- Print/TV is a passive medium. While reading publications or watching TV, readers/viewers want to be entertained. They are in relaxation mode and vegging out; they don’t want to make choices. People expect you to construct their experience for them. Readers/viewers are willing to follow the author’s lead.
- The Web is an active medium. On the Web, users are engaged and want to go places and get things done. Users want to construct their own experience by piecing together content from multiple sources, emphasizing their desires in the current moment.
Therefore, the writing style for Print/TV vs Web is:
- Linear vs. non-linear.
- Author-driven vs. reader-driven.
- Storytelling vs. ruthless pursuit of actionable content.
- Anecdotal examples vs. comprehensive data.
- Sentences vs. fragments.
- Big-picture learning vs just-in-time learning.
When I gave a talk on Web 2.0 & Its Business Impacts at COM1, NUS last month, I cited various real-life examples of how the blogosphere “chatter” could affect a company’s corporate image positively or negatively. Also discussed briefly the people (how they get younger and younger!) and the milestones behind successful Web 2.0 apps such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, etc. This slideshow provides a quick overview, featuring famous Web entrepreneurs such as Jimmy Wales (Wikipedia), Kevin Rose (Digg), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook)… and Ping.sg celebrity Uzyn Chua (slide 19) 
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]]>- Begin sentences with subjects and verbs. Make meaning early, then let weaker elements branch to the right.
- Order words for emphasis. Place strong words at the beginning and at the end.
- Activate your verbs. Strong verbs create action, save words, and reveal the players.
- Be passive-aggressive. Use passive verbs to showcase the “victim” of action.
- Watch those adverbs. They can dilute the meaning of the verb or repeat it. Use them to change the meaning of the verb.
- Go easy on the ‘ings’. Prefer the simple present or past. For example, “wish and hope and think and pray” is better than “wishing and hoping and thinking and praying“.
- Fear Not the Long Sentence. Take the reader on a journey of language and meaning.
- Parallel Lines – Establish a pattern, then give it a twist. Build parallel constructions, but cut across the grain.
- Let punctuation control pace and space. Learn the rules, but realize you have more options than you think.
- Cut Big, Then Small. Prune the big limbs, then shake out the dead leaves.
- Prefer the simple over the technical. Use shorter words, sentences and paragraphs at points of complexity.
- Give key words their space. Do not repeat a distinctive word unless you intend a specific effect.
- Play with words, even in serious stories. Choose words the average writer avoids but the average reader understands.
- Get the name of the dog. Dig for the concrete and specific, details that appeal to the senses.
- Pay attention to names. Interesting names attract the writer – and the reader.
- Seek Original Images. Reject clichés and first-level creativity.
- Riff on the creative language of others. Make word lists, free-associate, be surprised by language.
- Set the pace with sentence length. Vary sentences to influence the reader’s speed.
- Vary the lengths of paragraphs. Go short or long — or make a “turn”– to match your intent.
- Choose the number of elements with a purpose in mind. One, two, three, or four: Each sends a secret message to the reader.
- Know when to back off and when to show off. When the topic is most serious, understate; when least serious, exaggerate.
- Climb up and down the ladder of abstraction. Learn when to show, when to tell, and when to do both. (At the bottom are bloody knives and rosary beads, wedding rings and baseball cards. At the top are words that reach for a higher meaning, words like “freedom” and “literacy.”)
- Tune your voice. Read drafts aloud.
- Work from a plan. Index the big parts of your work.
- Learn the difference between reports and stories. Use reports to render information and stories to render experience.
- Use dialogue as a form of action. Dialogue advances narrative; quotes delay it.
- Reveal traits of character. Show character-istics through scenes, details, and dialogue.
- Put odd and interesting things next to each other. Help the reader learn from contrast.
- Foreshadow dramatic events or powerful conclusions. Plant important clues early.
- To generate suspence, use internal cliffhangers. To propel readers (to turn the page), make them wait.
- Good questions drive good stories. Good stories need an engine, a question the action answers for the reader.
- Place gold coins along the path. Reward the reader with high points, especially in the middle.
- Repeat, repeat, repeat. Purposeful repetition links the parts.
- Write from different cinematic angles. Turn your notebook into a “camera” — shifting focus to capture both landscape and character.
- Report and write for scenes. Then align them in a meaningful sequence.
- Mix narrative modes. Combine story forms using the “broken line.”
- In short pieces of writing, don’t waste a syllable. Shape shorter works with wit and polish.
- Prefer archetypes to stereotypes. Use subtle symbols, not crashing cymbals.
- Write toward an ending. Help readers close the circle of meaning.
- Draft a mission statement for your work. To sharpen your learning, write about your writing.
- Save String. For big projects, save scraps others would toss.
- Turn procrastination into rehearsal. Plan and write it first in your head.
- Do your homework well in advance. Prepare for the expected — and unexpected.
- Read for both form and content. Examine the machinery beneath the text.
- Break long projects into parts. Then assemble the pieces into something whole.
- Take an interest in all crafts that support your work. To do your best, help others do their best.
- Recruit your own support group. Create a corps of helpers for feedback.
- Limit self-criticism in early drafts. Turn it loose during revision.
- Learn from your critics. Tolerate even unreasonable criticism.
- Own the tools of your craft. Build a writing workbench to store your tools.
- Speedlinker: Roundups, Comments, Trackbacks, etc of interesting posts. E.g. Problogger.com
- Quoter: Blockquoting an interesting point of view, extract or news snippet and add a short bit of opinion and sourcing information. E.g. Susan Mernet’s “Quote of the Day”.
- Entertainer: Amusing video, cartoon, image or joke. E.g. CartoonStock.com, BLaugh.com
- Questioner: On-topic, interesting and conversation generating question. Insightful and interactive.
- Updater: Ongoing project statistics or status.
- Newsreader: Interesting news from press releases or grapevine. E.g. TechCrunch.com
- Recycler: Dragging out some old goodies from the archives and reposting them for your new readers. (Collis didn’t have any example here, so I’ve added one. This “recycler” is a good online friend of mine. Her blog, a model for me at one point, also contains other types of posts.)
- Guest-Poster: Your guest gets an extra plug, you get a day off and your readers get some variety.
- Announcer: Own local blog news, short and sweet. E.g. what you plan to do, a new competition, reset of top commenters.
I think I’ve done 1-4, 6 and 9. Which about you?
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