3 Writing an article
As you become more experienced at writing, you will develop an approach that consistently works for you. This article provides a starting approach that you can modify as you learn.
Note that these articles are presented for those who are trying to be factual and honest in their communications with their audience. The emphasis is on trying to be consistent and reasoned in the narrative. Conversely, creating writing is about messing with readers' heads and challenging them, just because the intent is to envelop them in the writer's make-believe world. The reader is meant to suspend their disbelief and go along for the ride. Many of these articles will equality apply to fiction and non-fiction, as the process of building a believable narrative is the same.
The main part of the approach is to work backwards from what the reader needs, so that what to include can be definitively decided based solely upon that. Working forward typically picks up too much just in case it can be used baggage information, and increases the risk of being distracted from the goal.
- 1.Identify who your target audience is
- 2.Decide what knowledge, skills, understanding or emotional stance you want your readers to have at the end
- 3.Decide upon the heading for your article
- 4.Write an introducti
on that encapsulates what the article is about - 5.Decide The all-important narrative that will get the reader to the desired end state
- 6.Decide what blocks of
informati on will support each step of the narrative, favouring depth over coverage - 7.Approach each block in the same way
- 8.Re-read after a couple of days to ensure it still makes sense
- 9.Edit as necessary
- 10.Periodically revisit to make sure the content is still relevant.
If you are writing for your site's home page, then the focus is on the site as a whole. It is not a focussed article, so treat it as a showcase for your site. Be liberal with your links to what your site has to offer.
A lot of attention is on pictures and videos these days, but do not underestimate the use of words. While a picture may be useful for gaining your site's visitors' immediate attention, words will directly engage and modify their beliefs. For more about the power of words, read Words tell the story.