Archive for January, 2009

The Task of Re-writing

Posted by on Jan 31 2009 | Copywriting

Re-writing a piece of text seems really easy right? How difficult can it be? In some cases, all you have to do is switch the order of the sentences, paragraphs or a few words. While in some more cases you just have to combine the information given in two or more articles related to a subject. In few more cases, may be all you are required to do is to write an article on a subject; so you search for the content online and simply put it together in your own words. Or you need to re-write because somebody else asked you to (you know what I mean here…don’t you!).

Well…if you are thinking that this is all that you should know about re-writing, then think again. Reasons- neither I would have written this article on re-writing nor you would have wanted to read it. There is a lot more to it that you should know. Here it goes.

First of all, re-writing is not at all an easy job. You always need somebody better than you to tell you that whatever you have written needs a re-writing because of some reason or another. So, let’s assume that this piece of advice can be given only to those who are relatively new to this form of writing. For people who already write brilliantly, they just need to practice. They need to write more and more and should themselves judge whether they should re-write their text or not.

In case you are required to re-write a particular piece of text, then the most important thing to be remembered here is that you do not miss out on any piece of information provided in the original text. The distinction between re-writing and editing should always be known and maintained.

Now let us move on to other cases when re-writing is required. Whether it is combining the content given in two or more articles or simply writing a new one, here are some things that should be taken care of and some qualities one must develop in order to get better at re-writing.

•    Patience is the most necessary quality. Re-writing can be a very frustrating task at times. You may feel like putting an end to it all and try to rush up with things. Remember, this shall only spoil your work.

•    You need to be good at judging which piece of information is relevant for your article and which is not. Thus, it is advisable that one should read a lot on that specific topic so that you at least know what you are writing about. It is only then that you will automatically know what should be included and what should be excluded.

•    Try and not to copy the style of writing of the original text. Write in your own style. This shall only help you make it unique and original in your own sense. Fiddling around with a few sentences will not help.

Being original while re-writing is undoubtedly a tough task but it is not impossible. Re-writing more often shall definitely help.

Good luck!

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Understanding Content Writing

Posted by on Jan 24 2009 | From the Writer's Desk

When I started to write on this topic, I tried to search the internet for anything interesting that I could use for my article. I am sure any content writer would have done that. After all being internet savvy is one of the prime requisites of a good content writer. I came across a number of articles, texts and blogs suggesting a variety of things on this issue. Different people, different voices and different view-points. Finally, I decided to pen down what I think of content writing after doing it for about a year now.

The Ultimate Goal

Let me start by writing down one of the most clichéd opening lines- ‘As the name suggests’, content writing is writing good and effective content so that it serves purpose it is intended to. The ultimate goal is to cater to the target audience, to drive more and more traffic towards your website, webpage or blog and to help the client sell his products and/or services.

The Need

Basically, content writing is needed because professionals know their job. They are better at it than a layman and are actually the ones who put the plan into action. They write the world’s most creative and original content for your websites, blogs, press- releases, advertisements, brochures, travel experiences etc.

The literary work of the company or the firm has to be at its best all the time. It is like you are ‘the’ introduction to your prospective clients. No one can afford to neglect it. The bottom line- Everyone needs content writing.

How it’s done

A Content Writer must assess his client’s needs. He should exactly know what he is supposed to write. After having done that, he is supposed to search the internet and use any other source of information that he has, and try and find out the maximum details about the subject. A bit of re-writing work obviously needs to be done. Knowing what is relevant and what is not is also very important. However, this only comes with practice. The more you write, the better judge you are. The final stage of work involves checking your text for any kind of errors. In the end, make the changes that your client wants to be done.

Qualities needed

Though content writing seems easy, but being 100% original every single time is not easy at all. Patience, dedication, sincerity, timeliness, good language skills, basic computer skills, being internet savvy, good researching skills etc are obviously needed. You also should know the limitations of the medium you are writing for. The most important thing, however, is the love for writing. You need to love what you are doing. Unless you don’t, you can’t be good at it.

This was a gist of what I have understood about content writing in the past one year. I might have missed out on a few points but I tried to give you a basic idea of what content writing is all about. Though the job is not difficult but being good at it is also not easy. What an irony!

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The Art of Brochure Writing

Posted by on Jan 16 2009 | Content Writing

At the end of the day, it is all about getting your business going. And all that your business needs is effective marketing. You are definitely spoilt for choice in this case. Internet marketing is definitely gearing up but conventional ways of marketing are no less either. Brochure writing, in this regard, remains to be one of the most fruitful ways of marketing.
This is so because of two major reasons. First, brochures make it easy for the readers to go through whatever you have to offer at leisure. That means whenever they have time, they can simply go through your brochure. Second, brochures make the good first impression on your prospective customers. They are the best way to attract them to go through the details of what you have on offer.
However, writing for brochures is not just another job. After all, you get to introduce your business through these. So here are some effective brochure writing tips to help you. Before you read more about them, remember that these tips are really important and must be put into use.
Tips for Brochure Writing:
• The first page of your brochure should be the most captivating of all since it shall only decide for the reader if it’s worth reading what’s given inside or not. Use a catchy heading and put forth the best selling point of your product or service.
• You can also write a gist of what is inside and what you think would interest a reader. It could be a detail about your promotional scheme, a lucky draw or any such incentive.
• Try and avoid the details of the technicalities of your product or service while writing down the brochure content. If at all you have to include them, then explain those in a lay man language as well.
• You should always write about the usefulness of the product or service to its user. A reader would obviously want to know how it would benefit him/her.
• Always write in bulleted form and avoid paragraphs. Be precise because a reader would definitely not have the time to read your brochure word by word.
• Make sure that you know what your reader would be actually looking for while writing the brochure. List all possible questions and answers to those questions that you think a reader/user might have regarding your product or service.
• If your brochure is lengthy, then the best way to have a reader peep inside it is by listing down the contents. Tell them what’s inside and where exactly it is in there.
• Adding testimonials or comments from the people who have already used your product or service is a very good idea. This shall add credibility to your brochure.
• The language used to write the brochure should be very simple. Avoid using jargons and write as if you are addressing the reader straight away.

The best option, however, is to get your brochure written by a professional because they already have the experience of writing using these effective tips. All the best.

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