7 Writing Myths: Copywriters Must Keep Away From
25
August
At times, myths overwhelm the pens of right brain folks. Are you fighting hard against it?
In various studies, it’s poignantly noticed that in the vast world of copywriting few myths act like bottlenecks.
Over last few decades, the natural flow and style of web copy language are under writers’ experimentations.
Few experiments were successful and others succumb to death in the darkness of ignorance and oblivion. I am the eye-witness of such myths making room in quality writers’ minds and leading them to become robots and blindly follow certain tactics of writing.
The age-old myths that are quite like road blocks are many. Here, you get the top seven that I have been advocating against since long back.
Wake up my fellow writers! Shake off all these myths to write better and provide better users’ experience.
Here are the myths-
Myth 1: You Must Not Begin a Sentence With “But”
Many of the writers ban the use of writing ‘but’, ‘and’, ‘so’, and ‘however’ at the start of any sentence. Surprisingly enough, in English grammar and on-going conventions of the language, there is no such straightforward instruction to forbid this use.
For an example ‘but’ (like other sentence connectors) show a shift in pace and direction. Many British web content writers begin the last sentence of their write up with ‘and’.
Even history of language shows, old-time grammarians managed to begin a sentence with connectors like these.
The deadlock lies in the strange conventional education system where a student (he may be a would-be writer) adopts the thoughts of his teacher.
Break the myth and feel free to begin your sentences with ‘but’ and other connectors.
Myth 2: You Must not put a comma before ‘and’
A school of writers, teachers, and journalists professes that putting a comma in front of ‘and’ is bad. Just turn your face away from them.
Apparently, though a comma seems to be unnecessary in this position, it helps readers to know how the sentence is constructed. It offers right emphasis at the right time.
And never forget to show your respect for the right thing and put a stop at the right place.
Examples:
It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. (From Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty -four)
2. He found a door in a wall; but it was locked, and there was no room for fat little rabbit to squeeze underneath. (From The Tale of Peter Rabbit)
Myth 3: You Must Not End A Sentence With a Preposition
A few old-fashioned people think that ending a sentence with a preposition is bad. If even after using a preposition at the end, one finds a sentence good at meaning, sound to convey the message then what is the issue to forbid them.
I don’t care about all these and you too can do the same.
Myth 4: Splitting Your Infinitives Is Forbidden
It simply means putting a word or phrase in between ‘to’ and the principle verb word.
Like these two sentences,
The department wants to more than double its budget.
The passengers were asked to carefully get down from the train.
If you find that by splitting your infinitives you are going to have a better write up, never compromise on your target.
Be clear about your aim and remember there is no rule of grammar that forbids you from splitting your infinitives.
Myth 5: Don’t Write One Sentence Paragraphs
Try to believe in the power of words.
Every single word has got its power. And a sentence being a group of words expressing a meaning can be equivalent to a long boring paragraph.
On the contrary, readers find reading single sentence paragraphs better than anything else. To get more traffic one sentence paragraphs are perfect.
Just forget the person who instructs you to avoid writing in single sentence paragraphs along with his instructions.
Myth 6: You Should Write Only As You Speak
I don’t deny the fact that copywriters must write as if they are talking to their readers. It helps in gaining wider audience is quite easier.
But, writing is not all about speaking. And your write ups are not your speeches transcribed.
The way we speak and the way we write are different from each other since time immemorial. And I can assure you my fellow friends that it will remain the same till the end of the human civilization.
Write simple English and try to give space to your readers so that they can get what exactly you are trying hard to tell them. Don’t write the way you speak, readers may not come back
Myth 7: You Should Test Your Write Ups with a Readability Formula
For writing, there is no hard and fast readability formula as such.
What you can do is as follows-
- Check the length of your average sentences.
- Check your language to ensure its readability
- Check out your paragraph; cut out those paragraphs which are long like an Anaconda.
- Be careful about your title, subheads, concluding paragraph and the 50 words in the beginning and at the end.
- Be focused while writing call to action. If your readers remain inactive after reading your article, think you are a failure at the end of the day.
Over To You-
Don’t let these 7 myths prevailing in the world of writing to grab your writing potentials.
Try a fair game this time and write being free from these myths.
With my learning process I have observed many being great devotees of these myths. But, if you learn a bit after reading this article and go beyond these illogical myths, I would be the happiest person.
Break these myths because myths are myths after all.
Write to me your experiences about these myths and leave any suggestion or comment before you leave this page.
I would love reading your opinions, thoughts and ideas.
Amit is a true master of words. Being in the field of experimenting with words—that people generally call writing—for four years now, his work deserves attention. ANd once you pay attention, you enjoy him through his phrases, style and unique words. His words grin at you at times and show the grim realities the next moment. Now he will caress you and the next moment he can prick you–all with his powerful words. He has teh right to be possessive for his power of words—and every word he coins indeed—as he can literally turn any dry subject into juicy stuff. As of ideas and thoughts, he is a decent person and writes honestly what he thinks and believes in. His vast experience in the magical field has helped him outgrow the restrictions of niche writing. He masterly writes in a number of niches. You can keep reading him very here. You can mail him at amitdey@contentaxis.com. You can also hang out with him at: Google+ +Amit Kumardey.
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