but I’m improving at speed.

Here’s everything I now know.

Have something to say

As a writer, it’s so easy to focus on craft instead of content. But that’s selfish. You might enjoy weaving a thick tapestry of simile and metaphor, but your reader needs to get something out of the experience too. It can be sharing what you’re learning, teaching what you know, or entertaining with your stories, but you need to give something every time you write.

Write like a hippy, edit like a fascist

The first part is easy for me: I can write freeform until my wrists are numb, especially if it’s past the witching hour and I have wine. And it’s important with your first draft to just let everything flow. That’s where raw, honest writing comes from; where you find diamonds in the rough.

Here’s the thing though. You must be absolutely ruthless when you edit. Anything not adding to your story has to be axed, even if you’re proud of the way it reads. Don’t just edit once, edit a few times. If you can, leave a few hours between each edit. When it’s concise and tight, it’s ready.

Contract your linking verbs and cut out excess words

“I am so glad that I was not there to see him as he was leaving” vs “I’m glad I wasn’t there to see him leave”. You decide.

For the record, squishing in too many words is a personal weakness. I love words: I’m obsessed with them. But it’s not effective to over-describe or to be too formal. If you start editing with brevity in mind, your writing will transform. Promise.

Space… things… out

Readers don’t like a wall of words of coming at them, apparently. (I guess it makes sense, who wants a wall of anything coming at them?) Lots of white space allows your work to breathe, and it prevents people from getting bored or overwhelmed.

Try subheads too, or perhaps just different sections to separate your ideas. For the most part, readers love writing that’s easy and enjoyable to consume.

Wake up people’s senses

Humans are generally tactile creatures. We like to feel, see, touch and taste all the time. If your writing can sneak in something delicious or evocative, it should.

Bonus points for a thoughtful description that’s not clichéd. Sunshine isn’t just bright or yellow, it can be cool and lemony, soft and buttery, rich and honeyed. You know the drill.

Read your work aloud

Of everything on this list, reading aloud has improved my article writing the most. If I get bored or confused while reading, I know my sentences are too fussy or too long.

This technique can also help you assess structure and content. When you read aloud, it becomes instantly clear if a) your paragraphs don’t lead on clearly from one another or b) you’re not actually saying enough of value.

Linger over your title and opening lines

Spend as long on your title and subtitle as the piece itself or it’ll get buried in the pile, however amazing it is. Titles should give an honest overview of the article or your readers will feel cheated for wasting their time on it; subtitles should add personality or they’ll worry the piece will be boring too.

I’m not going lie, crafting a killer opener is even harder than getting the title right. Your first lines should line grab a reader’s attention by surprising them, placing them in the picture or piquing their curiosity. Above all, they should give your reader a reason to keep reading.

Every article needs a conclusion (even this one)

It’s unsatisfying when a story fizzles out too soon like a dud sparkler on bonfire night. The best conclusions I’ve read get to the heart of the article’s message, but in a way that isn’t heavy-handed. And by heavy-handed, I mean listing out every single point covered in the piece. No one has time for that.

Sometimes, a good conclusion is funny or surprises readers with a last-minute twist. Or you can use it to wrap up loose ends. Whatever you go for, just make sure you allow yourself time to conclude rather than dashing off something thoughtless and being done with it. Mull over what you’d like to leave readers with, how you’d like to bow out.

I never thought I’d enjoy writing about writing, but here we are. Sometimes life surprises you. This piece flowed from fingers in the time it took to drink my morning coffee, and I’m already itching to create part two. Let me know if that’s something you’d like. Or tell me to get lost. Whatever.

I just hope you keep on writing — and striving to do it well.

Here’s part two!