Pass or Fail? Know the First Decision Your Reader (or Professor) Makes

It didn’t take me long to figure out what the difference was.

Those of us who were getting the highest grades weren’t necessarily the “best” or most naturally-talented writers. We weren’t necessarily the most creative, the most concise, or the most grammatically correct.

The difference was that those getting high marks knew how to follow the instructions of our professors.

We knew what the teachers wanted–what they expected of us–and we knew how to produce it. In short, we knew our “market” (in this case, our college professors). We knew what they wanted and we consistently provided it to them.

This may seem obvious but the truth is, most writing out there on the Web is called “bad writing” simply because it doesn’t deliver what it promises. It fails to address or satisfy its target audience.  We’ve all seen articles on technology, Web design, copywriting, etc. that don’t do what they claim to. They provide information that is either out of date, inaccurate or sometimes completely off topic. I don’t know about you, but if I’m desperately searching for information on, say, SEO optimization techniques, I can easily forgive a few errors in spelling or grammar as long as the article tells me what I want to know!

Your article might be flawless from a technical or grammatical perspective but if it fails to deliver what it promises to its target market (in this case, me) then I’ll probably feel deceived. Your writing will certainly have failed to impress me.

This simple rule is true no matter what type of writing you’re doing. It holds true offline as well as online and is just as important in writing for entertainment as it is in writing to instruct. Whether you’re writing an essay, a novel, or a blog entry on what you had for dinner last night, the success of your writing depends in large part on keeping in mind who you’re writing for and what they expect, then seeking to meet that expectation. To that end there are a couple of things to remember.

What is Your Reader Looking For?

First, understand what is expected of you (know your market). If you don’t understand what’s expected of you than meeting that expectation is the literary equivalent to finding a needle in a haystack. If you want to write on the subject of online marketing and you expect what you write to be taken seriously, you need to know who would be interested in your topic, what they need and what they’re searching for. If you don’t target your writing to the expectations of your envisioned market then it may not matter how clever and concise your prose is. It’ll never be seen by anyone who might appreciate it!

Now you know what your market is looking for. The next step is to produce something that meets those expectations.

Do Your Research or Your Reader Will Think You’re Full of BS

If you don’t know much about the subject you’ve chosen or been assigned, take time to research it. Your readers can usually tell if you’ve done your homework or not and you’ll have broadened your own knowledge in the process. Also, check and re-check your writing at every stage to make sure you’re still on target. Don’t go off on tangents or allow yourself to drift off topic. If you’re writing for a particular format then keep the rules governing that format in mind. When you’re finished take a moment to put yourself in your target readers’ shoes and ask, “Would this satisfy me?”

Of course there’s much more involved (including knowing how to reach your target audience once you’ve written effectively for it), and grammar and spelling are important, etc., but you’ve mastered one of the most basic–and overlooked–rules of effective writing. I’d say you’re off to a great start!

1. Know (or learn) Your Market

This is so important I’ve devoted an entire previous post to the subject. If you don’t understand the expectations of the people you’re writing for, no amount of clever writing is going to hit your mark as you never took proper aim in the first place.

2. Know (or learn) Your Topic

You may already be an expert on what you’ve chosen to write about but if not, bone up on the subject. People can tell if you’re writing from ignorance (and they’ll let you know it too). If you need to do some research, that’s okay. It’s much better than making things up as you go along!

3. Know (and follow) Your Format

You may already have a contract to write for a particular online publication. If so, be sure you know what their formatting and style requirements/limitations are and if they have word count minimums/maximums. Nothing will get your submission delayed or dismissed faster than failure to abide by formatting guidelines. If you don’t have a contract or a specific publisher in mind, decide how long or short you want the article to be, etc. and write based on that format.

4. Write an Outline (or not)

I say “or not” because although this is one piece of advice on anything related to writing which seems universal, it’s a rule I’ve never personally followed. Do what works for you!

5. It’s a Rough Draft Until You Say It Isn’t

The whole idea of writing separate “drafts” of material seems much more suited to traditional offline writing. If you’re writing for the online community, you’re likely using computer software with at least basic editing tools built in. I usually just write my articles once, editing on the fly. I keep editing (and proofreading, see next step) until I’m happy.

6. Proofread!

I can’t emphasize this final step enough. It seems to be one that many people think can be handled by a software based spell-check feature, but realize that even the most advanced of these is severely limited compared to the human capacity to read critically and with comprehension. I’m not saying you shouldn’t spell-check your article, just don’t rely on it. Proofread what you’ve written at least once, then take a break, come back and proofread it again. If you lack confidence in your own editing skills, you can always find a professional proofreader or proofreading service online to help (for a fee).

I have two cats (named Kayley and Cody) and can’t imagine life without them. They make wonderful companions and, now that they’re approaching middle age, like to spend most of their time relaxing quietly on my lap, the chair beside me, or on my feet. However, there are two activities that make my cats go insane: reading and writing.

I don’t know if “insane” is the right word for it actually. It’s as if the minute I pick up my Kindle or start working on a writing project they instantly revert to kitten mode: They suddenly come alive, start making as much noise and chaos as they can, and become obsessed with the goal of attacking my hands, arms, feet–anything to draw my attention away from the book I’m reading or the writing I’m doing.

Is it just my cats or are they all this way?

Case in point: As I started writing this entry, Cody decided it was the perfect time to walk up to my feet, look up at me and start meowing loudly and persistently (I think he’s saying “Look at ME! Look at ME!”). Kayley, in the adjacent room, also chose this as the perfect time to play with the noisiest toy she could find. It’s one of those wheels with a ball in it if you’re curious–the cat kicks the ball and around and around the wheel it goes. Loudly. She’s now given up on this tactic and has decided to content herself with curling up on top of my right foot. Cody has also given up his attempts for the moment, but I’m sure there’s more to come.

Cody is actually the more persistent in trying to get my Kindle away from me (or me away from my Kindle) while Kayley usually goes for the moments when I’m working on writing projects to create her distractions. The minute I settle in with my ereader here comes Cody, ready to paw at, scratch at, try to bite, even attempt to jump on it. Likewise, Kayley has been known to try and sabotage my writing efforts with kamikaze dives onto the keyboard or daring leaps directly in front of the monitor (where she’ll sit blocking my entire view and look at me with feigned ignorance).

What drives this behavior? I think it’s jealousy. Either that or my cats are members of a covert anti-literacy feline terrorist organization.

I’ve tried everything. I’ve tried diverting their attention beforehand with handfuls of catnip, giving them extra attention for several minutes before trying to read or write, I’ve even tried play sessions to try and wear them out before I get to work, but none of these (what I thought were) clever ideas ever work. Most of the time I have to settle for the compromise of having one cat on my lap, one on the chair to my right, one hand perpetually petting each cat while both hands simultaneously type on the keyboard.

I think the cats are winning this war.

The number and nature of errors writers can make are legion, but some are more common than others. Here are five simple errors writers make with suggestions on how to avoid them.

First, resist the temptation to use as many big words as you can think of. It’s fine to have a good vocabulary, but when writing for others—especially with the intent to to inform and educate—your goal should be to make what you write as accessible and easy to understand as possible. Try to keep your language as simple as you can. For example, there’s no need to write “sesquipedalian” when you can just say “big word.”

Second (and related to the previous), don’t try to pad your writing by adding a lot of unnecessary fluff. You may have a set word count you’re required to reach but in most cases, less is more. Again, remember that you’re trying to make your writing as clear as possible. Adding a lot of unnecessary paragraphs and sentences only makes it harder for your readers to discover your point.

Third, don’t wait to proofread until you’ve finished writing. Instead, proofread as you go. Pay attention to more than just the flow of ideas moving from your head to the page (or screen). Try to catch errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation as you write. This is especially easy to do when writing in a word processor, as it’s a simple matter to just tap the cursor back a few steps and correct an error that catches your eye. Proofreading dynamically in this way will greatly decrease the amount of time you spend finding and correcting errors when you’re done.

Fourth, don’t get discouraged if you suddenly lose your muse. A lot of good writing never gets done because the writer hits a wall and loses confidence and inspiration. It’s normal for writers to spend plenty of time staring blankly at the screen or page. If you have to, leave off for a while and go do something else. Don’t give up just because it suddenly became harder than you expected.

Fifth, don’t think you can skip the final proofreading process. This is absolutely essential if you’re writing for others and wish to avoid embarrassment. You may be tired and hungry, or anxious to see what you’ve written posted online for the whole world to see, but for me at least, there’s nothing more annoying than seeing a simple spelling error sticking out at me like a virtual pimple.

A lot of people say you should write about what you know (which is true in some but certainly not all circumstances), but this is a little different. I don’t even do it consciously. I’ve simply had some very interesting and even bizarre experiences and have been in some unusual situations, and I’ve discovered it’s fun to build stories around them.

However, it’s equally true that some of what I’d call my best fiction writing has come from ordinary snippets of childhood memory. For example, I have this memory of my father and three older brothers attempting to cut down a tree in our backyard. I remember distinctly how they didn’t really know what they were doing and how this led to said tree very nearly falling through the middle of our house. It’s an image really, nothing extraordinary about it, yet I managed to build an entire story out of that one memory about an angry old tree which decides to turn the tables on the men cutting it down by deliberately falling on top of their home. From that memory I created entirely new characters (making the tree itself the main character) and built a story of dark humor—but the core of that story, the seed for the idea of it—was real. It was a real memory of a real event.

I’ve also found that venting extreme emotion through short fiction writing is not only very cathartic, it can inspire some interesting and intense storytelling. If I’m really upset about something I sometimes vent it through a story. Likewise, if I’m really happy or excited about something I can usually successfully translate that excitement into a story, or incorporate it therein. This is really helpful to me personally when I’m under a lot of stress, but there’s an added benefit: People who read my short fiction often tell me that it seems intimate and personal. Which of course it is. There’s no formula to it, I’m just making a neat story inspired by some dream or experience or strong emotional experience. It’s the fact that I am a human being who incorporates his personal experience into his writing that gives my stories that element which people call ‘personal’ or ‘true.’

It’s a lot of fun to take an old memory and put a new spin on it (the creative part), then watch others enjoy the end product. I’m sure a lot of writers out there follow a similar process in their own writing. Myself, I can’t imagine writing creatively without that element of personal experience to inspire me.