SORRY FOLKS BUT I CAN’T ALLOW COMMENTS HERE

I can’t allow comments here because I want this place to be an organised, brief (yeah, sure!) collection of hints and tips for students of Alex Jeffreys. I recognise that many of you have incredible talents – talents that I do not have. But I’m sure that I have knowledge that I can offer too. We all can.

I will add to this list of topics AND within the topics over time to help you all – so CHECK BACK regularly.

THIS TOPIC – What and how you write:

This subject is near and dear to me having written a dozen or more e-books and manuals and also having recently completed my first crime novel. I have been an editor and proof-reader in past jobs. I know what I am talking about here.

1 – Use lots of white space. Paragraph. Do NOT bunch 1,000 words into one massive text block. If you do that you might as well delete everything you have written because no-one and I mean NO-ONE will read it. Look at the way I space everything out so that it is not confronting to read.

2 – Use bullet points or numbers to make your points – perfect example here!

3 – Never use a big or difficult word UNLESS that word has specific meaning that no other word will convey.

4 – Don’t write in all capitals as it looks like you are shouting. I have people send me emails like that and I delete them without even reading them.

5 – If your writing is going out to a mixed language or mixed country audience (eg on the net) then realise that different people will interpret things differently. There are words that can have vastly different meanings in different countries. If in doubt attach a LOL (laugh out loud) appendage.

6 – Check your work to see how it looks. Lots of people don’t. They just rely on the good old computer to do its thing and we all know about that, huh? Don’t just press save and release you dog’s breakfast (sorry) on the unsuspecting world.

Story telling:

Everyone LOVES a good story. You do, don’t you?

Tell little stories but DON’T overdo it to the point of becoming obsessed with a persona or theme. Be real and remember… someone else has to read it.

Remember that it is your WORDS that compel and it is your WORDS that will sell. They say that every picture tells a thousand words but try selling anything with just pictures. Good luck if you think you can!

Long copy (story) versus short copy. People will read what interests them. If you tell an utterly boring long story nobody will read it. But millions of people read 200,000 word novels. They will hang off every word if your work is interesting. Conversely, even very short stories will not be read if they are dull.

Always have in your mind the interests of your readers. The most powerful thought for a reader is this… “What happens next?” OR “What is he or she gonna say next?”

Regards

Gary Simpson

PS: If you liked this topic then please tell others about it or LINK to it. You can always leave a comment, if you so wish, at the “HINTS & TIPS” page on my main blog page.

MORE INFORMATION MAY BE ADDED HERE AT MY DISCRETION…