Delicious Tips For New Writers
From an editor on Medium
Here are my most common tips as an editor.
Short and sweet, here is the low-hanging fruit to take care of before you submit on any platform.
Your article is missing a subtitle
Your display subtitle shows the first few lines of your text, which looks unprofessional. Add a subtitle below the title and format it using the small T format tool. Also, go into edit mode (click on the three dots), choose Change Display Title/Subtitle, and make any needed changes there.
Formatting is more important than you realize
Most people read using their phones. They’re daunted by large blocks of text. I try to keep paragraphs to 4 or 5 lines maximum.
Break it up
Large blocks of text benefit from increased formatting. Feature a single sentence in between two blocks for emphasis. Create subtitles to break up the main sections of your text.
The reader needs a place to rest their eyes.
Relevant Quotes add value
Use the double quote format tool to really give it emphasis. Quotes provide another perspective. They also allow the reader to pause in your story.
A video adds value
A relevant YouTube video may add to your content. A reader will spend more time in your article, and that might equate to more money.
Don’t repeat the same words
I sometimes search for words that I know are overused. The word ‘like’ and ‘that’ are often culprits for me. Use Ctrl F and search a word. Change some of them to synonyms and improve your writing.
Get to the point
Use a direct approach. Instead of writing: ‘In his memoir, the famous author Alice Smith said…..’, TRY THIS ‘Alice Smith, the famous xxx recently …….”
What is your message?
If you aren’t clear about your message, how is the reader supposed to figure it out? Decide what you want to say, then say it. If you ramble on with no clarity, your reader feels like they are sitting beside their confused Grandfather at a family get-together. If your message is clear in your opening, it will draw your reader in. A one-line takeaway at the end always improves an article.
‘Tell them what you are going to say, say it and then tell them what you said.’
Use this article as a quick checklist before you submit.
Other Ways to Improve Your Life
How to Feed Your Writing Mind*
How to Use Substack Blurbs to Get Subscribers*
How Blue Zone Habits Help You Live Longer* (my all-time most popular post)
(*These are friend links, so you can read without being a Medium member.)
Good points, Tree.
Oh, so many of us need to learn and relearn!