Write Evergreen Articles with these writing Skills

News Editors know writing skills we should all know.

A Journalist’s approach to writing

Every day when I wake up I pray — I pray that I will write a masterpiece — But every night when I go to bed, reality dawns — I realize that I didn’t.

I get excited knowing that I have to learn some more — I am hooked on the process — and might never write the masterpiece.

I sleep knowing that I have to wake up and write, I have to keep on writing all the while praying, hoping that someday — I will finally write the elusive masterpiece — The truth is I don’t know if I ever will.

But I know if you are reading this — you are called to write the masterpiece!

These last thirty years, I have accepted the fact — Writing is a craft no one perfects — so I have permitted myself to write BADLY — shred it all up and write again. But you can do a better job — write better if you learn from what I am about to share.

Spice up — use Verbs and adjectives!

You must have read a hint of what I am about to tell you in my last article.

It’s buried in the ‘show and not tell’ episode. Everybody talks about verbs, They are macho words, always in action- Verbs give your story momentum. The problem — you know there is a problem when everything said is positive!

Writers who aren’t lazy but love the easy life, use battered beaten up Verbs (fleeing, run, eat, walk, etc) — Instead of writing ‘The suspect fleeing from an angry mob ran across town.’ Why not write — ‘He raced across the street an angry mob hot on his heels’

Not so Adjectives, they are not showy — they paint no picture. They describe — Azure, beautiful, melodious, blaring, screeching, and Abundant are lazily accessible to a tired writer.

Now Picture this, — ‘The beautiful girl fleeing from her deranged boyfriend ran into the blue drug store’ and contrast it with this — ‘The disheveled girl terrified by her deranged boyfriend fled into the drug store’ It takes more muscle — the right verbs — to put your reader right in the middle of the action.

Or evoke emotions — ‘She wailed uncontrollably as she held her dead son’ — tells the reader. Why not involve the reader in the action — ‘Her body wracked in sobs, her gnarled hands cradled the lifeless body of her son, she was inconsolable…’ — did you feel something, some emotion?

Writing shouldn’t be biased. Get out of the story’s way unless you are writing a memoir or sharing personal experiences.

Writing ‘The fearless protestors stood their ground in the face of police brutality’ — betrays your stand on a sensitive issue — Adjectives will unwittingly transmit your feelings.

Here is a good writing creed you should remember;

- Active verbs move the action and reveal the actors.

- Passive verbs emphasize the receiver, the victim.

- The verb ‘to be’ links words and ideas.

Verbs, used passively, can save a marriage. Cheating spouses caught philandering can escape their partner’s wrath under a hail of Passive verbs — ‘It must be admitted now that the situation has been exposed, that mistakes were made whether knowingly or unknowingly we should seek to know….’ At this point the frustrated partner….. your guess is as good as mine!

Does that sound like someone you know? — Shrewd politicians seek protection from the public’s wrath under Passive verbs — ‘The riots are not what you think they are, as you can see we are on top of the situation and are working with all stakeholders to…..’

Esteemed writers of great repute like yourself should communicate — Lean on Active verbs. — ‘I admit a mistake was made, we should resolve it.’ — Active Verbs make your writing brisk- they move the reader forward.

One Last thing about Verbs — raid the armory — raid your Thesaurus load yourself up on fresh unique powerful verbs. For example — Wipe can be Dab or Swipe — Fight can be brawl, clash or scuffle — Eat can be, dine, feed nibble or devour.

Verbosity — Run!

Verbosity also called clutter or deadwood is dangerous. Your readers seek clarity — they care less about your language mastery. The following statement by an English statesman reveals the gravity of the situation — Ouch!

‘A sophistical rhetorician, inebriated with the exuberance of his own verbosity, and gifted with an egotistical imagination that can at all times command an interminable and inconsistent series of arguments to malign an opponent and to glorify himself.’ — Benjamin Disraeli

What the ***, what did he just say? — can you see why you should flee from verbosity?

Writers — new writers are guilty of verbosity. One word is never enough — they must write two words, then three words, then five, — before long, their writing is all winded and verbose.

You may wonder why — probably it’s because writers find a sense of importance in a multitude of words — But the opposite is true. Writers you enjoy reading COMMUNICATE they cut out the clutter.

Your readers, read faster and enjoy your writing better when you combat verbosity.

“I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words, and brief sentences. That is the way to write English — it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; don’t let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in. When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don’t mean utterly, but kill most of them, then the rest will be valuable.” — Mark Twain

Academic papers, reports, and essays can be verbose — Their writers seek to look grand and important — When writing for common folks — the rest of us; It pays to remember we do not know the difference between — epistemology and eschatology — Write in plain English — We will thank you for it!

Strip down your sentences, lay them bare. Cut out every word that serves no function. Every confusing sentence construction — Make your words lean, make them important — use strong Active verbs.

Paragraphs — Craft them!!

Paragraphs are blocks that build your narrative. Interesting paragraphs hold the reader’s attention. Detailed research, strong intellectual argument — paragraphed poorly will lose your reader — It’s wasted effort when no one reads beyond the second paragraph of your glorious writing.

Writers people love to read — spend endless hours crafting paragraphs — The magic of a good read is in an interesting word — strung into an exciting sentence — Harmonized to perfection in a paragraph.

Sweat, labor, toil over the paragraph and yours will be the world.

“I write every paragraph four times — once to get my meaning down, once to put in anything I have left out, once to take out anything that seems unnecessary, and once to make the whole thing sound as if I had only just thought of it.” — Margery Allingham

Here are a few rules to help you write attention-grabbing paragraphs — And like all writing rules feel free to break them if you must!

Rule # 1 — Write a topic sentence first — Or break the rule — Conclude your writing with a topic sentence — Better still become creative, throw it in there somewhere, or restate it at the end — But for the love of writing emphasize your topic for clarity’s sake!

If you are really good- Imply your topic — That’s what good writers do.

Rule # 2 — A good eye backed by a logical mind crafts attractive paragraphs. Break your paragraphs where you must — aid your reader’s eye movement.

Breaking a paragraph in two -

Even if it’s not necessary — it is VISUALLY important!!!

Okay, but again too many short paragraphs written back to back read like a commercial Ad — How should you balance? — Moderation is key — aim for a sense of order.

Rule # 3 — One-sentence paragraphs are like signposts; they point the reader to where you want them to go.

They lighten your voice, vary the pace, and rest your reader. They should be strong enough to withstand the withering attention they will receive under glaring eyes.

‘A single tree standing alone in the desert is easily scorched, not so a forest!’

Rule # 4 — When Writing business or technical articles, focus on writing an ideal paragraph. A paragraph that is long enough to explain the subject of its topic sentence — It should be broken every time the subject changes.

Aid your readers’ understanding of how you structure your paragraphs. Too many underdeveloped paragraphs and the reader will rate your writing as mediocre. Too many long paragraphs and his mind will be fuzzed — The trick is knowing where to change your subject.

Important Rule to Remember:

Concrete paragraphs standing like skyscrapers block the reader’s view — They won’t be read — Break them — Provide plenty of white spaces — have the right indentation — Color them up. — Start each paragraph differently!

Too much has been said about the paragraph — it’s time to take a breather — As a rule of thumb, remember — There is no constraining formula in crafting paragraphs, follow the rules and you will be fine — only break them if you know how to…

Practice — and Practice some more!

“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master” — Ernest Hemingway

Thrill your readers, let your writing captivate and enchant. Hone your writing talent — the skills shared herein, incorporated in your writing style, and practiced faithfully will color your prose.

You may never win the greatest writer accolades — because none of us ever will — but you will be a better writer today than you were yesterday- and someday you may just write THE masterpiece.

This was the second and final part of this article if you enjoyed reading it please read the first part here: