📝 How to write an article and use words in 2017

Publishing never has been easier. How can I stand out and put quality thoughts on topics everyone is talking about? How can I set standards for myself to provide the cutting-edge quality people want? In law school I was able to learn the importance of language. The choice of words can have different consequences - so choose wisely! Here are some of my thoughts on writing in general and what's important to understand in the year 2017.

📄 Table of contents

"One always has to do the work - it's either the author or the reader" ― Werner Doralt

How to choose a topic?

Choose a topic you have been working on or some experience in. Most of the time people with interest in that topic will read your article. Educated people will spot guessing and bluffing immediately and call you out or stop reading. So make sure that you know the topic or build an opinion based on facts. Also keep the goal of your article in mind. Shall it educate, inform, inspire, provide solutions or be entertaining? Be sure to set your goal accordingly to your knowledge on that topic.

How to provide quality language?

1.Research properly!

My definition of quality is determined by the amount of thoughts that have been put into an article. And of course the quality of your thoughts themselves matter. You build your thoughts on experience. The more experience or research you put in, the higher the quality of your thoughts are. Look for sources that provide quality content themselves and always form your opinion on more than just one. Your own opinion stems from absorbing other opinions and critically reflecting in your own mind. Be aware that too often an author tries to inform, but unfortunately isn't able to reflect with a questioning attitude on what he had read. Thus continuing to provide poor knowledge.

2.Articulate with thought!

Work with structure! Deliberate precisely what you want to express in one paragraph and how it fits in your document structure. Make sure to identify your target audience and understand the language they use. For example: The term author in the context of writing means simply the creator of that certain text. Is the author in the context of writing programs the publisher, the writer, the graphic designer or the one who wrote the source code? Or: The term "controller" when programming an application can have very different meanings. Normal language use suggests a component that manages data flow, but in MVC structures this term has a clear defined purpose and must not be confused with "controller"-components in other architecture models. Be sure to choose a definition that fits in the context and provides clarity. It definitely pays off in legal disputes!

3.Complex topics? Break it down to first principles!

As Elon Musk said in his interview, he likes to reason from first principles rather than analogy. This simply means that you should create solutions on the basis of proven principles. Most people today take similar solutions, add their own input and provide a suboptimal result. Why is that? Because real existing solutions have a large amount of thought in them. Let's take a look into physics: In aviation you have variables and behavior that is acknowledged as proven principles (behavior of gravity, speed, pressure, density). When you build on the base of established products other companies you tend to neglect other possibilities as you see that the current solution is already working. It pays off to invest your thoughts into other aspects of mechanical, ballistic and buoyant flights and be able to provide radical new solutions.

How to write in 2017?

The one thing we have to be aware of is attention. Technology gives us the ability to consume everything we want in every form we want to. With so many alternatives and a very short span of attention, you as a writer or marketer have to be direct, fast and interesting. As Gary Vaynerchuk puts it: Depth is more important than width. He preaches that connection to people as a human beings is so much more important than going for numbers and followers. And I think that's exactly the way how to write in this year. Focusing on quality and connecting with each reader as much as possible. Choosing titles and intros based on psychology and delivering content based on research. That looks like a good strategy for me. 🙏

I am sure to review my thoughts after a few months

This was a very, very short overview of some aspects of writing well. There are a lot of good books and articles on how to write better. Check out some of them to get going. Don't lose sight of what you are aiming at! Get good in writing but don't lose yourself in the process. It all comes down to communication of your thoughts. For myself I am sure that I will revisit my opinion and ideas on writing after the first articles. Revisiting and questioning basic principles and progression. It may pay off for you to do the same whether you are a professional for years or just started a few weeks ago.

Please leave comments, feedback and suggestions as I am always trying to improve.
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