Not everyone is comfortable writing.

Email, blogs, and other digital media have forced many non-writers into the unenviable position of having to crank out prose on a regular basis. If you'd rather have a root canal than face a blank text screen, here are some tips that will have you writing like a pro in no time

!. "hort sentences are your friend.

#nyone can string together a lengthy, unclear, and ineffective sentence. $any people are afraid that short sentences make them look stupid. %ut the more you struggle to add phrases, lengthen a sentence, and try to look smart, the worse it gets. Instead, relax and write as simply as possible. &nce you embrace brevity, it is remarkable how much clearer you can write.

'. %anish the exclamation point.

$any people mistake the use of an exclamation point as a way to express the importance of something. In reality, it (ust makes you sound shrill. #void it. Exclamation points especially in business documents - look amateurish, overexcited, and irritating.

). *se +uotation marks correctly.

,uotation marks are used by many for emphasis or to identify a statement or phrase, such as a tagline or slogan in business. %oth are wrong. ,uotation marks are for identifying the exact words spoken by someone- for example ./his year's fourth +uarter sales figures are significantly better than last year's,. stated #cme 0orporation's vice president of corporate sales. It's simple if the specific words did not come from a person's mouth 1or keyboard2, do not stick them between +uotation marks.

3. "top random capitali4ation.

Nothing is more distracting or confusing than random capitali4ation - the irrational sprinkling of capital letters throughout an article, white paper, sales report, or news release. /he only time initial capital letters should be employed is to abbreviate a longer name or phrase or to identify proper nouns such as the name of a person, place or thing 15ohn, /exas, 6eneral Electric, 0ongress2 or someone's title 1"enator $ary "mith2. 7o not capitali4e a (ob

function 1vice president of corporate sales, technical manager, senior engineer2 unless it precedes a person's name as their specific title and do not capitali4e generic products. #n electronics company might manufacture circuit boards, but not 0ircuit %oards.

8. #void obfuscation.
9uh: I'll bet some of you 6oogled for a definition, right: $y point exactly. "top needlessly torturing the English language. If you're reaching for a twenty-five cent word when a five-cent word will do (ust fine, you're unnecessarily complicating things 1which, of course, is the definition of obfuscation2. Even worse, you're probably (ust confusing your audience. Is that what you really want to do: I'll let you in on one final little secret to good writing. If you have not noticed it already, all five points above have one thing in common: simplicity. Good writing is simple - that's what makes it both hard and easy at the same time. If you strive to simplify your writing, you'll be well on your way to becoming a better writer.
5im "chakenbach Owner BIGWORDS Content Development http ;;www.bigwordscontent.com