The Internet has done amazing things for writers. Many of us now work from home, dictating our own assignments and our own hours. Long gone are the tyrannical editors and lingering around the newsroom until 2 AM. This change is entirely due to the Internet and the explosion of websites that need content! Content! Content!
Unfortunately, in the mass push to produce, the creativity and the art of storytelling is often lost. The basic structure of storytelling requires a beginning, middle and an ending. If you write to this structural pattern, your writing will improve and you will be paid more for all of your work.
Despite the zaniness and beautiful creativity of Groupon pieces, most of them could be better. They are usually perfect examples of a great beginning.
A great beginning intrigues your readers and encourages them to read more. Think about drawing your reader into your piece. The style can be fun or straightforward. The key to a great beginning is to pique interest and state what the article is about. If you are writing short do, this with your title.
The middle of your article is where the meat is. This where you will explore with readers why you are writing your article. Think about teaching your reader and entertaining them. You’ve got them reading so now you need to keep their interest. Some tips for making a great middle include:
- Break up technical specs into small paragraphs and follow them with softer creative explanations. The idea here is preventing that glassy-eyed gaze from forming.
- Use bullets to separate out key points and enliven the visual impact of your piece.
- Be clear in your grouping of subject matter and materials. You know what you are writing about but readers can easily get lost.
- Connect your ideas together with words with effective transitions so your readers can fluidly read through your article without getting tripped up.
- Short and sweet is always better. Today’s reader has less time and a shortened attention span.
- Be thorough. Despite being to the point, your article needs to be useful and powerful. You may need to break your article down to achieve short and thorough. Breaking topics down leads to better SEO, clarity of topic and readability.
In your conclusion, envision the perfect desert and coffee. This where you polish your piece, pack your punch and leave your reader satisfied. A good conclusion is a must in any article or copy. Go back again to why you have written the piece in the first place. Have you said everything you want to say? How can you open it up for more outside exploration?
Learn to embrace the traditional structure of beginning middle and ending. This is a time-proven device for telling a story and keeping your readers interested. Within this framework you can still be creative and crazy, but without it, your article is likely to become roadkill on the side of the Internet highway.
Lisa P is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments. WriterAccess is powered by ideaLaunch.
