7 Ways To Sound Like a Pro-Writer (To Find Writing Clients)
Mimic the voice of a seasoned writer!
Based on your tone, your readers can tell if you are a pro-writer.
Some readers are very critical of the tone. As a former campus journalist, I can attest to this. After reading my trial news article during our screening, out of nowhere, my adviser asked me, “You were an editorial writer. Am I right?”
Completely blown away by how she guessed it right, I answered, “Yes, I am.”
At that exact moment, I realized how some people are so keen on nuances that they can tell whether a writer is experienced or not.
To help you sound like a pro-writer, here are my 7 tips:
1. Be word-selective.
Some words can describe an entire concept. Meaning that when phrases are examined, they can be boiled down into a single word.
Take this as an example: “Some environments bring back memories we try to forget.”
For a normal reader, this sentence is already clean. No need to trim down. But seasoned writers know that this sentence can still be cut into a leaner form.
How?
“Some environments resurrect bad memories.” — this one is so much better. The phrase “…bring back memories we try to forget” can be simply expressed as “…resurrect bad memories”. Using only three words, the idea was captured perfectly and the intention was conveyed.
As you can observe, the tone becomes twice as strong. The expression is straightforward, and the word selection is creative and sharp.
2. Use short sentences.
In writing, the shorter the sentences, the more powerful you would sound. Although it won’t be achieved all the time, try to express ideas with as few words as possible.
This technique can be observed in some books like “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell. Apart from being a provocative masterpiece, its storytelling is so velvety. Gladwell used short but powerful sentences.
3. Use transitional phrases (but not too much).
Paragraphs with no transitional phrases appear disjointed and untidy. This is one of the subtle ways to spot a novice versus a seasoned writer. Novice writers are not mindful about linking one sentence to the next. As a result, their tone tends to sound off and awkward.
Oppositely, pro-writers are excellent at tying sentences end to end using transitional phrases. Their article sounds smooth and there is a build-up of ideas.
4. Write with fast pacing (but not too fast).
Fast-paced writing means the progression is direct and dynamic. All the ideas contribute to the main topic and are headed in a single direction.
However, when done too fast, your article would sound abrupt. So be mindful of the speed.
George Saunders has a powerful statement about this. When asked, “How do I make sure I’m making good decisions?”, he answered, “By paying attention to what you’re saying with every line.”
As he tries to imply, every line is important. They would either make the statement a little farther or nearer to the main point. Ensure that the thought of each line is synchronized.
5. Open with a bang.
This is a common language in news writing. To grab readers’ attention, the title should bang loud enough. The louder, the more chance of resonance. Write the title sharply and straightforwardly.
The first sentence in your piece is very crucial. Always open your article with a strong declarative sentence.
But here’s an important note to this one: Make sure that the promise you provided in your title will be justified in the body. Using titles as clickbait is the perfect way to be red-flagged as a make-believe writer.
6. End with a punch.
If you opened your article with a bang, consider ending it with a punch.
This idea is derived from what we call the “Recency Effect” in psychology. It refers to the tendency of a person to remember the most recent thing they learned. In writing, this theory can be integrated to leave a mark on the readers.
Always end your article with a provocative statement: either a call to action, a question, a mindset shift sentence, or a powerful takeaway.
This will make your articles linger in the memory of the readers.
7. Always strike an active voice (as much as possible).
Active and passive voices are technical concepts in the English language. And I suppose you are already familiar with it.
To sound like a pro-writer, arrange your sentence in a way that the words “was” and “by” are eliminated. This is not the technical definition of writing in active voice. But this is an easy way to picture out the idea.
With mindful writing, anyone can sound 5x better. All it takes is being observant with all the small writing nuances.
Just like what I said, some readers are vigilant with your sound. Through how your articles are written, prove that you can indeed write.
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