There are two types of online writing that really irk me. The first is the so-called news article that tells me nothing. I click and the article says no more than the headline. The other type is the blog post that kills me with details.
I enjoy the occasional how-to article as much as the next guy. A good how-to article shouldn’t leave out any steps. But it also should be concise and spare us the boring stories and non-essential details.
Then there’s the list post. I love a good list, I’ve even written a few myself. But list posts that have more than five items might be stretching things too far.
Shut up and just tell us the basics. Keep it short and simple, pithy.
Be careful not to do as I do and let the “me” voice get into your pieces too often. One reason I continually review and restart what I do here is because I become too much the center. That’s boring. No one really wants to hear the details of my day-to-day life.
Try to leave out most of the meta language, too. You know, those words and phrases that tell us what you’re going to tell us. Boring. Just get to the point. – dse
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