The Holy Trinity of Writing

Formating is one of the most neglected skills.

Photo by Tamanna Rumee on Unsplash

When it comes to writing and posting online, presentation matters.

It’s not enough to be witty and tell a fascinating story, although that does help. If you don’t pay attention to the needs of your reader, they will drop you quicker than a hot potato.

Here are some ideas to improve your presentation.

I like to go through a checklist that I call the Holy Trinity.

(My apologies to Sister Mary-Anne from my Sunday morning catechism class.)

• Title and Subtitle. Does your title grab your reader’s attention without being clickbait? Why should they read this article, when there are so many others.
• Image. A compelling image, properly credited will often pull a reader in. They are enticed by the mood, the colors, and the content of the image. Some writers won’t click into a story with a shocking image. Others are attracted by soothing colors.
• Formatting. This is one of the most important, most neglected parts of writing a compelling article. For more on formatting, read below.

Before you publish, take a moment and think of your reader.