I've been trying to brush up my writing but one problem I keep hearing from others is, my sentence flow isn't going well. And I don't know what to do about that... How do you maintain sentence flow and once you've written, how do you verify if it's got nice flow? Is asking someone the only way of knowing that? Please let me know your sayings on this matter.
If by "sentence flow" you meant "train of thought", I suggest you begin with an end in mind by writing the outline of your article first. Establish your title and subheadings first. This way, you can plan ahead on what to tell each part of your article.
As ContentWriter said definitely outline your thoughts and then fill in the gaps to start. When you have a completed article I would have someone good at writing/grammar review it, hire a copyeditor if needed but at a minimum I would read it aloud... sounds simple but when you read it aloud you should find the unnatural or stream of consciousness spots and edit them. If you find that isn't helping as much read it aloud to someone else and ask them how it flows. It does take a little practice but it is not an uncommon issue so keep at it!
i work by template, i made a template and saved it as er well " Template " which has the outline already set out, then i use that to write. It helps keep consistancy with blog articles, like others said it's like an outline. once done i do a grammar check using a free online tool and save it as first draft. Then i leave it for a couple of hours and then go back and read it, correcting and editing as i go
Hey, thanks for your advice. So, I would like to know a little more about this template concept, what kind of template to be exact? Are you using one that instructs you step by step to write? Or any other type? Can you please let me know a little more descriptively?
Just a simple template made in notepad which i save. I have a space at the top then - - - - - across the page, in that space i use for things i copy from the net like qoutes etc, then when i have used it i delete ready for something else. below that i have page title, then body, links. I work to this then save as first draft, once i am happy with it i copy it over to word without the - - - to check spacing etc and delete the words Title, body ,links etc and leave a formatted article. Something lke this ------------------------------------- TITLE : BODY: LINKS:
By "sentence flow", they either meant that your writing is stagnant or you aren't transitioning your thoughts well. Possibly even both! In his article titled, "What Writers Mean by “Flow”, the administrator of Writer's Digest mentions that some people describe it as the "rhythm" or "style" of writing. In the same article, he also provided an example of what most people would say is a truncated paragraph with no flow, and a paragraph with flow. No Flow: Flow: While the admin for Writer's Digest referred to "flow" as something that's difficult to define, you can still improve it without a definition by improving your overall writing. A few topics you can focus on to improve your "flow" are your tone, vocabulary, and transitional devices. Tone: This is the attitude in your writing. You could have a pessmistic tone like Maddox, a business casual writing tone like Daid Thorne, or even just a casual tone you'd normally take if you're speaking to someone. Knowing which one to choose will depend on who you're writing for (your audience). For instance, on this forum I have a much more casual writing tone that's tantamount to vomiting words out of my mouth (because I'm not trying to impress anyone with my writing). However, if I writing product or service descriptions for a business site, I'll use a professional tone. Improving your vocabulary: You'll often see pseudo-intellectuals focus entirely on this one. Learning new words and learning new ways to explain something can make your writing sound a lot more interesting and a lot less like a broken record. For example, notice how I used "for example" this time rather than "for instance". However, whatever you do, do not try to rely on a thesaurus; some words may have slightly different meanings or emotional connotations. Using transitional devices: Words like "yet" and "because" are two simple examples you'll know. Purdue Owl and Writing Wisc have lists of them on their websites. Additionally, you might benefit from reading the rules provided in The Elements of Style by by William Strunk, Jr. More specifically, rules 16 and 17. By the way, great job for making an endeavour to improve your writing! Most people are either too complacent or too in denial to look for ways to improve their writing.
