You might think that since your articles are safe and sound grammatically that you’re good to go, and in many ways, you are. However, people who write a lot, especially those who write in the same niche all of the time, have a tendency to make a completely different kind of mistake. If you write your own blog, or find yourself writing for several blogs, check out the tips below to see if you may be a victim of your own writing.
Your “Tell”
A “tell” in poker is the twitch or expression someone gets when they’re winning (or losing). Writers have the same sort of habit, but it usually comes in the form of a dozen or so phrases that get overused in all of their writing. They are often crutches that writer falls back on when they feel they have nothing much to say. Though there’s nothing wrong with falling back on these phrases, consistent and constant overuse can dull otherwise shiny writing.
Monotone Voice
You are not a teacher lecturing your students and you don’t want to pick up that tone, mostly because those kinds of teachers often wind up having their students take a nap on them. A dull tone will be perceived as boring and monotone, and readers will be less inclined to stick around and keep reading what you have to say. Vary the length of the sentences in your piece, and make sure your short sentences are “punchy”. Make sure you get your point across, and then move on.
Verbs Ahoy!
Verbs, as they are action words, quite literally drive your writing. They can be used to excite your reader, and using strong and active verbs can result in a strong and active reader. However, some writers hide their verbs (it’s call nominalization, in case you are interested) by turning their verbs into nouns. It’s the difference between “I need a change” and “I need to change.” Make sure your articles have action, not just persons, places, and things.