Write for Success!

By Darlene Bishop

Whether you are a professional writer or write simply for
your business and personal needs, the purpose in writing is
always to elicit a response from your audience.

That response could be a check from a publisher or an ezine
subscription from a website visitor, but whatever it is, the
goal is the same.

Get them to read your writing and do what you want them to do.

That's why, when I came across a website with information on
dressing for success while surfing the web recently, it
occurred to me how much of this information can be applied
to writing. That phrase -- Dress for Success -- has been
around for so many years that it's become almost a clich€  é.
Yet, the principles of dressing professionally still apply
to the corporate world today. Some of those principles can
be applied to writing, as well.

The goal in dressing for success is to "put your best foot
forward"... to leave people with the right impression of
you, and to instill in them the confidence that you are able
to do what you say, when you say, and to the best of your
abilities. The idea is to get people to respond favorably
toward you.

Isn't your goal in writing the same? You write because you
want people to trust you, to have confidence in you and to
respond favorably toward you. Whatever you write, you want
to leave your reader with the right impression. Whether you
write for pay, to educate your audience, or to get someone
to buy what you have to sell, the goal is to be perceived as
successful, professional and trustworthy.

So, how can you accomplish this?

1. Start with the basics.

Just as a good wardrobe starts with basic pieces such as a
wool blazer, skirt and slacks, good writing starts with the
basics of good grammar, punctuation and spelling. These are
the foundation of your writing skills.

2. Make sure your pieces fit well and are the best quality
you can afford.

Poor-fitting clothes leave an impression of sloppiness,
laziness, and a lack of professionalism. Poorly-chosen words
leave the same impression. Take the time to select the right
words for the job and to get your message across in the most
readable manner possible. Make your writing the best it can
be. Your readers will notice the difference.

3. Expand your wardrobe over time.

Just as you continue to add pieces to your wardrobe,
continue to add to your writing skills. Read a book on
writing well. Take a course. Start a journal. Continue to
improve your skills.

4. Add quality accessories.

A colorful scarf or a well-made brooch can dress up a plain
suit, making it more lively and attractive. Quality
sentences and well-written phrases make your writing more
pleasing and enjoyable, as well.

5. As your wardrobe grows, add more original, qualitypieces.

When you begin to create a successful wardrobe, you start by
acquiring the basic, necessary pieces to look mature and
successful. Unless you're independently wealthy, you don't
start out with a fully complete wardrobe. You build it over
time, adding a little here, a little there, until you have
created a good foundation that will serve you well in most
every situation.

Beginning to write is much the same. Unless you're a "born"
writer -- and few of us are! -- you don't start out as a
professional. You develop your writing wardrobe over time by
increasing your knowledge, improving your vocabulary, and
learning to apply new skills, until you realize one day that
people have begun to perceive you as a professional who has
the ability to handle most any writing situation.

Dressing for success gives you confidence in yourself --
when you look professional and confident, people respond
favorably to you.

The same is true of writing for success... and it pays off
in the form of more sales, more assignments and more
positive feedback from your readers.

Darlene Bishop is a professional with over 16 years experience
writing and editing ezines and newsletters, press releases, website
content, sales letters, and much more, and is the author of numerous
articles on a variety of topics. Visit http://www.cheapediting.com
to learn more about professional editing at great prices.