The Art of Writing #1

Hey there! We’re so glad to have you here today! Today, I (please call me D) am going to talk about a few aspects that make written works seem more structured and sound more captivating.

Designed By Maggie!

A little disclaimer before we get into this post, I am not a professional author, writer or poet. I am a hobbyist writer and an avid reader. The content in this post comprises of my views and thoughts on writing.

Now that that is out of the way, today I’m going to be listing 5 ways to make your written work more captivating that readers feel the need to continue reading. These are more focussed on general writing and not on specific forms like stories or poems.

#1 Make it personal.

Every time you write, make sure you include an element that everyone can relate to. Use pronouns like ‘we’ and ‘you’ to focus on the reader so that they feel drawn towards your words. Talk a little about yourself but don’t let the post revolve around you. The reader has to feel a sense of belonging while reading your works. They have to go like, ‘Oh, I know that feeling!’ or ‘Haha, that is relatable.”

#2 Take away

What does the reader gain from spending a few minutes of their precious time reading your work? Give them a reason to continue reading. Hence the ‘why should I read?’ and “What have I gained?” will have a concrete answer. Make sure you include your views on the subject, why they should spend more time doing something, why they should focus more on a particular subject. Write in such a way that after reading your works, they are either in awe of the literary aspects like metaphors and word choice or they have been inspired to put something new into practice or they have learned something new or realised something.

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#3 Show more and say less

This is more focussed on story writers or short prose writers. Don’t tell your reader what is happening. Show them. Use adjectives and pay attention to the most minute details. Use rich imagery with colours, focus on the atmosphere etc. When someone reads what you’ve written, they have to feel like they’re right next to the protagonist, seeing and experiencing everything they are.

#4 Short and Concise

Before you start writing, sketch out what it is that you want to convey and then write the post revolving around those key points. Now, this doesn’t apply to stories, this is when you’re writing to get a point across. Make every sentence a part of your point such that the subsequent sentence is dependent on the previous, this gives a sense of continuity to your post rather than making it seem like a collection of disconnected points. Besides, you have to take into account the attention span of your readers, make sure they don’t get too bored after the first few sentences.

#5 Sentence Structure

Sentence structure matters a lot more than you think it does. Don’t make your sentences too long that the reader forgets what the first part was when they get to the end. If you do want long sentences, make use of commas, semi-colons, and other punctuation marks. So break those long sentences into smaller bits with these punctuation marks that the reader remembers the entire sentence after reading it once because it was very comprehensive. Word choice falls under this. Don’t use huge words because they sound big, use them because nothing else fits. Use descriptive and beautiful words that makes the reader to want to read more.

So, that was all for this post! Thank you so much for reading! What are some techniques you use to make your words seem more realistic?

D is a teen blogger @ Random Specific Thoughts who loves reading, drawing and anything Science. She adores poetry and enjoys writing essays and creative non-fiction as well!

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