style=”color: #888888;”>Thursday is guest post day here at Duct Tape Marketing and today’s guest is Steve Aedy – Enjoy!
Great writers know a thing or two about how great writing is done. After all, that’s their job. For you, the business owner or marketer who needs to do some writing, it’s helpful to know what counts for your particular needs.
I Think, Therefore I Have a Headache
Blogging for business is not like writing a great novel. It’s about getting to the point in as few words as possible. That means thinking, which is painful and annoying, but you have to do it.
“I have only made this letter longer because I have not had the time to make it shorter.” (Letter 16, 1657) – Blaise Pascal, The Provincial Letters
KISS: Keep It Short & Simple
Blog posts are “quick reads” and are often skimmed for key points by people who are very busy. Respect that fact. Format your work with headings and bullet points. Keep your word count at or below 500 words. This is truly a case of “less is more”.
“Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time is wasted.” – Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Ham and Eggs Beats Eggs Benedict
Great authors know that simple is better, fewer words beat lengthy prose and it’s more important to not be misunderstood than to try and make yourself understood with a lengthy explanation.
“To write well, express yourself like the common people, but think like a wise man.” – Aristotle
“Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.” – George Orwell
“The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.” – Thomas Jefferson
Ready, Fire, Aim
A business blog post has a specific target to hit. That target doesn’t always have to be a sales pitch or an attempt at customer retention. Sometimes, that post is just a statement of how your business does business or some other non-sales theme. The point is, write your blog post freely, then edit it to conform to your main point, which you discovered while writing it.
“I write to find out what I’m talking about.” – Edward Albee
“How do I know what I think until I see what I say?” – E.M. Forster
Procrastinate Later…
This brings you to the most important point: write. Procrastination never helps, when it comes to writing. Despite the fact that what you start out with is less than perfect, write. Put down everything you can, then go back and cut out the fluff.
“Don’t get it right – get it WRITTEN!” – Lee Child
The Benefits of “Quick and Dirty”
Avoid the trap of “perfection”. Yes, you do want what you write to be good, but the beguiling temptation to craft exceptional prose is a time waster. This is NOT a novel, nor an excerpt thereof. Make it good and stop.
“Don’t try to be different. Just be good. To be good is different enough.” – Arthur Freed
Summing Up
The Marine Corps of the United States has a proven method of getting a point across to recruits:
- I’m gonna tell ya what I’m gonna tell ya.
- I’m gonna tell ya.
- I’m gonna tell ya what I told ya.
Use this formula when crafting a blog post. After all, I told ya I was gonna tell ya what counts, right?
About the Author:
The article was written by Steve Aedy, who is a staff writer for Fresh Essays – a company that provides online paper writing service and editing help. He likes to write on social media, small business and education related topics. Follow him on Google+.
