"Writing skill is the greatest communication asset you must acquire regardless of your chosen endeavor. Your flow of words is what you turn into cash flow in the marketplace." -Uzo Onukwugha, MD

Common sense is not common. It is a sense that is common to everybody but is not commonly applied. Why? Because what is commonly believed is generally ignored. The common thing is not that we don't know it; it is the fact that we don't do it.

Your write-up could be e-mails, letters, articles, reports or even books. Here are thoughts to keep at the back your mind when you undertake any writing for profit or pleasure:

* Writing is the doing part of thinking. It forces you to think on a deeper level. Now you must think about what you are putting down on paper. You call into question and scrutiny, your syntax, tenses, verb agreement, spelling and punctuation.

* Write clearly and legibly. Make your writing as simply as possible. Know that the deeper your thoughts, the simpler your writings. Simplicity is the pinnacle of mastery. I believe in the KISS method--keep it simple and straight. Don't confuse your reader with big words. If you must use them, you must explain them in context. Know the old writing maxim: "Don't write to impress; write to express.

* Write the way you speak to a friend in a conversational style. Use pronouns like 'you' and minimize the use of I, Me, and Myself that might sound too egoistical. An egotist is an 'I' specialist.

* Use active verbs and cut off helping verbs--if you can. Movement generates pleasure. Animating your writing makes is lively. It is energy in motion. For instance, instead of writing: Smith is five feet tall; write: Smith stands five feet.

* Forget about your Grammar Class. Use contractures because that's the way we speak in the real world. But avoid colloquial English. For instance don't say, "I ain't got the time." Rather say, "I don't have the time."

* Avoid clichés like plague. Clichés are over-used and overdone expressions that has lost their cutting edge. They make you stale and rigid. Be creative! For instance don't write: "he can sell refrigerators to the Eskimos." Rather, say: "his power of persuasion can break any buyer's resistance."

* Use your own personal but relevant examples to drive your points home. Don't try to copy other people because they are popular. Other people want to read about your unique experiences. too. Let your personality show. Brand and don't blend. When you blend, you're bending. Branding is called your style in writing. You must carve out your own groove. That is a major part of your unique selling proposition. When you brand, your true signature comes out. If you're blending, you're not thinking.

* Tell stories. There's an old copywriting maxim that says: "stories sell, facts tell." We are humans and we love to read stories about other humans--especially if they are celebrities. So use human interest stories, snippets, anecdotes and vignettes. People can forget the facts and figures, but they will always remember stories. Why do you think gossip columns are popular? Not to talk of tabloid journalism. Also check out the book Rich Dad, Poor Dad. The author, Robert Kyiosaki used fictional characters to paint a non-fiction book. It was intentional to avoid boring you with elaborate facts. Instead of saying the Bible said in John Chapter 1...He said, "My rich dad says that the word becomes flesh." That book has remained a best-seller for six years in a row. In short, stories are the most powerful ways of creating pictures in a reader's mind. Although a picture is more than a thousand words, you can also use words to create vivid pictures.

* Do free writing first. Write from your heart instead of your head. The right brain is the creative writer. Don't interrupt it by editing as you write. That slows you down. You can always go back. Your first draft is a rough draft. Most good writers are made in the re-writing. That's when the editor or the left brain critic comes in to proof-read and edit what the right brain has written.

* Great writers plan their writing with a sketch or outline first. These are called the bare bone essentials or the main points you may want to develop. It is not caste in stone and could be modified. Writing is always a process. You can then pad or add flesh to the main points. Don't use formatting space to increase your writing or page count. That brings us to the next tip....

* The acronym is REENNS. R stands for reasons, EE stands for examples and explanations, NN stands for numbers and names while S stands for senses--the five common senses of sight, touch, smell, taste and hearing. Your writing is always richer and deeper when you add these common sensory stimuli.

* Let your writing cool off (for a couple of days) before you edit it. It is always better to give it to someone else to read through. You will miss typos when you edit yourself. This is because of the human factor and the phenomenon of adaptation. If you work on the computer, try and edit with the print-out instead of doing it on the screen. Remember that no writing is complete until it is free of errors. Uncorrected writing is like a child's play. It jars your readers.

* Know that writing is a journey--a process of discovery. Like everything else, practice does not make perfect. It makes improvements and improvements make perfect. You grow as a writer. The more you write, the better you become, the easier the process and the smoother the journey.


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About the Author

Uzo is your go-to-guy when the gurus forsake you with nowhere to go. He is multitalented Motivational Teacher, Writer, Philosopher, Artist and Marketer. Visit his site at: http://www.weblinkbusiness.com and subscribe to his newsletter. Contact him for your comments and concerns at: [email protected]