Put this info-style in your text: 22 commandments of a strong editor
Not so long ago, I read the book “Write, Reduce” (authors - Maxim Ilyakhov and Lyuda Sarycheva) - modern info-news popularizers. Cool dudes, and the book is also cool.
Periodically in the book there are phrases in a thick orange frame - these are the main ideas of the authors. Phrases as if fix the previously described tips. Very valuable resource.
I quickly forget what I read, so I wrote all the text from the orange frames into the table. Now, when you need to write an article, I use the table as a guide. That's what it consists of.
Three main rules of strong text. Let us see what they mean.
')
Care - when the text somehow improves the life of the reader, solves his problems. Here is an example from the book.
People do not pay taxes, and the Federal Tax Service writes about this article in the newspaper. To solve their problems, the tax will tell you how bad things are - shame and threaten taxpayers.
But the article is addressed to readers and should solve their problems. So you need to write what are the benefits of paying taxes and why it is not as expensive as it may seem.
Utility is important because no one needs a text. The text should be for some reason useful to the reader.
Suppose a guy threw a girl. Furious, he writes an article in social networks, which all girls are bitches. This grafomania - the guy writes not to solve someone's problem, but just like that.
To make the article useful, the unfortunate young man could tell about the mistakes he made in the relationship. Or how is going through the separation. So the article can help other guys prevent mistakes when communicating with a girl.
Writing honestly means telling the truth and not changing yourself. This obvious rule is very hard to follow - usually the truth is not enough for anyone. If the manager made a mistake when drawing up the documents - you need to honestly write to the authorities, even if these documents have long been with the client.
Needless to say, the product is good. It is necessary to give people information with which they themselves will appreciate this product. You can bring facts, stories or examples. Compare:
In the second case, the author did not indicate a successful friend or not. There is only data that we ourselves can operate with.
Instead of giving a positive assessment of the product, describe the situation in which the product will be useful. You will have a story that draws pictures in the reader’s head. If you are reading the text, but you can not submit pictures - in front of you is weak text.
Clericals and formalisms can be replaced with one simple word. In general, make a habit of yourself - pass texts through Glavred. He will tell you what you can replace and fix. Just do not fanatically get rid of all the orange - turn on your head.
Here are examples when phrases can be replaced with one word:
Compare:
Please note - in officialdom and the word "dear" there is no respect. Another thing is when we explain why it is impossible to do this and offer an alternative - we care.
When we write text, we need to take into account the level of preparation of the reader. When it seems that the abstruse word will explain the whole task, think. There is a possibility that the reader will not fully understand the meaning of this word.
Suppose in the article we need to use the word “budget”. The reader, who distinguishes the financial plan from the budget, does not need to chew it. But a newcomer may stumble here. It is necessary to explain the nuance with the budget in detail and only then continue the topic of the article.
Of course, one must always speak honestly, openly and directly. But there is a border that can not be crossed. This border is a person's personality.
Do not criticize a person as a person - criticize his deed, work. A person can be good or bad, inept or talent - we do not know. But we know exactly what he did and what came of it.
This rule is more about relationships.
Let's see what writing is good. A good text should contain facts, stories and benefits. There should be no abstract advantages and personal evaluation.
But often a good text scares the customer. They say that the text is too simple, without "highly qualified specialists" and "unsurpassed quality." All because of - misunderstanding of the problem.
So that you and the client have a complete and equal understanding of the task, ask questions. Why does the text seem simple? Why do we need "highly qualified specialists"? Who will read the text? Do I need text at all?
The field of such questions comes understanding of the problem. Moreover, not only to you, but also to the client.
Do not overload your offer with information. You see several thoughts - divide by a point.
Here we explain what Alfred is, how it works and what needs to be done for this. Three thoughts. Divide
To understand whether your offer is overloaded, use this life hacking: read the sentence in one breath; If breathing is not enough - rewrite and share.
We all know how to smoothly, understandably speak. But for some reason, when we sit down to write the text, it turns out garbage.
This is how an ordinary person, who is tired of smartphones, thinks.
Well well. Now the same person writes an article about it.
Strange, right? What happens to a person when he writes like this is not known. The main thing you need to know is to sit down to write only in a relaxed state. Have written? Read aloud and rewrite parts that you stumble upon. So many times.
In paragraphs, we clean up the article. If a large complex text is divided into paragraphs, it will not be so large and complex.
Remember, one paragraph - one thought. Usually it is 3-5 sentences.
At the beginning, put a sentence that explains the content of the paragraph. So you will facilitate navigation: the reader slides through the text and, if the beginning of the paragraph is interesting, studies in more detail; if not, it proceeds to the next.
The rule is for authors who know the subject well. For them, similar homogeneous members are different things. But the reader sees no difference. He seems to be reading the same thought several times.
Be sure to check homogeneous terms for similarity in meaning. If there is a similarity, select the most accurate definition, and delete the rest. Like this:
The position of the reader before reading the text is point A. The position to which the reader will come after reading is point B. Point B is our goal.
To reach the goal, we need arguments. Each argument is one step to paragraph B. Consider an example.
BUT
Success is money and things.
B
Success is to be useful to the world.
Now we give the arguments that will send our reader from point A to point B.
BUT
Success is money and things.
Argument
Money is easy to lose
Argument
When you are useful, it's yours forever.
B
Success is to be useful worlds.
Strong arguments lead directly to the goal, weak ones - on the contrary.
For example, it can be said that success is also health, but the article seems to be a little about it. Such an argument leads astray - now the route will be with a slight bias. If you add more weak arguments - the reader will be confused.
Nobody will read the big article. But if we turn a text sheet into several mini-articles, the reader's appetite will rise.
Again an example from the book.
There is an article about a trip to Spain.
The first thing to do is to enter the headers. To do this, divide the article into semantic blocks - modules of the article. There is no fixed rule - the author chooses the modules depending on the purpose and audience. It can be like this:
Or like this:
Inside the module should also have its own structure: an introduction, the main part and conclusion. If you follow this order in all modules - the article will be in order. The modules are similar - the reader knows what to expect from everyone.
Make a plan for the example of the cities of Spain.
Subtitle: city name
Introduction: overall impression
Places. General, personal experience
Food. General, personal experience
Entertainment. General, personal experience
Conclusion: tips
A separate requirement for the subheadings of the article: all subheadings must be friendly with each other and with a common heading.
poorly
Good
Good on cities
The recipe for good headlines is simple: first choose a strong, informative headline, and you’ll fit subtitles to it.
New, incomprehensible terms need to be explained on the basis of information that a person already knows.
The book has a large, clear example, which I am too lazy to reprint. I will show the picture:
poorly
Good
It is impossible to separate theory from practice and vice versa. Without theory, it is almost impossible to explain anything. Without practice, we seem to read about something abstract, detached from life.
Conclusion: Give examples to any practice.
Compare the bare theory and the real problem.
In any case there may be difficulties. If you tell about the difficulties before the reader faces them and propose a solution - this is a concern.
For example:
Here is another case. This is not a technical, but a human difficulty.
And what if you just write "go to bed early, get up early, do exercises"? It will turn out excellent article for people from the ideal world. But our world is far from perfect.
Let's start with an example:
Which text is more convincing? That's right - the second. The secret of credibility in specifics.
Love, service, warranty, quality, system - abstract. These entities are not in the material world.
A person can touch, hear, feel. Cold, marble, vibration, brick, computer - this is a reality.
Abstract does not need to be excluded completely. This is like a case with theory and examples - everything abstract must be supported by concrete.
Man reflexively compares facts with sensory experience.
If you sell electronics for a long time, then tablet characteristics are important to you: 12.9-inch diagonal; dimensions are 305.7 × 220.6.
And the artist who buys the tablet, you need to compare these characteristics with something more familiar. Like this:
It is better to combine the characteristic with a clear explanation:
I quote the book: people buy what they think will benefit them or save them from harm .
This is a universal advertising formula. Any product in the opinion of the buyer somehow benefits him. With the machine does not need to use public transport. Clothing warms and, if properly selected, will make a person attractive.
You, as the author of the advertisement, must present the product so that the buyer will see in it the benefit.
To begin with, the illustrations are stronger than text. You can endlessly describe the wonderful design of the phone with exquisite edges, but in fact it will not be so exquisite. Refinement is subjective.
It is not enough to describe the product - you need to show it first. And it is better to show in action. Blender - when grinds fruits and vegetables. Waterproof smartphone - when a diver calls him under water.
This is the orange rule from the “Tell About Me” chapter.
Few people can tell the truth as it is. When applying for a vacancy, many candidates write “there is experience” and “I read professional literature.” But the inner voice of the employer will easily tell where the truth is, and where the lies are. The employer is an experienced person.
Try it yourself. Task - select an employee in the department for two resumes:
I like the second.
All these rules are only part of a wonderful book. I advise "Write, cut" absolutely everyone. Here you will read - you will write strong articles, news, letters and even messages in instant messengers. Seriously.
Periodically in the book there are phrases in a thick orange frame - these are the main ideas of the authors. Phrases as if fix the previously described tips. Very valuable resource.
I quickly forget what I read, so I wrote all the text from the orange frames into the table. Now, when you need to write an article, I use the table as a guide. That's what it consists of.
1. To be caring, helpful and honest
Three main rules of strong text. Let us see what they mean.
')
Care - when the text somehow improves the life of the reader, solves his problems. Here is an example from the book.
People do not pay taxes, and the Federal Tax Service writes about this article in the newspaper. To solve their problems, the tax will tell you how bad things are - shame and threaten taxpayers.
But the article is addressed to readers and should solve their problems. So you need to write what are the benefits of paying taxes and why it is not as expensive as it may seem.
Utility is important because no one needs a text. The text should be for some reason useful to the reader.
Suppose a guy threw a girl. Furious, he writes an article in social networks, which all girls are bitches. This grafomania - the guy writes not to solve someone's problem, but just like that.
To make the article useful, the unfortunate young man could tell about the mistakes he made in the relationship. Or how is going through the separation. So the article can help other guys prevent mistakes when communicating with a girl.
Writing honestly means telling the truth and not changing yourself. This obvious rule is very hard to follow - usually the truth is not enough for anyone. If the manager made a mistake when drawing up the documents - you need to honestly write to the authorities, even if these documents have long been with the client.
2. Own conclusions - the strongest
Needless to say, the product is good. It is necessary to give people information with which they themselves will appreciate this product. You can bring facts, stories or examples. Compare:
- My friend is a successful entrepreneur and wealthy person.
- My friend was selling imported stockings in our village. He was the first of the fellow villagers who started driving a foreign car and who had a color TV set.
In the second case, the author did not indicate a successful friend or not. There is only data that we ourselves can operate with.
3. Tell stories, give examples.
Instead of giving a positive assessment of the product, describe the situation in which the product will be useful. You will have a story that draws pictures in the reader’s head. If you are reading the text, but you can not submit pictures - in front of you is weak text.
- We are experts in organizing amazing, unforgettable and magical weddings.
- We specialize in unusual extreme weddings. We organize a football match, a paratrooper guest landing, a virtual reality wedding or a wedding quest.
4. Replace with one word.
Clericals and formalisms can be replaced with one simple word. In general, make a habit of yourself - pass texts through Glavred. He will tell you what you can replace and fix. Just do not fanatically get rid of all the orange - turn on your head.
Here are examples when phrases can be replaced with one word:
- The citizen was intoxicated
- The man was drunk
- The application will be removed from the phone’s memory.
- Remove app?
5. Respect manifested in care
Compare:
- Dear employees, smoking on the site is strictly prohibited!
- Do not smoke at the site. Cigarette smoke enters offices through ventilation. Smoke interferes with work and harms the health of employees. Comfortable smoking areas outside.
Please note - in officialdom and the word "dear" there is no respect. Another thing is when we explain why it is impossible to do this and offer an alternative - we care.
6. Explain important nuances in detail.
When we write text, we need to take into account the level of preparation of the reader. When it seems that the abstruse word will explain the whole task, think. There is a possibility that the reader will not fully understand the meaning of this word.
Suppose in the article we need to use the word “budget”. The reader, who distinguishes the financial plan from the budget, does not need to chew it. But a newcomer may stumble here. It is necessary to explain the nuance with the budget in detail and only then continue the topic of the article.
7. It is possible to criticize work, but it is impossible to person
Of course, one must always speak honestly, openly and directly. But there is a border that can not be crossed. This border is a person's personality.
Do not criticize a person as a person - criticize his deed, work. A person can be good or bad, inept or talent - we do not know. But we know exactly what he did and what came of it.
- He has no taste
- I don't like the way this sweater sits on it.
- He brake
- We do not have time to submit a report due to its slow work.
8. If you are prevented from writing well, someone does not understand the task.
This rule is more about relationships.
Let's see what writing is good. A good text should contain facts, stories and benefits. There should be no abstract advantages and personal evaluation.
But often a good text scares the customer. They say that the text is too simple, without "highly qualified specialists" and "unsurpassed quality." All because of - misunderstanding of the problem.
So that you and the client have a complete and equal understanding of the task, ask questions. Why does the text seem simple? Why do we need "highly qualified specialists"? Who will read the text? Do I need text at all?
The field of such questions comes understanding of the problem. Moreover, not only to you, but also to the client.
9. One sentence - one new thought.
Do not overload your offer with information. You see several thoughts - divide by a point.
- “Alfred” is a program for controlling a computer through the command line, which is called by a hot key.
Here we explain what Alfred is, how it works and what needs to be done for this. Three thoughts. Divide
- "Alfred" is a program for managing a computer through the command line. To call the command line, you need to set a hot key for it.
To understand whether your offer is overloaded, use this life hacking: read the sentence in one breath; If breathing is not enough - rewrite and share.
10. Write relaxed
We all know how to smoothly, understandably speak. But for some reason, when we sit down to write the text, it turns out garbage.
This is how an ordinary person, who is tired of smartphones, thinks.
- I dream to abandon the smartphone with a large screen. I want all chat rooms and social networks to live in a computer, and on my hand that there should be only time, calls and rare notifications.
Well well. Now the same person writes an article about it.
- After many years of using smartphones (I bought my first handheld back in 2004, 3 years before the release of the first iPhone), I come to the conclusion that the big screen is still evil. Permanent bombardment with notifications is tiring, and the last thing I want is for my pocket to have even more space. Now it seems to me ...
Strange, right? What happens to a person when he writes like this is not known. The main thing you need to know is to sit down to write only in a relaxed state. Have written? Read aloud and rewrite parts that you stumble upon. So many times.
11. One paragraph - one thought.
In paragraphs, we clean up the article. If a large complex text is divided into paragraphs, it will not be so large and complex.
Remember, one paragraph - one thought. Usually it is 3-5 sentences.
At the beginning, put a sentence that explains the content of the paragraph. So you will facilitate navigation: the reader slides through the text and, if the beginning of the paragraph is interesting, studies in more detail; if not, it proceeds to the next.
12. Close in meaning - remove
The rule is for authors who know the subject well. For them, similar homogeneous members are different things. But the reader sees no difference. He seems to be reading the same thought several times.
Be sure to check homogeneous terms for similarity in meaning. If there is a similarity, select the most accurate definition, and delete the rest. Like this:
- Passive-aggressive behavior is a repressed expression of anger, discontent or disagreement.
- Passive-aggressive behavior is a depressed expression of anger.
- To pass the exam, you have to carefully and thoughtfully prepare.
- To pass the exam, you have to prepare thoughtfully.
13. Each text should have a goal.
The position of the reader before reading the text is point A. The position to which the reader will come after reading is point B. Point B is our goal.
To reach the goal, we need arguments. Each argument is one step to paragraph B. Consider an example.
BUT
Success is money and things.
B
Success is to be useful to the world.
Now we give the arguments that will send our reader from point A to point B.
BUT
Success is money and things.
Argument
Money is easy to lose
Argument
When you are useful, it's yours forever.
B
Success is to be useful worlds.
Strong arguments lead directly to the goal, weak ones - on the contrary.
For example, it can be said that success is also health, but the article seems to be a little about it. Such an argument leads astray - now the route will be with a slight bias. If you add more weak arguments - the reader will be confused.
14. Good structure - a magnet for the reader.
Nobody will read the big article. But if we turn a text sheet into several mini-articles, the reader's appetite will rise.
Again an example from the book.
There is an article about a trip to Spain.
The first thing to do is to enter the headers. To do this, divide the article into semantic blocks - modules of the article. There is no fixed rule - the author chooses the modules depending on the purpose and audience. It can be like this:
Or like this:
Inside the module should also have its own structure: an introduction, the main part and conclusion. If you follow this order in all modules - the article will be in order. The modules are similar - the reader knows what to expect from everyone.
Make a plan for the example of the cities of Spain.
Subtitle: city name
Introduction: overall impression
Places. General, personal experience
Food. General, personal experience
Entertainment. General, personal experience
Conclusion: tips
A separate requirement for the subheadings of the article: all subheadings must be friendly with each other and with a common heading.
poorly
Good
Good on cities
The recipe for good headlines is simple: first choose a strong, informative headline, and you’ll fit subtitles to it.
15. Explain the new through the known
New, incomprehensible terms need to be explained on the basis of information that a person already knows.
The book has a large, clear example, which I am too lazy to reprint. I will show the picture:
poorly
Good
16. To any theory - practice, example or case.
It is impossible to separate theory from practice and vice versa. Without theory, it is almost impossible to explain anything. Without practice, we seem to read about something abstract, detached from life.
Conclusion: Give examples to any practice.
Compare the bare theory and the real problem.
- AVR and Arduino controllers do not support multitasking, but it can be simulated using programs.
- If you are making a weather station and want to simultaneously measure humidity and temperature, you actually need to measure them consistently. First you give the command to count the humidity, then the temperature ... from the side it will look as if everything is parallel.
17. Feel free to have problems. On the contrary, open them up
In any case there may be difficulties. If you tell about the difficulties before the reader faces them and propose a solution - this is a concern.
For example:
- If you order a controller in the Chinese market like Aliexpress, order two controllers at once from different suppliers. Chances are that one of them will come defective.
Here is another case. This is not a technical, but a human difficulty.
- Everyone knows that in the morning you need to do exercises. This is easy to do if you get enough sleep every day, and in the morning you are full of energy. But more often in the morning, there is little strength and I want to sleep. To cope ...
And what if you just write "go to bed early, get up early, do exercises"? It will turn out excellent article for people from the ideal world. But our world is far from perfect.
18. All abstract support specific
Let's start with an example:
- We guarantee the solution of your construction tasks as soon as possible.
- We will find a team of builders and agree that they work around the clock in three shifts.
Which text is more convincing? That's right - the second. The secret of credibility in specifics.
Love, service, warranty, quality, system - abstract. These entities are not in the material world.
A person can touch, hear, feel. Cold, marble, vibration, brick, computer - this is a reality.
Abstract does not need to be excluded completely. This is like a case with theory and examples - everything abstract must be supported by concrete.
19. Facts must be in the reader’s world.
Man reflexively compares facts with sensory experience.
If you sell electronics for a long time, then tablet characteristics are important to you: 12.9-inch diagonal; dimensions are 305.7 × 220.6.
And the artist who buys the tablet, you need to compare these characteristics with something more familiar. Like this:
- 12.9 inch diagonal
- Slightly more than A4 sheet
- Thickness is 6,9 mm
- Thick with a watercolor sheet of 48 sheets
It is better to combine the characteristic with a clear explanation:
- 6000 mAh battery - the charge lasts for two days of permanent work on the Internet
20. Advertising - the answer to the question “how are you useful?”
I quote the book: people buy what they think will benefit them or save them from harm .
This is a universal advertising formula. Any product in the opinion of the buyer somehow benefits him. With the machine does not need to use public transport. Clothing warms and, if properly selected, will make a person attractive.
You, as the author of the advertisement, must present the product so that the buyer will see in it the benefit.
21. Show the product in action.
To begin with, the illustrations are stronger than text. You can endlessly describe the wonderful design of the phone with exquisite edges, but in fact it will not be so exquisite. Refinement is subjective.
It is not enough to describe the product - you need to show it first. And it is better to show in action. Blender - when grinds fruits and vegetables. Waterproof smartphone - when a diver calls him under water.
22. To stand out, be sincere
This is the orange rule from the “Tell About Me” chapter.
Few people can tell the truth as it is. When applying for a vacancy, many candidates write “there is experience” and “I read professional literature.” But the inner voice of the employer will easily tell where the truth is, and where the lies are. The employer is an experienced person.
Try it yourself. Task - select an employee in the department for two resumes:
I like the second.
All these rules are only part of a wonderful book. I advise "Write, cut" absolutely everyone. Here you will read - you will write strong articles, news, letters and even messages in instant messengers. Seriously.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/323232/
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