Saturday, July 4, 2015

Write a best Technical Article in Half the Time

Good technical articles area unit difficult to write down. they are long, difficult to analysis and laborious to prepare. however they are valuable weapons within the PR and selling arsenal, and you would like them.

If you'll source the article, great. that is what writers like Maine area unit here for. however if you cannot - or don't desire to -- then scan and apply the ideas below to save lots of time and energy on analysis and writing, and are available out with a way higher product.

Get Ready

1. Review your resources - text like books and articles, Web access, interview contact data.

2. prepare for interviews if you would like them, it forever takes a minute to trace down the interviewees. Note: If you are ghostwriting an editorial for a corporation, you will not have associate degree interview past the initial meeting.

3. certify you recognize the following: a) the reader's challenge, b) the key message about their challenge, and c) the kind of reader you are writing to.

4. perceive the most message the consumer wish to speak. several technologies area unit similar, however your consumer can have an outlined slant on their implementation. (If they do not, they ought to - this can be your likelihood to supply them your strategic message building services.)

5. Even "vendor-neutral" articles area unit written with some extent of read - either author|the author}'s or the corporate the writer is functioning for. this can be solely a tangle if the article bias makes for a dishonest  article, or tells a walloping huge lie.

Outline

6. ne'er skip this step, for your own or your readers' sakes. Outlines speed up your writing, and readers can follow your argument far better.

7. Organize your analysis into 3 themes. Some thematic organizations area unit obvious - for instance, I wrote an editorial on 3 steps to optimizing your storage. In alternative articles, there is also many potentialities. there's most likely nobody right alternative, therefore if 2 or 3 appear fine to you, simply decide one and escort it.

8. keep in mind your junior high school school/high school/college define lessons? They apply. If you do not keep in mind your lessons, here's a reminder: I. Introduction (Outline downside, introduce answer, state theme) II. Body A. first major purpose B. ordinal major purpose C. third major purpose III. Conclusion (short case study/example, tell answer, closing paragraph)

9. place your define on paper and let it guide you as you go. it is not iron-clad - if a replacement organization presents itself whereas you are writing you'll amendment it - however do not have intercourse an excessive amount of or you may defeat the outline's purpose.

Writing the Rough Draft

10. Here's the key to writing your rough draft: simply have intercourse. Write doltishly concerning it. Paste in random chunks of text from your analysis. Write some additional. Write in any off-the-wall, random order. All you wish to try and do at now is get down giant plenty of data onto paper.

11. Keep going till you have 2-3 times the words you truly would like, then you'll stop.

12. Once you have got your mass of data on paper, you'll organize it into your define. No huge deal - simply cut and paste paragraphs underneath the points they best match.

13. currently that you have abused  all of your rough text and analysis into your define, guess what? The draft is completed. Congratulate yourself and take a chance.

Subsequent Drafts

14. currently it is time to whip this rough mass into form. begin by saving your rough draft underneath a special name. you are going to be doing lots of deletions during this stage, and you do not wish to accidentally delete one thing you meant to use.

15. operating with the new copy, begin your edits. Paraphrase the notes you have got from alternative sources -- memos, product briefs, alternative articles, brochures. (Journalists have intercourse all the time. It's referred to as "research.")

16. i will usually transfer on-line analysis however mark it in an exceedingly totally different color, therefore as to not commit the embarrassing - to not mention illicit -- mistake of repetition somebody else's writing. once I've learned what i want to from the analysis, I capture the facts in my very own words and delete the first notes.

17. Borrow freely from your client's web site and alternative materials. do not repeat the text - that is dangerous policy and dangerous writing - however you are not planning to be suspect of plagiarism. Laziness perhaps, however not plagiarism.

18. Music is useful on writing assignments. Personally, i favor Antonio Vivaldi for drafting and picture scores for editing. Quite the band. (As I write this sentence, The Last of the Mohicans is enjoying. Baroque is best for the draft stage.)

19. you may realize that dictating works higher for you at the rough draft stage. most likely not the old school kind, wherever the tough boss referred to as in his responsible secretary to "Take a memo!" you are additional probably to use associate degree application like Naturally Speaking. this sort of application desires lots of coaching beforehand - the appliance, not you - however is terribly useful for writers WHO attempt to critique themselves out the gate.

Writing the ultimate Draft

20. you have done the rough draft, 1st draft, and area unit into the ordinal draft. you have place everything in your own words and area unit perceptive your define structure. The article is getting down to sound less like one thing you will get goddam for, and additional like one thing you may truly claim.

21. Edit for readability, descriptive linguistics and elegance.

22. Use voice altogether your writing. "Active voice" could be a sentence construction wherever the topic performs the verb action. do not move to sleep on Maine, this can be necessary. Example: "The dog bit the boy." Quick, active, easy. Here's associate degree example of passive voice: "The boy was bitten by the dog." Yikes!

23. Technology writing is filled with hideous passive construction. Here's another example from a technology selling document: "This productive marketer ability was incontestable  at the Summit in Chicago." Ack! Instead, write: "Vendor groups with success incontestable  ability at the Summit in Chicago." See however straightforward that was? PLEASE use voice. everybody are such a lot happier.

24. If you learn nothing else concerning business writing altogether your born days, learn to write down in voice. Subject all of your sentences to the present easy very little exercise and you may improve your writing 100%.

25. Please do not be boring, however aren't getting too cute. i'll stick in one thing funny each once in an exceedingly whereas -- largely as a result of i buy an enormous kick out of myself -- however aren't getting too chummy.

Final Draft

26. you are nearly there - you see lightweight at the tip of tunnel, and it's not a train. now's the time to shine structure and word alternative, and punch up your paragraphs.

27. Polish your gap paragraphs. Add a quick lead, outline what you are talking concerning and why it is vital, and list the 3 about points you are going to form.

28. scan through your article and certify you have created those points. If you probably did a top level view, the most points ought to already be subheads. (See why a top level view is therefore great?)

29. Polish your conclusion. The conclusion does not ought to be timeless prose, however do tell your points and conclusions.

30. scan through an additional time for overall readability.

31. Run your writing system and descriptive linguistics check.

32. Save and send - however watch out to send the correct file! I accidentally turned in my rough draft once rather than the finished final. as luck would have it this was with one amongst my oldest purchasers, in order that they contacted Maine and asked Maine for the $64000 article. a replacement consumer would merely have assumed complete incompetence on my half.

33. And for the ultimate tip: everything gets easier with apply. Good thing, too.

Christine Taylor writes knowledgeable white papers, case studies and bylined articles for technology and business purchasers. Subscribe nowadays to "The Taylor selling Report" at [http://www.ctaylor-co.com/Newsletter/news_landing.htm] and learn the way lead generating selling materials increase market leadership, client reach and sales.

1 comment:

  1. Summarizing is essential in making your notes more concise. Try to summarize in dot-points as if to teach to someone elsethis site

    ReplyDelete