<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="0.92">
<channel>
	<title>Effective Writing</title>
	<link>http://effectivewriting.org</link>
	<description>Tips for Writing More Easily &#38; Effectively</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:02:23 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<docs>http://backend.userland.com/rss092</docs>
	<language>en</language>
	<!-- generator="WordPress/3.0.1" -->

	<item>
		<title>How Good a Writer Do You Need to Be?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Assuming you&#8217;re not aiming to be a prize-winning novelist or poet, you probably just need to be reasonably proficient at writing&#8211;and comfortable with that attitude. One of the attitudes that discourages people from writing easily is the concern that they are not as good as they should be. Interestingly, not being great at cooking doesn&#8217;t [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://effectivewriting.org/uncategorized/how-could-a-writer-do-you-need-to-be/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Writing Is Not Like Speaking&#8211;Or Is It?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[This question has been  on my mind as I prepare to teach Public Speaking at a local college this summer. The excellent textbook selected by the college takes students through every aspect of preparing and delivering a speech. As I work my way through the book and prepare lesson plans, I&#8217;ve been struck by how [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://effectivewriting.org/uncategorized/writing-is-not-like-speaking-or-is-it/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>How Easy Is a Website to Read?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[While reading about the topic of website usability, I&#8217;ve been struck by something. Website usability refers to the user&#8217;s experience. It&#8217;s about creating a website that the typical user wants to look at and come back to, rather than a website that only serves the needs of its owner. Many of the people working in [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://effectivewriting.org/uncategorized/how-easy-is-a-website-to-read/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>What Should Be on Your Bookshelf</title>
		<description><![CDATA[You&#8217;ll do a better job of writing if you have ready access to good reference materials. First, and foremost, is a dictionary. Find one you&#8217;re comfortable with, whether it&#8217;s online or in print, and keep it handy. You want nothing to discourage you from consulting it, whether you need to check the meaning of a [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://effectivewriting.org/uncategorized/what-should-be-on-your-bookshelf/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>To Outline or Not?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[I was talking with some college students yesterday about the value of outlining before you write. They were feeling overwhelmed by the formal outline their teacher (my friend) was insisting they write. I pointed out that even after many years working as a professional writer, I still create an outline before I write so much [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://effectivewriting.org/uncategorized/to-outline-or-not/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Food for Thought Is All Around Us</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Reading and writing are inextricably tied together, and not just because you had to learn to read before you could learn to write. You want people to read what you write, and your writing can improve by reading what other people write. So read every chance you get. You&#8217;re likely to retort that you have [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://effectivewriting.org/uncategorized/food-for-thought-is-all-around-us/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Which Comes First?</title>
		<description><![CDATA[If you want your website to be optimized for search engines and have compelling copy, then you&#8217;re facing a chicken-and-egg situation. Which comes first? The compelling copy or the key search terms? Do you start by writing compelling copy and then insert key search terms you may have missed? Or do you first define the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://effectivewriting.org/uncategorized/which-comes-first/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>When Less Writing Is More</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Often people say too much. Ironically, paring back what you say can push more of your message through to the reader, not less. Few readers want to work their way through complicated text or many examples that illustrate the writer&#8217;s point. Readers tend to wander off. Think of how often you&#8217;ve clicked to another website [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://effectivewriting.org/uncategorized/when-less-writing-is-more/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Always Include a Call to Action</title>
		<description><![CDATA[A call to action is the instruction you give your audience about what you want them to do next. In an advertisement the call to action is obvious: &#8220;Buy Now&#8221; or &#8220;Call for More Information&#8221;. But most of us aren&#8217;t writing ads. We&#8217;re sending emails to our friends or drafting reports at work. Yet we [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://effectivewriting.org/uncategorized/always-include-a-call-to-action/</link>
			</item>
	<item>
		<title>Target Your Audience</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Are you communicating your messages effectively to the right audience? Think about all the messages you receive every day—in person, via emails, on the Internet, in print and radio ads, on TV, and so on. How many of them do you pay attention to or act on? My guess is very few. You can increase [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://effectivewriting.org/uncategorized/target-your-audience/</link>
			</item>
</channel>
</rss>

