Quality content for website, print, and advertising is a scarce resource. Content is often created as an afterthought, with little regard for quality. Many avoid it, even fear it, because they don’t consider themselves good at grammar. But what if I were to tell you that good content could be created without a dictionary, and without being able to identify a past participle? (Actually, a past participle is defined as job security for English teachers!).

Writing is as simple as putting a complete thought down on paper. People informally communicate all day long, verbally and in writing(email, notes, etc). But when it comes to writing a “formal” tutorial, or product description, or a proposal, we tend to get writer’s block. The fact to remember is that we are still trying to accomplish the exact same thing as always: communicate a complete thought.

I would propose that formal writing is percieved as more difficult, not because it actually is more difficult, but rather because we are more worried about what others will think.

Addressing Writer’s Block

In my experience, you will never have writer’s block, if you have something to say. Now, before you roll your eyes at such a seemingly obvious statement, hear me out! When we have something to say, something that we know and need to communicate, you don’t have a problem getting it out. But when you’re trying to write an article/paper to fill a space requirement, or fill a commitment, writing’s as fun as a heart attack, right? For some, beginning a paper is the most difficult part. Simple solution: Make a list of points you want to cover, write about those points, and save the introduction for later. Many times your intro will sound better that way.

Writing’s greatest advantage is also it’s greatest disadvantage. You get/have to plan what you’re going to say. For many, taking the time to plan their words is a foreign concept, and thus makes writing seem slow and tedious. But if you embrace the discipline of planning your content, you will find the reward of accomplishment in the resulting quality paper.

Defining Quality Writing

So if an English degree isn’t the key to good writing, then what is? Quality writing exhibits 3 unique characteristics: Concise, Clear, Comprehensive. Let’s look at these individually.

Concise

Most English classes from grade school on up to collegiate classes make a significant mistake when teaching good writing skills. Teachers typically give writing assignments that are length based, rather than content based. The result is that many writers considered good, are actually just writers who know how to fill space. What a waste! The whole point of writing is to communicate an idea or process, and if you can fully explain that idea in one sentence, then why write a whole book about it? All you accomplish by adding “fluff” to your writing is to hide, or water down, the idea you’re trying to convey. Don’t make your readers wade through a tome to get that tidbit of info.

Does your content seem a little confusing, or a little dry? Find a way to cut back on the number of words. It’s amazing how much clearer it will become.

Clear

Very much related to concise content is clear content. Do I need a Phd to understand your paper? If you’re writing to Phd’s then you’ve succeeded, but if you’re trying to write a general product description, then you have failed miserably. Know who you’re writing to, and take great care to make sure they can understand what you’re saying. Note: talking down to your audience is just as bad as intimidating them with foreign lingo.

Comprehensive

Alright, you’ve made great efforts to keep your writing clear and concise. Congratulations! Now the last thing to consider is this: Have you left anything important out? Sometimes you can leave out information simply because you forget that your audience may not be familiar with your profession’s terms and lingo. This is something that I see happen all the time. Read your content with the perspective of your audience, continually asking yourself if anything is missing in that section.

As you can see these three characteristics overlap quite a bit. Making sure that you strike a good balance between the three will create far better content than you can imagine.