Engaging the Reader: How to Make Your Writing Flow

Use transitions

Here are some acceptable transitions to use at the beginning of sentences in HelpGrams:

Acceptable HelpGram Transitions
Additionally Also Although As a result At times Because Besides But Consequently Despite For example For instance However If In addition Instead Later Meanwhile Nonetheless	Now Or Perhaps Plus Similarly Since So Still Sometimes Then Though Today Unless Well What's more When While Yesterday

(NOTE: This is not a comprehensive list. Use your judgment when deciding which transitions would sound best in your HelpGrams.)

Remember, Web writing is informal and conversational - so break Strunk and White's rule about not starting sentences with "however." Starting sentences with "however" and other transitional phrases makes them more scanable and easier to follow. But although it's fine to start a sentence with "however," don't do so sentence after sentence. Vary your transitions to improve the flow of your writing.

Avoid wooden or wordy transitions such as the ones below:

Transitions to Avoid in HelpGrams
Accordingly At the same time By the same token Currently Furthermore	Indeed In the meantime Moreover Presently Thus

Vary your sentence length & structure

Also, avoid what Strunk and White terms a succession of "loose sentences." This occurs when the writer uses sentences with two clauses, the second of which is joined by a conjunction such as "and" or "but." A succession of loose sentences sounds monotonous to readers.

Stay consistent

Stay consistent in your pronoun

Here's an example of incorrect usage: If a person tells you that you're wrong, tell them you're right.

Here's a correct revision of the previous sentence: If a person tells you that you're wrong, tell him or her that you're right.

Always make your pronouns agree in number with their antecedents.

Stay consistent in tense
Don't switch tenses in the same sentence. And keep each paragraph one tense. Before you write, decide the primary tense in which you will address the reader, and stick to it. This way, you'll avoid confusing the reader. Remember, Web readers have short attention spans.

Stay consistent in person
Don't change person in the same sentence, and don't shift person in the same paragraph. Each sentence and paragraph should be written in first, second, or third person. If you have three paragraphs, it's fine for two of your paragraphs to be written in the first person and for the third to be written in second person. But be sure to keep each paragraph, and the sentences within each paragraph consistent in person.

Stay consistent in tone
You set a tone by the way you arrange words in a sentence, the person you use (first, second, third), the language (formal vs. conversational), and the intent of the message (persuasive, motivational, informative). Determine the dominant tone for which you will address the reader before you begin writing. Ensure that the tone set in the first paragraph of your expert statement remains consistent throughout your expert statement and your data points.

Stay consistent in format
Your data points should always be consistent. For instance if you use the second person in your first and second data points, don't shift to the third person in the rest of your data points. This rule also applies to verb tense and tone. In addition, make sure the content of your data points is consistent. For example, let's say your first two data point consist of two sentences. The first sentence states what you should do to solve a problem, and the second states why doing the proposed action will help you. Make sure you keep this format for the rest of your data points. For example, don't omit the second sentence that explains how doing a proposed action will will help you in the rest of your data points. Set a format, and stick to it.

According to William Zinsser, answering the following questions before you begin writing will help you achieve consistency when you start writing:

• In what capacity am I going to address the reader (reporter, provider of information, average man or woman)?
  
  
• What pronoun and tense am I going to use?
  
  
• What style (impersonal reportorial, personal, but formal, personal but casual)?
  
  
• What attitude am I going to take toward the material (involved, detached, judgmental, ironic, amused)?
  
  
• How much do I want to cover?
  
  
• What point do I want to make?

Use reference words
Use reference words to keep your reader aware of who's talking (person, pronoun) and when (verb tense). Reference words also make the relationships between sentences clear. As Zinsser notes in, On Writing Well, the best way to check for reference words is to ask yourself where you left the reader in the previous sentence. If you think the reader can become confused by your word arrangements, make your sentences clear by adding appropriate reference words. For example, as Zinsser notes, words such as "this" can be confusing to the reader when they refer to the subject of a previous sentence. So when you use "this" to refer to the subject of a previous sentence, make sure your reference is clear.

In addition, keep related words together. Put adjectives close to the nouns they modify, adverbs close to the verbs, adjectives, or adverbs they modify, and pronouns close to their antecedents. This will make your writing clear and will reduce the need for reference words.

I swam, danced, and walked. I enjoy swimming, dancing, and walking.

Notice how each verb below is consistent in form - the first sentence consists of past-tense verbs, and the second one consists of gerunds. Pay attention to your parallel structure when you're composing lists separated by commas in your expert statement and your data points. Make sure each word has the same form. Also, keep the headings in your data points consistent in form.

Recognize gaps in description or logic
Identify gaps in logic by asking yourself if a word, phrase, or sentence sounds awkward or out of place. You may have to rephrase something or change the order of your sentences. Also identify whether a fact, idea, or interpretation needs to be defined or deserves more explanation.

The content of this page is based on principles found in the following book:

100 Ways to Improve Your Writing