02
Jan
by John
In the online world, success is all about generating traffic. Traffic is measured in terms of “hits” (the number of times your page is accessed by someone on the Internet). Your hit count is a measure of how many potential customers or readers you are reaching and is also used by advertisers to determine where they choose to buy ad space. The better written your content, the more likely readers are to return to your site again and again, thereby improving your hit count. But beware; writing for an online audience is very different than writing for a print audience.
Writing Advice
Online visitors don’t actually read, they scan. Online articles must be brief, informative and attention-grabbing to be effective. Headlines should be short and should clearly inform the reader of the article’s topic. Avoid exclamation points, jokes and puns in your headline unless you are writing a humor column. Use a conversational tone, but don’t be sloppy. Avoid slang, jargon or undefined abbreviations if you are writing for a professional site. Personal bloggers have more latitude in terms of language and tone, but the most respected bloggers adhere to professional rules. Remember that new readers will likely find you by entering one or more keywords into their search engine. Scatter the keywords a searcher is most likely to use throughout your text.
Editing Advice
Grammar, spelling and punctuation still count. So does accuracy. Check your writer’s facts, particularly in scholarly settings. Online researchers typically consult more resources than print researchers. Literate and correct content implies professionalism and expertise—two things that will keep researchers coming back to your site in the future. Rein in flowery writers and those fond of dependant clauses. Two short sentences make for better online reading than one long one. Base your stylistic corrections on the approved source guide for your site (Chicago, MLS, SLS, AP, etc.) Monitor keyword saturation. Gratuitous use of keywords can actually cause your search engine rating to drop.
General Advice
The rules for online content are different than those for print content. Keep sentences and paragraphs short. Never underline a word or phrase unless it is an online link to another site. Always write in the active tense and use the fewest words possible to get your meaning across. “Experts consider blueberries a healthful fruit” is preferable to “blueberries are considered to be a healthful fruit by most experts.” Assume your audience can read at a ninth-grade level unless your site is directed at highly educated or technical audiences.
27
Dec
by John
A literary essay explains the contextual meaning behind a piece of literature while paying attention to specific details, such as structure and style. This essay form also gives its author a chance to argue complex points in the text by comparing his viewpoint to critical analysis of the piece. The structure of a literary essay is a series of paragraphs stating, building upon, and proving, then reiterating your points in a conclusion.
Organizing a Literary Essay
- Read the piece of literature you will be writing about. Reread any sections that are confusing. Take notes on notecards about major elements of the text, including structure, style, point of view, plot and subplot.
- Read books and articles that discuss various aspects and opinions of the piece of literature you are writing about. Arrange notecards in front of your work area while you study these critical texts. Write down and even highlight any points in the critical texts that you want to incorporate into your essay.
- Arrange notecards in front of your after you are finished reading the text and any critical analysis of the text from other sources. Include the name of the author an title of the text you are citing on your notecards. Choose a point of view that you would like to expand on about the piece of literature.
- Write a topic, or thesis sentence, that makes it clear to your audience the text you are studying and the viewpoint you will be discussing. The scope and argument of your viewpoint, and whether it supports the critical analysis or refutes it, will determine the length and structure of your literary essay. Refer to your notecards about the text and the analysis as you write.
- Arrange your essay in a paragraph structure. Though similar to the more elementary five-paragraph essay form, the literary essay takes longer to explain and develop its point. Write two to three opening paragraphs about your viewpoint and to alert readers on what specific aspects of the text you will discuss in the body of the essay.
- Write multiple paragraphs, depending on the scope of your theme, to argue your viewpoint about the text. Analyze the analysis, deepen the reader’s understanding of the text, highlight specific plot points, argue for or against other analysis.
- Write concluding paragraphs to end the essay, making sure to reiterate your viewpoint and add an additional fact or two about the literary text. Include a works cited page at the back of your essay to list all the source materials researched for your essay.
04
Dec
by John
In most cases we have to deal with classic essay, and less often – with scientific and literature works. In our previous articles we wrote about scientific essays, as they’re most difficult ones. Now let’s fill up the gap.
Classic essay is one of creative ways to convey your thoughts to the masses. Today this literature form is very popular all around the world. Essays are often used in educational institutions, mainly as a reference for independent work.
But essay is also a frequent guest at various competitions testing the level of creativity of the author. After all, it’s no secret that the ability to clearly and accurately lay your thoughts on paper is highly valued anywhere. When writing an essay the author has to intrigue his future readers and drive them into investigation and exploring his or her point of view. One should try to use less complex and incomprehensible means for essay, because they tend to poor readers into bored mood.
The chosen theme should be familiar to the author. Therefore he can defend his views well.
The essay can describe the story with an unusual clarity to draw readers’ attention to the thoughts contained therein. An essay can use as a topic absolutely everything your heart desires, from the narrative of tribal life in Africa up to the analysis of dreams that author have dreamed in early childhood. In any case, the most powerful (in your opinion, sure) passages in the essay should be shown as accurately as possible and startling an imagination.
The main task of the literature essay is to show the entire inner beauty and create an author’s opinion about its true nature. Essays must strike every reader on the spot, i.e., virtuosity and vigor to demonstrate their relevance to the surrounding universe, as well as at the same time praised his abilities and talent. To achieve maximum effect, you have to write honestly and sincerely. On the other hand the main goal of classic essay is to prove some thoughts of author with evident facts and convey an information as simply as possible.
Construction of essay has much impact on the quality of its perception. The text should be treated according to all rules.