At Jackson Spalding, we know writing is a process. It takes time, dedication, practice and more practice. But sometimes it’s important to go back to Writing 101 and review the basics. Last week, we posted more than 50 tips on Twitter from JSers, famous authors, and other smart people. In case you didn’t catch them, here are the top 11 tips from our very own JSers:
- Vary the length of your sentences. –Brian Brodrick
- Shorter is better. –Eric O’Brien
- Before you are a good writer, you must be a good reader. –Bo Spalding
- Never use “unique” because chances are what you are writing is not one of a kind. –Hannah Keating
- Try not to use the same word twice in one paragraph – unless it’s a filler word like “the.” –Halle Smith
- Avoid week words like “various” and “several.” –Bryan Long
- If you are writing a news release, excitement is implied. Don’t write it if it’s boring, and don’t start quotes with “We are excited to…” –Hannah Keating
- Own the AP Stylebook and make it your best friend. –Pat Hill
- Make readers feel like they’ll miss something if they stop reading.
- Omit adjectives and adverbs as much as possible: use strong nouns and snappy verbs, not extra modifiers. –Jenny Morgan
- Write without fear. –Cait Haygood
To see all the Tweets from this week, visit @jacksonspalding or find #JSLearn.
We hope you found these tips helpful and that you continue to practice your own writing. Do you have a writing tip you live by?
Tags: Advice, basics, Jackson Spalding, tips, Writing
