I was chatting the other day about my approach to article writing and realised that much of the process works at a sub-conscious level, almost as if in conversation with oneself.  Initially, I found it difficult to describe my approach in detail, but having consciously identified one or two elements; I articulated a range of personal strategies which stimulate my creative and cognitive processes.

However, there are simple principles that assist in writing articles that are clear, concise and follow a reasoned argument to a coherent conclusion.  Writing has both “process” elements and “rule” elements.

Process Elements

Process elements pose the greater challenge to most writers, involving factors like:

• Inspiration - i.e. : the key idea(s)
• Understanding complexities and conceptual interrelationships
• Sequencing your argument (i.e. discussion) in such a way that it progresses logically to a conclusion.
• Using language and expressing ideas in a way that is most accessible to readers

Most articles are inspired by a “problem” (such as “How can I encourage potential writers to feel more confident about writing an article”).  The writing may explore ideas and options, evaluating them and drawing the reader to a persuasive conclusion.

Identifying a “problem” can happen in many different ways.  It may happen unpredictably in conversation or by immersing oneself in an area of research.  A problem to which you have a partial or whole solution may be identified by another party.  Whatever the means of identifying a problem, this is what gives purpose to your writing.

As a writer the topic must be of genuine interest to you and an area in which you have experience or acquired knowledge.  Professional writers do not attempt to cover territory in which they have no experience or expertise. When required to cover topics outside their “comfort zone” they will research, evaluate and learn, using the expertise of others as a litmus test of their understanding.

The risk of writing in unfamiliar territory is that you will take an over simplistic view of the topic and draw unrealistic or unsupported conclusions.  You may be oblivious to complexities and ambiguities that should be taken into account when drawing conclusions or proposing a course of action.

A strong understanding of a subject will allow you to make meaningful connections between ideas and argue through a logical pattern which supports the conclusions that are drawn.  I often find that I “cut and paste” sections of an article from one area to another as I see more meaningful connections between ideas.  The content may remain the same, but as a writer I am suggesting a sense of priority in the discussion and inviting the reader to make these important connections too.  A sound sequence of ideas assists readers to evaluate the argument.

Use of language is a major challenge.  There are no absolutes in terms of what is appropriate.  As a general approach I recommend using the minimum amount of words to effectively express an idea.  The likely composition of the audience is critical.  When writing for a target group who are familiar with a subject area, jargon may be the clearest and easiest way to express ideas.  For general audiences, everyday words and more of them might be “the go”!  

The richness of language allows us to use it for many purposes.  For example, when advocating a position or marketing a product, the language content will be more emotive than that used in a professional review or briefing.  The main guide is to consider the audience and the purpose of the article.

Rule Elements

The rules of writing are usually prescribed by the publisher.  Rules may include, for example, considerations such as:

• Spelling
• Grammar
• Use of capitalisation
• Punctuation
• Acceptable content
• Article length

By inference, rules are conventions for which there is a right way and a wrong way.  Read the publisher’s guidelines and reflect these in your writing.  Publishing an untidy piece of work is neither good for your reputation nor the publishers.

Polishing the Draft

The two greatest assets in refining a draft article to bring it to a “publication standard” are time and re-reading. (That’s right - I am talking about proof-reading!)

Time between completing the draft and a further reading of the draft clears the writer’s mind of many sub-conscious thoughts and connections of ideas.  These subliminal cognitions often make us think ideas or the connection between ideas is explicit (as it is in our head) when in fact it is not explicit for the reader.  

Most readers will read for “sense” and often overlook small spelling or grammatical irregularities, as they interpret the general meaning of what they read.  This tendency is magnified when reading your own work.

A break from the task of writing allows us to return with “fresh eyes”, which will identify many such flaws.  At this point we can determine with greater clarity whether we have expressed the main idea coherently, structured a rational and sequential argument and drawn conclusions that are consistent with the flow of the article.

Having proof-read several times, pay more attention to the basic writing conventions.  Have you used correct spelling and grammar?  Have you applied the guidelines set out by the publisher?  And most importantly, does your writing make an honest contribution to the subject under discussion?

And Now…?

Go write!!

What “fires” you up? Do you have a perspective that is either unique or lends support to a school of thought?  If so, it is certain that someone out there wants to read about it!