Ann Handley

♦ Ditch adverbs unless they are necessary to adjust the meaning.

♦ Ditch weakling verbs in favor of stronger, ripped ones.

♦ Create transitions between paragraphs. Good transitions greatly

improve the feel and reader-friendliness of any work.

♦ Draw natural connections between paragraphs.

pick up an idea from the previous

paragraph and connect it to an idea in the next paragraph.

More often than not, writer’s block—or the reluctance to begin—is

rooted in fear and anxiety about knowing where, exactly, to start.

More often than not, writer’s block—or the reluctance to begin—is

rooted in fear and anxiety about knowing where, exactly, to start.

Only then

do I leash up my dog and decide on the walk what the first line I’m

going to write will be when I get back home.

But at some point you just have to start writing.

If you’re a marketing or business writer, you can adapt that

approach by thinking of your favorite customer—and not some name-

less, faceless market segment. Keep a real person you either know or

you can imagine knowing in mind. Someone you like, too, because you

want to help this person.