Consistency matters. It makes your documents and webpages easier for people to read and find their way around. It also makes them look professional. You achieve consistency by making and applying rules to several aspects of your writing. Your organisation may have its own set of rules (these are often defined in a style guide). … Continue reading Be consistent
Have you wondered what people mean when they talk about tone and voice in writing? If so, read on! First, let’s look at the difference between voice and tone. Voice means your personal voice. If something’s been written in your voice, people who know you will be able to tell it’s your writing. It’s important … Continue reading Get your tone right
Although we usually use active voice in our speech, we often use passive voice when we write. You’ll become a better writer if you can recognise active and passive voice in your writing and know when to use them. The subject in a sentence is the person or thing that is doing something. When you … Continue reading Use active voice
Zombie nouns are one of the most common problems I see in non-fiction writing. By learning how to identify and replace zombie nouns, you’ll instantly improve the quality of your writing. And your readers will thank you for it! Nominalisations, or zombie nouns, are nouns formed from other parts of speech like adjectives or verbs. … Continue reading Kill zombie nouns in three easy steps
Have you come across the term plain English? It’s a style of writing that uses language, structure and presentation that readers can understand and act on by reading just once. Plain English is language that: uses commonly understood words and phrases is clear and concise avoids unnecessary technical jargon is appropriate to the audience’s age, … Continue reading Use plain English
Investing time in planning your writing is one of the best ways to improve it. Effective writers devote 40 percent of their time to planning, 25 percent to writing and 35 percent to editing. Yet many people dive straight into writing. This approach often means your writing takes longer, but the quality isn’t as good. … Continue reading Create a writing plan in 10 steps
