Cut! How to Shorten Your Web Articles

A recent commenter here at FWJ wrote she was having trouble making the transition to web articles from traditional print. Writing for the web is significantly different as I pointed out in “P.U.! Why that Web Article Stinks.”

When people go to the web, they are often in short attention span mode.  Most readers hit the headline, skim for the important points and are onto the next piece before you can say, “Whoa!” If you bring your print mentality to the web you’ll find yourself dropped faster than a 486 PC. So how to make the cut?

• Bullet points and headlines.
  • Both work wonders in directing your reader’s attention to the main point.
  • Bullet point ideas are short and to the point.
  • Any information needed beyond the main idea can be added below keeping info clear and concise.
• Figure out what the audience needs.
  • If you are writing an article on fixing a dripping faucet, your readers do not want to hear about the history of modern plumping. Get to the point.
• Cut out ‘that’ and all of those other extra words.
  • ‘That‘ is a word (that is) often used to transition throughout a sentence, but if you eliminate it during editing, you’ll find (that) you don’t need it.
  • When you’re first transitioning from print to web, go through and read each paragraph and ask yourself if you can say it in less words while keeping the ‘voice’ of the piece.
• Turn it into a series.
  • If you have the opportunity, turn your long article into a series, breaking it up into shorter, manageable bites.
  • This is easier to do with blog posts, though an editor may be open to it as it is likely to drive more readers back to the site to read the next piece in the series.

Writing for the web requires tight writing. Be sure to suck up any extra words without sucking out the personality. It’s like putting on a girdle without cinching yourself to the point of becoming immobile. My male readers will just have to trust me on this one!

Got a question or lament? Tell me below and you may just become the inspiration for my next post. *Thank Jen for this one!

Self Editing Tip #3: Check if You’re Not Sure

Lay versus lie, awkward spellings, AP style versus Chicago – all can be difficult things for even the most accomplished writer to navigate. That’s why great writers check and double check their resources to make sure they are not relying on hunches when it comes to editing their articles.

Style guides are there for a reason – to guide writers to the correct usage of words and standards that the publication follows. Some publications have more than one guide – they may use a general one like AP Style and then another one that is specific to them.

The World Wide Web is at your fingertips so there is absolutely no reason why some writers continue to guess and use lay, lie and all of their forms incorrectly. It’s lazy and no one wants to hire a lazy writer.

When that little voice in the back of your head says “Hmm…” pay attention and use your resources.

Here are few sites I like to visit when I have a question or a “Hmm…”
Quick & Dirty Tips: Grammar Girl

AP Associated Press

Chicago Manual of Style Online

alphaDictionary.Com

Do you have a fav grammar site? Tell us below!

Self Editing Tip #1: Distancing yourself from your work

Self editing is an important and often difficult part of writing. Distancing yourself from your own work can be especially tough. Think about it, you’ve poured over the subject, invested time, sweat and even, on occasion, tears into a piece and in the end you have to take a step back and go over ‘your baby’ with a critical eye.

Time It

You need time away from your piece to see it with your fresh editor eyes. I like to call this letting an article “marinate.” This marinating time gives you the opportunity to reset your brain and can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. You do need to schedule marinating time in accordance with your deadline. An editor is not going to want to hear about how your piece is late because it’s still in the sauce.

Print It

This isn’t the best ecological practice, but printing an article out will go a long way in making sure you catch any errors. It may sound old school, but there is really no substitute for a printed piece and a red pen. I find that longer articles benefit from this style of editing and shorter, blog-style pieces are less likely to need the stroke of the pen.

If the thought of printing out an article just for editing bothers your green sensibilities, simply reuse the paper for something else:

• add it to the shredder and turn it into packing paper for packages or gifts
• keep it on hand for kids drawings and doodles
• use both sides before tossing in the recycle bin

Robot It

No, I’m not asking you to bust out in your best robot dance routine while editing, though if you do put it on YouTube so I can laugh. I’m actually asking you to leave your emotions at the door. This is vital to editing especially when it comes to hitting your word count. As a writer you can become so  attached to your words that you can’t possibly find any place to trim your beautifully crafted work.

It is better for you to do the trimming than your editor because they don’t want to do it. I’ve gotten pretty darn resentful when a writer has sent in 500 words for a 300 word piece and expect me to whittle it down for them. It makes me think that they are either trying to get over, trying to get paid more than I budgeted or they are too lazy to be bothered. In any case I get cranky.

Imagine you’re a woodcarver and you have carved the most beautiful bench for a client. You deliver it proudly and when you see the piece at the homeowner’s housewarming party you’re horrified to find the client has hacked away at the legs with a handsaw because you failed to make the bench within the parameters they gave you. “But the legs were the best part!” you yell in horror. The client shrugs and mentions it just didn’t fit so they cut what they could. Edit to hit your word count so you have more control over what makes the publication.

Self editing requires distance in order to see your words as just words – words that need to be manipulated and perfected to the best of your ability.

How do you distance yourself from your work? Tell us below!