Killer Tips for Streamlining Your Copy, Part 1

KILLER TIPS FOR STREAMLINING YOUR COPY, PART 1 As any writer knows, getting that first draft down on paper is only half the battle. Whether you’re writing web copy, a sales email, or a journalistic article, chances are, you and your editing team will go through a few rounds of tweaking and fine-tuning before your work is really done. So, I’ve decided to do a little mini-series to share some of my favorite writing and editing tips. One of the really cool things about writing is, it’s always a work in progress – there are always things you can do to make your writing clearer, or more powerful, or just more interesting. And, if you write every day, you’re constantly honing your craft. From major rewrites to itty-bitty changes in word choice or punctuation, there are about a million things you can do to change, improve, and streamline your work. Here are three of my favorite ways to pack more punch into your prose: 1. Pump up your verbs. Once you’ve gotten a first draft down, go back and examine all of the verbs you’ve used. Do they actually say what you want them to say? Are they big, strong verbs that leap off the page and carry your message loud and clear, or are they timid little things that barely make a squeak? Here’s what I mean: Photo by jmtimagesOriginal: At the press conference, President Obama went to the podium and talked to reporters about the latest financial news. Okay, so maybe he did, but the verbs in this sentence are completely lifeless. Talk about a big, fat yawn. Went? Seriously? Blech. How about this: Better: At the press conference, President Obama strode to the podium and shocked reporters with the latest financial news. See the difference? Stronger, more specific verbs like â€Å"strode† and â€Å"shocked† give the sentence new life – and new meaning. Verbs, after all, don’t just tell what someone did – when used correctly, they also give you a clue about how they did it. This sentence would have an entirely different meaning if we’d used the verbs â€Å"stomped† and â€Å"barked at† or â€Å"crept† and â€Å"dodged.† 2. Steer clear of the passive voice. Even if you’re ever-vigilant about avoiding the passive voice, occasionally, a sentence or two sneaks under the radar and makes itself at home. For some reason, a lot of beginning writers think that the passive voice makes them sound more, I don’t know . . . writerly? But really, the passive voice just sounds funny and stilted. To a reader, the passive voice lacks the sense of action and the â€Å"this-is-happening-right-now-as-we-speak† element. Plus, in real life, we just don’t talk like this. So, unless there is a seriously compelling reason to do otherwise, make sure that all of your sentences are active. Here’s what I mean: Original: The blog was written by Stephanie. Simply flipping the sentence around will give you an active, more immediate sentence: Better: Stephanie wrote the blog. 3. Go easy on adverbs. I was at the bookstore the other day and I saw a book on writing that was called something like, â€Å"If You Catch an Adverb, Kill It.† I haven’t read the book, and I can’t remember who wrote it, but the title alone is a valuable little nugget of wisdom. In general, a strong verb (see tip #1) is WAY better and more effective than almost any adverb. Of course, there are a zillion exceptions to this, and, of course, every writer uses adverbs to some degree. But use too many, and you’ll start to sound silly. A good example of adverb abuse is Danielle Steele – her books are just bursting with characters who are â€Å"sneering menacingly† or â€Å"whipping their raven-colored hair about angrily† or â€Å"sighing longingly.† When you’re finished writing, a good idea is to go back through and try to cut as many adverbs as you can. Bust out your thesaurus and find a good, strong verb to use instead. So: Ramona gazed into Dirk’s eyes dreamily and kissed him sloppily. Becomes: Ramona fixed her aquamarine eyes on Dirk’s. Their eyes met and their lips joined in a passionate kiss. Ick. But you get the idea, right? That’s it for now. Check in next week for more tips, and happy writing! Related articles Better writing: The active voice (billbennettnz.wordpress.com)

Most Popular World Religions

Most Popular World Religions While there are and have been hundreds of religions and spiritual beliefs across the globe the major faiths practiced by the majority of people on Earth can be broken down into a few major groups. Even within these groups different sects and types of religious  practices exist. Southern Baptists  and Roman Catholics are both considered Christian even though their  religious practices differ greatly.   Abrahamic  Religions Three of the worlds most dominant religions are considered to be the Abrahamic religions. They are named such because of each claiming descent from the ancient Israelites  and follow the God of Abraham. In order of founding the Abrahamic religions are Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.   Most Popular Religious   Christianity:  with 2,116,909,552  members (which includes 1,117,759,185 Roman Catholics, 372,586,395 Protestants, 221,746,920 Orthodox, and 81,865,869 Anglicans). Christians make up almost thirty percent of the global population. The religion arose from Judaism in the first century. Its followers believe Jesus Christ was the son of God and the Messhia for told of in the Old Testament. There are three major sects of Christianity: Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism.  Islam:  with 1,282,780,149 members worldwide believers of Islam are referred to as Muslims. While Islam is very popular in the Middle East one does not need to be Arabic to be Muslim. The largest Muslim nation is actually Indonesia. Followers of Islam believe that there is only one God (Allah) and Mohamed is his last messenger. Contrary to media portrayals Islam is not a violent religion. There are two primary sects of Islam, Sunni, and Shia.  Ã‚  Hinduism: There are 856,690,863 Hindus in th e world. It is one of the oldest religions and is practiced mostly in India and South East Asia. Some consider Hinduism to be a religion while others view it as a spiritual practice or way of life. A prominent belief in Hinduism is the belief in Purusartha  or the object of human pursuit. The four  Purusarthas  are dharma (righteousness), Artha (prosperity), kama (love) and moksa (liberation).   Buddism: Has 381,610,979 followers worldwide. Like Hinduism, Buddhism is another religion that can also be a spiritual practice. It also originates from India. Buddism shares the Hindu believe in dharma. There are three branches of Buddism: Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. Many Buddist seeks enlightenment or liberation from suffering.  Sikh: this Indian religion has 25,139,912 which is impressive because it doesnt generally seek converts. A seek is defined as one who any human being who faithfully believes in One Immortal Being; ten Gurus, from Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh; Guru Granth Sahib; the teachings of the ten Gurus and the baptism bequeathed by the tenth Guru. Because this religion has strong ethnic ties, some see it as more of an ethnicity than simply a religion.  Judaism:  is the smallest of the Abrahamic religions with  14,826,102 members. Like Sikhs, they are also an ethnoreligious group. Followers of Judaism are known as Jews. There are many different branc hes of Judaism, but the most popular ones are currently: Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative.   Other Beliefs:  While most of the world follows one of the several religions 814,146,396 people believe in smaller religions. 801,898,746 consider themselves to be non-religious and 152,128,701 are an atheist who does not believe in any form of Higher being.