Writing Style Booster: Captivate Your Readers
The more alive your words are, the more your readers will be convinced
Words are the basis of our communication. A good text stands out because the words are used in such a way that it is easy to understand (for its readership), covers all the important aspects, and offers enough variety to keep the readers reading until the end.
But how do you achieve this variety?
Don't worry, you don't have to resort to dubious clickbait methods, but can use the tools that language naturally offers you. Here I'll show you 5 ways to exploit the full potential of language. The only thing you need is a certain feeling for language.
1. Use active voice:
Many people tend to express themselves indirectly or with unnecessarily inflated language. They often use a passive writing style, characterized by sentences filled with auxiliary verbs. An example: “To give the painting a very unique character, it was given particularly earthy colors.” This sentence not only seems contrived but also very stilted. Better: “With very earthy colors, the artist created a unique work.” This sentence is not only shorter, but its active formulation makes it seem much more direct. As a reader, you can almost see the artist in front of you, wielding the brush.
2. Avoid nested sentences:
The sentence construct is not infrequently the reason why texts - mostly unintentionally - live a shadowy existence, although they potentially convey valuable content, and that regardless of all filler words and pseudo- smart formulations, which ultimately serve only to enhance a sentence with the sheer number of words, although the content would have been quite sufficient.
All understood? No?
No wonder, because this sentence has 55 words! Nobody can hold the attention of their readers with a sentence of 55 words! It is better to use several short sentences. I recommend reading Hemingway. The writer was a master of short, concise sentences, and his writing style inspired the 20th century. Now, it would be somewhat unnatural and strange to simply imitate Hemingway. However, you can be inspired by his approach to capturing the attention of your readers. In general, the principle of “less is more” is a good guiding rule. No one has ever been inspired by excessive rambling.
3. Adjectives don't make your text come alive:
Many believe that their text will only come to life if they use as many ornate descriptions as possible. If you look at the works of some well-known writers, this assumption seems correct. However, using adjectives to create a special atmosphere is a true art. A good example is the writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a representative of “magical realism,” who effortlessly draws his readers into another world. For everyone else who is not as advanced or lacks the natural talent, the rule is: avoid adjectives. Instead, make verbs do the dancing! Non-auxiliary verbs usually have enough power to paint pictures in the reader's mind. You just have to let them run wild. Maybe you noticed—or certainly sensed—that I provided examples of this in the preceding three sentences. The trick is to use verbs that would not normally appear in this context: verbs that dance, verbs that paint pictures in the mind, verbs that just run. Do you understand what I mean?
4. Clear out your texts:
The first draft helps you get your thoughts down. But even if you feel that you've written the perfect text, let it rest for a while, for example overnight. If you still find it perfect the next day, so be it. More likely, though, you'll discover passages you'd like to change. Or you might even feel like rewriting or at least revising the text. This is a good opportunity to clear out your text. Search for unnecessary elements: digressive subordinate clauses, entire paragraphs, or filler words such as “so,” “now,” “absolutely,” “definitely”—embellishments that don't advance the text but occupy valuable space in your effort to attract and retain your readers' attention.
5. Right or wrong?
Nothing is more unpleasant for a writer than discovering errors in a text that has already been published. Wait—there is! Discovering many errors is even more unpleasant. If the errors have been digitally processed, they can usually be corrected afterward. But once they've been printed or already seen by a large audience, they can't be "caught" anymore. What helps against this? Of course, reading your text again can't hurt. However, repeatedly rereading it becomes ineffective, as the likelihood of finding more errors diminishes each time. It's better to have the text proofread by an independent person. Automatic spellchecking should also be mandatory. And last but not least, artificial intelligence can help you improve your text. But more on that in the next section.
AI Twist
Did you know artificial intelligence can be the perfect partner to enhance the quality of your texts? From simple spellchecks to extensive proofreading, modern AIs offer the necessary capabilities. However, it’s crucial to instruct the AI correctly. Therefore, the following steps are necessary before feeding your text into the AI:
1. Define the role (“Act as a professional text editor...”).
2. Outline tasks (“Your task is to check a given text for errors, comprehensibility, content correctness, and stylistic improvement potential.”).
3. Issue the command and define the type of result (“Check the following text and create a list of recommendations with exact text passages. Also, provide a corrected version of the text, only correcting spelling and grammar mistakes.”).The specific instructions depend entirely on your needs. You can also have the text stylistically revised by the AI, instructing it to eliminate passive voice or unnecessary adjectives. The better you know your weaknesses, the more effectively you can deploy AI to address them. As always when working with artificial intelligence, be specific. General instructions yield general results.
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I've not heard the use verbs rather than adjectives tip, that is a good one. The tip that I have to be very deliberate with is the nested sentences. I tend to try to jam every related thought into a single sentence.