Clarity Above All: Write What You Mean (It’s Challenging)

Do you focus on clarity? It’s essential when you’re writing anything.

However, it’s easy to miss or ignore. For the second time today, I’ve looked at content, and thought… huh? One company was a startup with a LinkedIn page; the other was an established brand.

I looked up the startup on Google because I couldn’t work out what they were selling. For the brand, I checked the rest of the site.

It’s easy to be unclear. Once I ran a site for a solid year, without clarifying its focus explicitly, that is: on the site itself. We make assumptions, based on what we know. Other people can be mystified. 🙂

Big tip:

All your copy, from taglines (slogans) to novels, must be written for results. You can’t get results if you confuse your audience.

Copywriting Tips: 4 Vital Strategies To Increase Sales

Language Skills For Clarity And Subtlety: Love The Semicolon

Here’s another post on language skills. This time, let’s look at semicolons. Basically, a semicolon connects two (or more) independent clauses in a sentence. Here’s a good roundup on how, when, and why to use semicolons from Grammar Girl. Using semicolons aids clarity. They help you to convey shades of meaning to your readers. Language skills: semicolons help you to … Read more

Language Skills For Writers: Beware The Dreaded Homophones

How are your language skills? Homophones can trap any writer. If you’re wondering: what are “homophones”? Basically, they’re words which sound alike, but have different meanings. Most writers have homophone bugbears: confusing, sound-alike words which trip you in your writing. Here’s a list of common homophones. Language skills: which homophones confuse you? Here’s one I confuse: bear and bare, when … Read more