EVERY premise in this article was echoed in my creative writing and playwriting classes in college—some of these lessons I still haven’t quite learned, but getting there.
Moral: Hammer hammer it in. Eventually, it will sink in.
This may be inferred in the article but I find that keeping a blog brief is crucial to its quality. Many people can write some good stuff that just goes on and on and on. Break it up with some “headlines” or something within the big block of text to show a new thought or new idea. I find many blogs just hard to read.
Imagine this article without the bold, numbered headers to each new aspect of the content. It would be much more difficult to read, as many blogs are. Remember that you are writing for the WEB and not for print. Jakob Nielsen would smile right now :o)
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Jeri Fallaize
you all sound like god damn smart asses to me?! this was created for your use you dont HAVE to use it you dont HAVE to critisise it?! Somebody probably worked hard on it!
Wow! There’s a lot to think about!!
And it will be hard to use all these hints in a good way!
But it’s great to have some “guidelines” to make a good publication.
I started my own weblog (http://hotopblog.antville.org) in december last year. Now (hopefully) I will improve my efforts… Thanks a lot!!
I believe that this article goes well beyond pure common sense. I’m a newbie at weblogging and will most certainly spread the word to friends to read this. Sometimes we forget don’t understand the simplest things in writing that matter, and through this article I discovered some of my flaws in writing and learned new things about friends and writing with a sense of ‘why should the reader care? I hope I can one day contribute to this truly amazine site I discovered through A LINK IN ANOTHERSITE.
I was certainly inspired and educated by this article. I actually found it by following a link on a Blog I read regularly…one the writer has not found obviously.The link was for www.realworldstyle.com and they linked here…anyway I digress.
I am surprised at all the criticism, but it is interesting to read. I do try to use a spellchecker on my blog, as it distracts me to see spelling errors when I read anything.
This site is definately going into my favorites list and may even find a link on my website.
Thanks for the effort and the inspiration.
I enjoyed the article. It was a good refresher for me on writing. I would like to hear your thoughts on writers block expanded more and how to find inspiration. That would be an interesting discussion/conversation.
Ron
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This article is awesome. It is what inspired me to improve my writing, and it (and its follow-up) continue to be my refreshers everytime I feel I’m losing the plot as far as writing goes. Thank you very much, ALA, for the articles.
After reading some of these comments, however, I’m slightly confused. Perhaps I’m interpretting the article wrong, but I took tip 10 (RE not worrying about correctness) to mean that your first priority is getting the message across instead of getting led astray by strict details of i’s before e’s and semicolons? Maybe the author could clarify if he is not too busy?
I do feel that improvements could have been made to both this article and its follow-up (particularly in the follow-up), where more examples of elegant writing could be given, more examples of “right” and “wrong” and “what sells” and “what smells”. But I guess those must be things we are to figure out on our own…?
Thanks again, ALA, for your inspiration and guidance.
Xiu.
http://www.sanlive.com
—fruit of the mind.
The author has clarity in his words. Although there are a little too many words, I can still see his points very well. A great and helpful (to me) job.
I’m working up to a bit of weaving, now I have leisure.
This article is clear and helpful, and I shall be guided by it.
The “Living Web” is like a guilt-free version of those Christmas letters we all hate. Guilt-free because we don’t send it to anyone, but anyone can read it; and if we make it interesting, maybe someone will.
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John
The best tips on web writing, and general writing for that matter, that I have ever seen. Mr. Bernstein, the next time you are in Philadelphia, I would love to feed you and introduce you to interesting people.
wow.. at first everything aformentioned seemed very obvious, but after a thorough read, there are deeper meanings buried within it. I’ve had my personal website since 1999. What started out as a journal of my adventurous dating life turned into a daily chore. So i stopped completely, and needless to say, to many of my reader’s disappointment. Through the years i have tried to start it up again. but always running into the same wall. Lately I decided to try yet again. And decided to write about deeper things in life, i mean, after all, i AM getting older.
THis article has cemented my desire to make my efforts last. I will surely re-read it when the next time i hit the wall.
100 Reader Comments
Back to the Articleskipper chong warson
EVERY premise in this article was echoed in my creative writing and playwriting classes in college—some of these lessons I still haven’t quite learned, but getting there.
Moral: Hammer hammer it in. Eventually, it will sink in.
Eric J
This may be inferred in the article but I find that keeping a blog brief is crucial to its quality. Many people can write some good stuff that just goes on and on and on. Break it up with some “headlines” or something within the big block of text to show a new thought or new idea. I find many blogs just hard to read.
Imagine this article without the bold, numbered headers to each new aspect of the content. It would be much more difficult to read, as many blogs are. Remember that you are writing for the WEB and not for print. Jakob Nielsen would smile right now :o)
The Old Buzzard
A lot of common sense but very useful common sense.
Thank you for this effort to improve writing on the web, especially in blogs.
The Old Buzzard
Great tips on writing blogs.
Vanyamba
11. Find a good ears
rajesh
Hi david.. i one hundred percent agree with you… web is a medium of free expression.. there’s ‘NO’ musts..
long live free internet..
rk//
Jeri Fallaize
you all sound like god damn smart asses to me?! this was created for your use you dont HAVE to use it you dont HAVE to critisise it?! Somebody probably worked hard on it!
Jeri Fallaize
———x———
irrgarten
Wow! There’s a lot to think about!!
And it will be hard to use all these hints in a good way!
But it’s great to have some “guidelines” to make a good publication.
I started my own weblog (http://hotopblog.antville.org) in december last year. Now (hopefully) I will improve my efforts… Thanks a lot!!
Matthias
Tom Edmonson
11. Identify plugs in the body of your text, not in an end note.
JCruz
I believe that this article goes well beyond pure common sense. I’m a newbie at weblogging and will most certainly spread the word to friends to read this. Sometimes we forget don’t understand the simplest things in writing that matter, and through this article I discovered some of my flaws in writing and learned new things about friends and writing with a sense of ‘why should the reader care? I hope I can one day contribute to this truly amazine site I discovered through A LINK IN ANOTHER SITE.
abhi
nice article. i started mine some 3 months ago.: [http://www.duelcom.com/malani/]
mike
I was certainly inspired and educated by this article. I actually found it by following a link on a Blog I read regularly…one the writer has not found obviously.The link was for www.realworldstyle.com and they linked here…anyway I digress.
I am surprised at all the criticism, but it is interesting to read. I do try to use a spellchecker on my blog, as it distracts me to see spelling errors when I read anything.
This site is definately going into my favorites list and may even find a link on my website.
Thanks for the effort and the inspiration.
Ron Huxley
I enjoyed the article. It was a good refresher for me on writing. I would like to hear your thoughts on writers block expanded more and how to find inspiration. That would be an interesting discussion/conversation.
Ron
Power Tools for Webmasters
Get you site featured at
http://webmastertoolbox.net
Xiu
This article is awesome. It is what inspired me to improve my writing, and it (and its follow-up) continue to be my refreshers everytime I feel I’m losing the plot as far as writing goes. Thank you very much, ALA, for the articles.
After reading some of these comments, however, I’m slightly confused. Perhaps I’m interpretting the article wrong, but I took tip 10 (RE not worrying about correctness) to mean that your first priority is getting the message across instead of getting led astray by strict details of i’s before e’s and semicolons? Maybe the author could clarify if he is not too busy?
I do feel that improvements could have been made to both this article and its follow-up (particularly in the follow-up), where more examples of elegant writing could be given, more examples of “right” and “wrong” and “what sells” and “what smells”. But I guess those must be things we are to figure out on our own…?
Thanks again, ALA, for your inspiration and guidance.
Xiu.
http://www.sanlive.com
—fruit of the mind.
hgfhfg
fdhdfhdfghdfgh
Shaun
The author has clarity in his words. Although there are a little too many words, I can still see his points very well. A great and helpful (to me) job.
Michael Earls
Thanks for keeping your archives available (as you suggest in the article). I’m obviously a lagger, but I appreciate the article. Very nice.
John Wheater
I’m working up to a bit of weaving, now I have leisure.
This article is clear and helpful, and I shall be guided by it.
The “Living Web” is like a guilt-free version of those Christmas letters we all hate. Guilt-free because we don’t send it to anyone, but anyone can read it; and if we make it interesting, maybe someone will.
John
The best tips on web writing, and general writing for that matter, that I have ever seen. Mr. Bernstein, the next time you are in Philadelphia, I would love to feed you and introduce you to interesting people.
justin
wow.. at first everything aformentioned seemed very obvious, but after a thorough read, there are deeper meanings buried within it. I’ve had my personal website since 1999. What started out as a journal of my adventurous dating life turned into a daily chore. So i stopped completely, and needless to say, to many of my reader’s disappointment. Through the years i have tried to start it up again. but always running into the same wall. Lately I decided to try yet again. And decided to write about deeper things in life, i mean, after all, i AM getting older.
THis article has cemented my desire to make my efforts last. I will surely re-read it when the next time i hit the wall.