People don’t just buy products – they buy the benefits that a product provides.  As such, the best way to write marketing materials is always to ask, “What problems do customers have that this product will solve?”

Instead of selling an “ebook about greening your home”, you’re better off selling “30% savings in your electricity bill”.

Rather than pushing “state-of-the-art computers”, you sell the PC gaming crowd on “pre-configured machines that can play Crysis at the highest setting while you defrag in the background”.

In place of marketing “home warranties”, you sell the customers on “no-cost home repairs for the next 15 years”.

As many marketers have wisely advised over the years: “Don’t sell the steak, sell the sizzle.”  People, especially during these  times, will always look to hold off on buying products, unless it can solve an existing source of concern or bother.

Does your copy lean towards telling the customers what problems will disappear from their midst with your product?  If it doesn’t, rewrite your pitch until it does.  Read your copy aloud to make sure the ideas come through crisp and clear.  If something sounds wrong and you can’t put a finger on it, run it through an English writing software to find problem points.  Finesse it until it looks and sounds exactly the way that will get even you to buy.

From The Seat Of My Pants

Writing fiction from the seat of my pants, the way some writers seem to do, just doesn’t work for me.  Maybe, I’m not naturally talented enough.  Perhaps, my imagination needs a little fine-tuning.  Whatever it is, employing the same structure I use for articles and features has made the biggest impact in my fiction writing.  For this, technology has been my biggest ally.

Brainstorming

Most of my fiction starts with a seed idea – a word, a phrase, a thought or a concept that I can only elucidate in the littlest of ways.  Some writers, I heard, are able to draw out entire novels out of that just by sitting down and writing.  I, on the other hand, typically need the elegance of structure in order to make that happen.

Starting with the seed, I draw up entire branching and connecting structures using either a mind map or an outlining software. All ideas are grouped in a logical manner, often coinciding with the way I’d prefer them to appear.  Not a word of the actual  material gets written until I have the entire tale laid out in that format, so that my ideas are well-formed before I ever hit the word processor.

Writing

When writing, I work by group.  Ideally, I like to start from the inner structures, going out.  Sometimes, though, a group just begs to be written first and I acquiesce.    Once each logical grouping gets written, I run the usual routine: check with an English grammar software and correct structural flaws.  Proofreading happens only at the end of the entire story, as I need the cohesiveness of the tale to figure out where changes are needed.

On the surface, doing all that preparation work might seem like it will prolong the actual process.  Instead, it’s allowed me to speed up my writing that I manage to finish jobs in over 60% to 75% less time than it normally took.

1. Stick to one topic per paragraph.

While you can cram all sorts of information into a single paragraph, it will leave your copy confusing with no logical organization.  One topic is just the right amount of information for one paragraph, allowing the reader a pause before jumping into another subject.

2. Avoid using the same words and phrases within the same paragraph.

Repeating items within the same paragraph (e.g. nouns, verbs and figures of speech), especially when done in successive sentences doesn’t break any rules of grammar.  However, it makes your copy sound awkward, often breaking the flow for the reader.  While this cannot always apply (some situations will force you to repeat words), it makes sense to avoid it anytime you can.

3. Write using an active voice.

An active voice (using verbs performed by the subject) allows you to construct more dynamic and informative sentences.  They read better and foster a clearer understanding in almost every single instance.

4. Avoid using cliches.

While cliches might make writing somewhat easier (i.e. you don’t have to come up with your own words), it communicates that you took the easy way out.  Just as bad, cliches tend to make your copy sound dated and amateurish.

5. Use an English grammar software.

If you noticed, the guidelines we set above are all designed to help out your writing style and flow.  We chose not to focus on grammar because you can always employ a writing software to help you out on that end.  Using one, you can easily fix grammar and spelling flaws, without having to proofread the entire document.

Most of the time, being able to draw out the details of your work is a function of experience.  Do it enough times and it becomes second nature, with the nuances organically flowing as you craft your writing.  Those of us for whom it doesn’t come as easy yet, the details can usually be finessed by numerous conscious actions, all of which we can begin applying to our craft today.

1. Rewrite with the details in mind.  Most everyone, from middle school students composing a formal theme to longtime professional writers, usually harbor a disdain for having to rewrite copy.  The lack of details is typically uncovered during rewriting sessions so this is your best chance at remedying a potential problem.  Take a deep breath and slog through it if you have to.

2. Read each paragraph aloud and ask questions about what you’re conveying.  The answers to those questions are usually the intricacies you will need to flesh out.

3. If you write with a partner, have them go through your copy and get their feedback about any details they may be missing.

4. If you have a working template of the kind of writing you want to produce, use it to help you organize your material in better detail.  Many pre-made templates, such as those that come with English writing software, usually indicate where you will need to lay out more comprehensive points.  While definitely not perfect, they can train you write with just the right amount of detail.

If you need some help writing an analysis essay, use the following guidelines to help you through:

1. The goal of analytic essays is to determine how well you’re able to comprehend outside information, by breaking it down into its essential components and forming an opinion based on that.

2. Always summarize the piece being analyzed to begin your essay, to give the reader some context about your grasp of it.

3. Introduce the major components of the subject as you understand them in one section, spanning one or two paragraphs.  You can always write longer, but keeping it short will help maintain the reader’s attention.

4. Depending on the complexity of each component, you can dedicate an entire section of your essay discussing each one in detail, delving deeper into the ideas behind them, while dispensing your own opinion on the subject.  Try to provide supporting facts for every personal idea you express.

5. Since the essay is an analysis instead of an argument piece, you may also want to present the other side of the argument to maintain balance.

6. If it’s a take home essay you can compose on your own computer, make sure to run it through a capable English writing software to fix up loose ends on your writing.

1. Parallelism

This is the technique of putting various items that relate to a main point side by side.  Instead of just one argument for an issue, it allows you to present multiple paths that all lead to the same place.

2. Framing

Framing is the practice of presenting an idea in different ways to strongly reinforce its argument.  To frame your piece, state it strongly at the start and at the end, all while letting it ooze through at the seams.

3. One-Sentence Paragraph

The one-sentence paragraph is a technique regularly employed by writers to elucidate the impact points of a news item.  Used in your own writing, the idea presented in that lone sentence stands out in a sea of long paragraphs.

4.  Terminal Placement

With any form of writing, the last concept or idea presented before a pause often makes the most impression.  As such, reserving your most important thought for the last sentence of a paragraph allows it to exercise the most influence.

5. Changing Writing Styles Mid-Stream

Shifting your writing style (whether in tone or voice) at some point in your copy will immediately draw to attention to it.

Combining Techniques

All effective pieces of writing combine three or more of these techniques to make their strongest points (apart from sporting cleaned-up grammar by using an English writing software).  Using them in a way that complement each other will help you create the strongest impact.

Sugarcoating bad news is often referred to as spin, a way of delivering the same subject while managing to create a better overall impression.  Bad news, after all, can leave a bad taste in the mouth that even the best English writing software can dilute.  Why ruin everyone’s day when a bit of tact can deliver it with a tinge of sweetness?

1.  Reframe a negative fact by restating it in terms of positive actions.

A statement like, “Ten people died of swine flu at the local hospital” can cause immediate and undue panic.  Restating it to say that “Health officials are managing the swine flu situation at the local hospital, where ten fatalities have been previously reported.”  While it says the same thing (e.g. 10 people died), the second makes it appear that the situation is within control, while the first one just states a scary fact.

2. Understate the negative characteristics by speaking in terms of its positive counterpart.

Instead of saying a play was, “boring,” you can always play nice and state that it “isn’t as exciting” as you’d hoped.  Basically, take the opposite of a negative description and use that in your sentence instead.

3. Use general terms instead of specific ones, if the details aren’t overly appetizing.

This is, essentially, what politicians tend to overdo in their speeches and it’s as irritating as hell.  However, no one can deny it’s effectiveness.   Instead of saying that “students will be required to submit to drug-testing,” a less-informative but more positive alternative will be to state that “steps will be undertaken to ensure a drug-free student body.”  There are no specific about what it entails, which allows more people to just accept it at face value.

1.  To separate a series of words and phrases of the same kind

When you’re listing words and phrases, it is mandatory to punctuate with a comma to show the separation between items.  This is true when listing nouns as with verbs, adverbs and others figures of speech, as with a sentence like this:

“I wrote, produced and directed the play.”

If it’s intended to itemize, always punctuate for clarity.

2. At the end of a list (before the word “and”), use a comma only when it’s necessary for legibility.

The last item on a list should be done without a comma (although most English writing software will let it pass).  The only exception to this is when a comma clarifies the statement such as with the following sentence:

“Breakfast choices include salad, bacon and eggs, and fruits.”

3. Words that address someone or something

When a word or phrase addresses an audience or an object, use a comma to separate the intended subject, such as in:

“How are you today, dear readers?”

4. Use a comma between two sentences joined by a conjunction when you want to force a pause

When combining two sentences that are linked by a conjunction (e.g. “but”, “because”), always add a comma between them.

“He wanted to leave the party, but I begged him to stay.”

5. Use a comma to mark off introductory words, phrases and clauses

When a part of the sentence is used to introduce its actual body, use a comma to force a pause.  These two examples illustrate it clearly:

“However, we knew it wasn’t true.”

“Despite the resulting uproar, we knew it wasn’t true.”

1. Run it through a grammar software.

Wrong grammar reads awkwardly and cumbersome.  In fact, misuse of basic English constructs is what you should initially be looking out for when your writing doesn’t sound right.  The best English writing software can usually catch typical structure errors as well as give style suggestions, so take full advantage of it.

2. Use concrete, specific language.

While there is a place for vague language constructs, revising your copy to use more specific phrases can help make the ideas it communicates much clearer.  This is especially important if you’re not much of a writer to begin with.  Beating around the bush can work as a writing technique.  It’s use, however, requires an advanced level of finesse.

3. Fix up your use of your pronouns.

Avoid pronouns and your work looks amateurish.  Dispense them without regard and you’ll end up with a scattered piece.  When you’re writing about multiple subjects, it’s easy to use pronouns that leave readers wondering and confused.  Make sure to go through paragraphs that sound awkward to see how pronoun use is serving you.

4. Remove unnecessary words and phrases.

Using adjectives, metaphors and similar writing constructs can endow your sentences with richness, making the subject of your writing come to life.  Used badly, though, it can end up diluting your meaning.  If sentences that use unnecessary words and figures of speech sound wrong, try removing them and see how the revised version fares.

The following three techniques are some of the easiest and most common ways to structure your paragraphs.  Learning and applying them, combined with the use of the best English grammar software you can find, can go a long way towards making your written work go up a couple of levels in quality.

1. Enumeration

Most people do this by default, spouting one information after another.  If you want to make it both look and sound better, though, try presenting your information in a way that builds up to an ending.   Instead of a random grocery list, try arranging it creatively, such as starting from the most mundane all the way to an earth-shattering fact.

2. Cause And Effect

In this technique, you develop the paragraph by showing how one idea (or action or subject) leads to another.  Done well, it can clarify your message in a huge way, connecting the dots in the reader’s mind.

3. Illustration

When developing a paragraph by illustration, you make your point by citing a story.  Implemented correctly, it can give the reader a better context about the subject, especially when your illustration manages to speak to their sensibilities.