If the subject isn’t clear, undefined, or you’re using verb tenses that struggle to describe the action taken by a person or party not named in the sentence, you’re probably using passive voice. It’s fairly simple to identify once you understand it, but it can be deceptively difficult to many writers to pick out of their own work, even if they go back and review their writing when they’re finished. Active voice, as in the previous sentence, is more direct and stronger because the subject (writers) is doing something (using passive voice), rather than the subject taking a backseat.Īlan Henry, Senior Digital Strategist at The New York Times says:īy far, the most common thing I wind up editing out or changing is passive voice. Passive voice is used too often by writers. Questions to ask as you're writing or editing: Are terms most people don't commonly use explained or linked to definitions? Are claims all linked to relevant research or backed by authoritative sources? If you were the target audience for this content, would it make sense to you? 3. In the same vein, here at Zapier, we try not to assume the reader knows what Zapier is when they first come to our blog or what "Zaps" (our word for automated workflows) are. So, for example, if I'm writing an article for the general public about transferring files between computers over the internet, I should explain what SFTP is when first mentioning it, since most people might not know that SFTP stands for Secure File Transfer Protocol and that it's a way to transfer and manage files between computers over a secure connection. That same editor who introduced me to "throat-clearing" ledes also taught me the word "handwavy," which according to NVIDIA's Jack Dahlgren comes from "the magician's technique of waving their hands to draw attention away from the actions behind the magic trick." It's not that we're trying to fool the reader when we're handwavy, it's that we haven't provided the reader all the facts or steps they need to understand what we're trying to explain. Explanations Are Handwavy or Lacking Backup Questions to ask as you're writing or editing the lede: Does the lede make sense-explain briefly what's to come? Is it supported by the rest of the document? Does it quickly hook the reader to continue reading? Bonus if you write for the web: Does the lede have the keywords you're targeting for SEO? 2. I usually write it first, then delete it, then write it last, then delete it, then delete everything, then drink some tea and contemplate my life choices, then I write something else entirely, and then I write it first again. Advice from all the writers and editors I talked to? Just write the thing and then after the piece is done, rewrite it as much as needed, which might be several times. The lede is one of the most challenging parts of writing an article, report, blog post, or even an email or memo-and also one of the most important. You are writing to impress someone hanging from a strap in the tube between Parson’s Green and Putney, who will stop reading in a fifth of a second, given a chance. You are not writing to impress the scientist you have just interviewed, nor the professor who got you through your degree, nor the editor who foolishly turned you down, or the rather dishy person you just met at a party and told you were a writer. ![]() This is someone you will never meet, called a reader.Ģ. ![]() When you sit down to write, there is only one important person in your life. To remember the urgent need to get to the point, keep in mind this excerpt from former Guardian editor Tim Radford’s advice for journalists (emphasis added):ġ. The example above isn't as bad as my initial attempt at the lede (the first couple of paragraphs that introduce an article), but, at 152 words, it's long by most web content standards. I like to call this "defensive editing," much like defensive driving.Īfter that, we can get into "micro editing" for the nitty gritty of editing for mechanics and language issues (see the next section if you, too, nerd out on words). When approaching a piece of writing, most editors first check for the big picture to do "macro edits." Here, we're dealing with the content of the story-how it flows, if it all makes sense, if the tone is appropriate, and if there are any questions we didn't answer that readers might have. Thanks to the editors, writers, and readers who chimed in with their advice for this post, which no doubt has several errors in it.
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