Freelance Business Writing

• Bookmark everything. I am an obsessive bookmarker and my list of Favourites looks completely unwieldy, but I can find the things I’m looking for. If you use Internet Explorer, be sure to use the Folders option to categorize your favourites. (I’ll do a “how-to” in another post).
• Grab a notebook or start a Word document. Write down the source of your idea as a heading.
• Jot down the key points you want to make. I find that using a point-form list is best. Even if all you can manage are a few keywords, get them down on paper.
• If you have found several items of interest, repeat these steps for each one.
• Read your points. See where there might be gaps or where more research might be needed. Consider the order of your points. Do they sound logical? If not, move some stuff around.
• Use those points to construct sentences. Consider each unique idea as a “key” sentence that you can use to build a paragraph. For example, I might have a sentence that states: “I believe a carbon tax is a good thing”, and another that says “I’m not sure of the value of strategic voting”. Both are unique ideas that I can use as a basis for a larger paragraph, but both still relate to the overall theme of the post (which is about today’s election – can you tell?)
• Take your key sentence and try to stretch it. Remember that you are writing a blog post. The entire point is to share your opinion. You don’t have to back up every point with exhaustive research, but if you are citing stats or quotes from someone, it’s best to have a reference.
• Keep paragraphs brief – 2 to 3 sentences if possible. Remember that people are reading online and long paragraphs are discouraging.
• Again, because this is an online environment, you should keep your posts short. The ideal is 500 words or less in my mind, although some people will tell you to keep them to 300 words max.
• Go back to the top and write your info after you have made your main points. This will allow you to use your introduction to hint at the main ideas you discuss in the post, a task that is infinitely easier if you do the main points first.

I’m at 416 words. I’d better go.