Write On with Guest Blogger: John Alvarez

Welcome teacher John Alvarez 
to the Book Boost!

Learning How to Write the Right Way

Writing is a huge piece of mankind's culture. It has been around for centuries, from the primitive cavemen symbols drawn on caves to the vast content found in the Internet to date. While nearly all people learn how to write as they grow up, writing effectively is not everyone's forte. Some people are born to be natural writers, influencing people with their words and even making money from it. Today, freelance writers go by the thousands. If you wish to claim a spot as one of them and be recognized by various contractors for a permanent writing position, a well versed writing skill set is a must-have.

Find Reason & Inspiration

Why are you writing? Is it because you are bored and don't have anything else to do? Are you writing for money or to get your name printed on a newspaper or at an online site? Inspiration is essential in any line of work. It fuels one's body and mind to push further even when circumstances are not letting you do so. Make sure you find a good enough reason and inspiration to start writing. If you write simply because you find the pay rate is good, you'll have a difficult time learning and mastering the art. Possible inspirations include your family, getting a house or car of your own, or savings.

Simple is Better

Have you ever read a book that's so complex in word choices and sentence structures that you find it difficult to keep up? Note that your online audience come from different backgrounds and are usually searching for meaningful content rather than fancy words. By keeping your articles or blog posts simple and easy to understand, you are able to connect to audiences of different cultures and backgrounds and ultimately helping them answer their questions or problems. Of course, choose where to apply this rule. Some writing styles like academic or technical writing require specific words and jargon.

Brevity

It's sad to say, but the attention span of most people who surf the web is lowered to a mere 5 to 10 seconds, which is equivalent to that of fish. People who surf the web are often impatient that they can't stand reading large chunks of paragraphs and sentences for countless minutes. It is vital, as a writer, to keep your content as concise and straight to the point as possible.

Connect with Readers

Always keep your readers in mind when writing. Remember that you are writing for them, not yourself. Put yourself in their position and ask what questions you may want to get addressed on a certain topic. By doing so, you arrive with more accurate results. Without connection, readers tend to lose interest in your content as they feel it isn't the right or best one to use.

Learning the proper writing techniques is a continuous ordeal. But if you are really serious of making a career out of writing, a slow but sure pace is the best approach. It may be helpful to read more books and watch movies to improve your grammar and vocabulary.

A Note from the Book Boost:  John, this is all sage advice for writers.  I particularly agree with the "find inspiration" suggestion.  This is crucial in making your words reach the readers hearts as well as their minds.  Thanks for joining us today!

Who's John?

John Alvarez is a high school English teacher who writes about the creative process, education and communications. His most recent work focuses on the Best Education Degrees.