Christian, writing

How To Polish Your Writing

Cindy Dawson

Do you want more people to read your blog? Before you click Publish, ask these 5 questions:

#1 Do I have a catchy title? Would the title attract your attention? Would you want to read more? As I scroll through the Reader List on WordPress, I look at the titles, click on what interests me, and pass over the rest. Don’t you?

#2 Does the first sentence make you want to read more? Sure, you aren’t trying to write a best-selling novel, but that first sentence must grab your reader’s attention and make them want to keep reading.

#3 Can I say it with fewer words? Look for ways to make sentences shorter. First, reduce the number of words and then try to improve the quality of the words that remain. (Cheney, 2005)

#4 Can I turn any nouns into verbs? For example, instead of saying “She made a suggestion”, say “She suggested”. Instead of saying, “He made an offer”, say “He offered”. Sounds easy, but it’s more complicated than you think. This one is the hardest for me to master, and probably the most important.

#5 Did I focus on my message? Or did I ramble on and on about this and that? Make sure every sentence contributes to your message. If not, you’re making your post longer than it needs to be. (Rambling is for journals!)

I don’t claim to be a writing expert, but I have a bookshelf packed with books about writing. Yesterday, I pulled one from the shelf and read the highlighted sections. Because writing is a skill, these tips can make a huge difference in the quality of your writing. Apply the above questions to your post one at a time. Watch how quickly your writing improves!

Whether we’re writing to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ or to tell others about Jesus, when we improve our writing skills we will attract more people to God’s Truth.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord” Colossians 3:23a NIV

Recommended:

How to Write for a General Audience, Kathleen A. Kendall-Tackett, PhD

In His Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? See my page Who Is Jesus?

Featured Image: Photo by Thomas Bormans on Unsplash

2nd Photo by Radu Marcusu on Unsplash

RealChristianWomen.blog  

17 thoughts on “How To Polish Your Writing”

  5. Thanks for this valuable reminder that writing needs practice, always.
    Sometimes I find the title comes easily, or occasionally I wait until the end when it may be more obvious. I try to keep my format for devotionals the same, but there are times that I need more space to work on a certain subject.
    God bless you today sister 🙏

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  8. These tips are succinct, but so pointed and so good! You summed it all up very well. Thank you! I also love that you have a whole page on your blog dedicated to “Who is Jesus?” What a wonderful idea! 😊 Would you mind if I reblogged this to share with my writing community?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  9. Pingback: Top Ten Posts of 2023 – Real Christian Women

Leave a comment