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BATTLING INTERNET
ADHD: TEN TIPS FOR WRITERS by David Beveridge
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Write for a reason
Get to the point. One of the basic references for Web design is Steve
Krug's, Don't Make Me Think. My book for Web writers (not yet available in
stores) will be called, Don't Make Me Yawn. The Great Democracy that is the Web
has spawned far more spam and yammer than thoughtful prose. Don't fall in love
with your own voice. Make sure every word supports the message.
Write for “scanners”
The five-second rule
applies, only make it shorter.
Visitors look at a Web page, then they read
it. Think of your page as the cover of a magazine. A visitor will first absorb
the total picture, then kick into reading mode and skip tra-la from headline to
headline until they find, a) what they're looking for, or, b) something better.
Don't lose the scanners with deathless prose.
Get engaged
Lively writing will draw visitors to your message.
I know you're
trying to be precise. I know you're trying to be complete. I know you need to
get the whole message across. I know. Believe me. I'm reading it and trying
to...zzzz.
Compartmentalize
Give long content a good
home.
Okay, sometimes content gets long. Sometimes it is supposed to
be long. Sometimes it even has to be long. Understood. When that is the case,
tease it up front, and put the long content where the long content goes. People
who want to read it will follow the trail, and the rest of us will be spared.
Grammar kind of counts
Complete thoughts...less
important...key words...phrases. Just kidding, ha ha. The point is, this may
not be advertising writing, it may not be headline writing, and it had better
not be bad writing. But in most cases it also is not pure narrative. Sentences,
loaded with subordinate clauses, clogged with interesting but unnecessary
detail, need not begin slowly, gain traction, and rise to a crescendo before a
graceful, gradual, inevitable descent to a complete, satisfying end.
Just say it, and get out.
Smooth or Extra Chunky
Just enough information makes visitors feel refreshed!
Chunk your
content into easily digestible portions. My brother-in-law-the-restaurateur
talks about "plate coverage," making sure the beans and the catfish and the
French fries coexist in harmony and balance. Portion control for your visitors
comes from teasers and intro paragraphs and "Learn more…" and "Read
article…". Chunking your content gives visitors a taste, rather than a
force-feeding.
Tighten it up
When I was in grade
school, my newspaper editor father reviewed my papers for me. He never
understood why I cried when my three-page report on Chile became a
two-paragraph brief under the machete slash of his red pencil. But he was
right. I didn't need that word. I didn't need that paragraph. I had said the
same thing on the previous page. I did need to revise and rewrite and cut and
cut some more. I did, and I still do, and so do you. Writer, edit thyself.
About the Author:
David Beveridge is a Project Manager for
Brook Group. For more articles by this author, visit
http://www.brookgroup.com or
http://www.usabilityandbranding.com.
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