Writing Tips
Top Writing Techniques for 2023
Stick to these tips and write to success.
Writing Trends
By analyzing the data related to over 200 million articles published each month, we can tell which writing trends are popular right now. From vivid word choice to ever-increasing word counts and vanishing characters, here's what you need to know about writing in the digital age.
Article length is increasing At a fast clip. The average size of an article across all publishing platforms increased from 3,800 words in January 2015 to 4,900 words in May 2018, according to the Global News Content Analysis (GNCA).
In other words, it takes more time than ever to publish an article of similar length. And with word counts climbing steadily since 2013, the pressure is on writers who want their work read and remembered by future generations.
Vivid word choice is critical.
People are reading more online than ever before; they are looking for articles that grab their attention. While readers aren't necessarily expecting "WOW" pieces, they want to be inspired. You can certainly boost your impact if you can add some flair to your writing.
In particular, vivid word choice is about finding the right words to convey your meaning. This doesn't mean writing in a "poetic" style (unless, of course, you are writing poetry!) but using words that add real impact.
For example, when writing about a new product, there is no need to use vague words such as "good" or "very good" to describe it. Instead, use words like "amazing" or "revolutionary" to catch your readers' attention. This is a simple way to add some extra punch to your text.
Stick to the subject
If you're going to publish an article, it's essential to find a relevant topic for your readers. Unfortunately, many writers try to include a little bit of everything in their posts only to confuse readers and annoy their online community.
If you want to avoid having your work buried in the sea of content on the internet, you need to write about a topic that your audience is interested in. A great way to begin this process is by understanding your audience, and you can do this by asking a few questions and making a list of the answers.
For example, if you are publishing a writing piece about travel, you can determine what your audience wants to know and why they're interested in the topic. Maybe you learn that many of your readers are interested in specific destinations, and perhaps you can write about one of these places.
Use active voice where possible.
Active voice is about using the "subject" of the sentence as the "main verb." In other words, you're using the person or thing in the sentence as the action. Using the active voice avoids the passive voice, often considered "weak" and "dull."
While some consider this a "trend," others argue that good writing should not rely on fad rules. In any case, it's essential to avoid passive voice in your essay, as it can be confusing and leave your reader feeling bored. Active voice isn't just crucial in grammar; it's also a stylistic choice that can help to improve your writing.
- By using phrases such as "your company is the one that's" rather than "your company is the one," you can make your writing more engaging.
Avoid passive voice at all costs.
Passive voice can be confusing for both readers and writers. However, it's worth noting that it's a stylistic choice, not a writing rule. This means that you can use passive voice in your writing, but you should try to reduce its use.
When you use passive voice, you're not describing the action, and, as a result, it can come across as "dull" and "boring." You want to avoid this at all costs when writing online, and good online content includes direct statements and three to five critical facts with accompanying visuals.
The show doesn't tell
Another "trend" in writing is the shift towards showing rather than telling. This means that you're trying to avoid using words and phrases such as "it is believed," "it is believed that," "it is believed that it is," and so on.
This may seem like a small thing, but it can significantly impact the way you write. For example, if you are writing about a "hot new trend," you can avoid using phrases such as "it is believed that" by showing your readers what the trend looks like. You can do this either by using visuals or explaining how something looks to a typical person.
Keep it short and sweet with a tight plot summary.
According to the GNCA, the average article has a word count of 4,900 words. To help you avoid going over this length, you need to make sure that you keep your writing concise.
This means that you should avoid long sentences, long paragraphs, and long words. An excellent way to keep your writing short and sweet is to use bullet points or bulleted lists to highlight key points. You can also use these lists to quickly summarize your article if a reader doesn't have time to read it from start to finish.
Use visuals wherever possible.
Visual content is one of the fastest-growing trends in online publishing. It would help if you considered including images and videos alongside your text in your articles.
- This type of content is often referred to as "storytelling" content, and it can be an effective way of helping your readers understand your post.
While you should make sure that your visuals are relevant and add something to your post, you can also avoid using "too good" images to be true. For example, you should avoid using stock photos and animations that look like they have been taken from Google Images.
Use contractions more often in writing and speaking
To help avoid "trendiness," writers should avoid overusing (or "bias") words such as "will be," "should be," and "is." Instead, you should use simple and common contractions, such as "don't" and "doesn't."
This will help you avoid overusing words at the expense of creating engaging content. Another "trend" in writing is to make it easier for readers to understand your content, and this means that you should avoid using "stuff" in your articles.
Be Grammatically Correct
As you're working to avoid writing trends and rules, you should also ensure that your grammar is correct. This means that you should avoid using words commonly misspelled and using grammar that isn't correct.
For example, you should avoid using the words "of" and "to" in the middle of a sentence and should also avoid using "be" verbs incorrectly. This can help make your writing more readable and grammatically correct, which will help to increase your chances of being read and remembered.
Write Less is More
While you should undoubtedly avoid writing in a "poetic" tone, you should avoid going "overboard." This means that while you should avoid using loads of "jargon" and "stuff," you should also avoid "boring" content that tells the reader "nothing" new.
To help you avoid going overboard in your writing, you should first use a content analysis tool to analyze the type of content currently being published. You can use these data to help you decide what type of content is most likely to be read by your audience.