How to Improve Your Writing with Helium's Read and Rate System

Practical Writing Tips Any Online Writer Can Use

If you think sitting around reading page after page of mediocre attempts at article writing and deciding which is the better of the two is a waste of your time, think again. Not only will you gain insight into how others write and what makes interesting reading; you will soon begin to think like an editor, or in the case of AC like a Content Manager, and learn techniques to improve your writing as well.

I started out like any other reader, paying careful attention to detail and weighing the merits of each piece, but I soon grew tired of the tedious job of reading article after article over the same topic. My mind began to wander and I found myself skimming for kernels of wisdom to elevate one above the other. Once I got past the hurdle of reading every word and began to look at each piece as a whole, what makes good online writing suddenly became very clear.

The lead to the article is vital. If it is stilted or poorly worded or makes the reader feel like an idiot by providing definitions that any reasonable reader would already know, you will loose your audience. Unless the definition adds something significant to the topic that most readers would not know, don't bother.

Sentence structure should be simple and easy to follow. Complex sentences filled with extraneous information won't hit the mark here. You are writing to inform not trying to show off your command of the English language.

Address the topic upfront and stay on topic. Personal experience is fine, as long as it addresses the topic and illustrates your point. Avoid the tendency to veer off on tangents that do nothing to solidify your point.

Forget about flowery descriptions designed to elicit an emotional reaction. The only emotion I feel when I want to get rid of mice is disgust and anger. I really don't care to hear how cute the mouse was before you caught him. No one else does either. Leave the flowery imagery for prose.