Please, please, please be respectful and considerate of  the readers you’re writing for and that includes not bragging about how great your business is. It’s important to value what you do and to have lots to say about it, but a little humility goes a long way.

Think about the last time you were at a party where you didn’t know anyone. Think about the person you had something in common with and then went home hoping you’d run into them again. Maybe you looked them up on facebook or twitter.

I reckon that it wasn’t the one who was telling you about how many times they’ve been promoted and all their colleagues would happily give up free lunchtime yoga to pay their salary. The people we like to listen to are the ones that like listening to us more than they like listening to themselves. So when you’re writing for your customers or colleagues, keep in mind their needs and interests instead of showing off.

When the fanfare goes too far, readers can be left feeling really patronised. In a letter about a lapsed magazine sub, as a “valued subscriber” I was told that not renewing my subscription must be “just an oversight on your part.”

So basically, I’m just too much of a slacker to remember to renew my magazine sub.  No suggestion whatsover that I’d let it lapse on purpose and no concern about why I wasn’t going to be buying their magazine anymore. The whole letter was a pompous, arrogant piece of writing where the words “valued subscriber” were made ironic by their complete lack of interest in what I thought about their product.

Pompous, arrogant – definitely slipping into rant territory now.  I’ll be off before I offend someone.

Good writing has lots of rules – spelling, grammar, punctuation, be concise, keep it simple – so many in fact, that they can squeeze out the creativity and poetry you need for a compelling piece of writing.  By using rhythm and striking language with clear messages and a strong narrative structure, you’ll keep ‘em reading to the end.

Clear messages
I always start a piece of writing by making a quick list of points I need to get across.  Then I keep referring back to these to keep my writing focussed and relevant.

Narrative structure  
Once you’ve got the list, put it in the right order so everything makes sense and to help the writing flow.  Think about what your reader wants to know and what will catch their attention to guide you towards a good structure for your piece.

Now you’ve got a framework for clear and relevant writing, it’s playtime. Having some fun with rhythm and language will help you create an arresting style that gets your audience hooked.

Rhythm
Experimenting with sentence and word length, repetition and alliteration (words that start with the same letter) will help you get the rhythm right. Pay attention to the first sentence. I’m balancing a few shorter words with longer ones as well as using alliteration at the end.  Now take a look at the whole paragraph. I’m also changing the length of my sentences to make the writing more natural and flowing.  And there’s plenty of action words here – changing, balancing, experimenting – to create a dynamic style.

Well chosen words
The writing rulebook is pretty clear on using jargon and too many long words – it stops readers in their tracks. For the individuals that peservere, an excess of esoteric expressions will cause increasing difficulty with unproblematic comprehension – had to use the thesaurus to put that example together! Using the odd word that’s a little bit different, but not too obscure, will bring a little magic to your writing.  Like seasoning for a good dish, it enhances the message without overpowering the reader.

Further reading:

http://menwithpens.ca/write-from-the-heart/

http://www.babusinesslife.com/News-and-Blogs/Guest-Blog/Storytelling-is-the-key-to-good-business-writing-.html

Got more ideas about how to keep your writing clear and interesting? Share them in the comments below.