In the era of social media like now, almost everyone is able to write.
They write words to tell on their respective social media profile pages and reveal things. Starting from the outpouring of the heart, stories up to such complex analysis and opinions. Although today almost everyone is able to write, not everyone is able to produce good writing.I myself who have not been in the world of writing for a long time, more precisely journalism still find it difficult to write a good article. That is why then I continue to look for references that are good enough to be my guide to writing. One reference that I found was an article written by Hannah Frankman for The Mission entitled "Six Rules for Writing Good Article".
Hannah who is a story teller reveals how she uses these six guidelines every time she writes articles. And these six rules are part of two important things from a good article that is good content / stories and good techniques.
He also assured us that writing good articles is relatively easy to make and most people don't realize it. But what is difficult is how to be able to use good techniques in writing. This technique then becomes the difference between one story and another.
According to Hannah, articles that are "bad" are articles that feel flat. Has no sense, and does not move a person to continue to follow. Because the absence of a weighty story that is able to bring respect to the author. That's why writing good articles is something that is worth doing and worth.
I myself do not try to increase or decrease the rules written by Hannah. It's just that in this article I translate it into Indonesian so that friends who don't understand English have no difficulty learning. We are all still learning, let us learn together to create quality and beneficial content.
Here are 6 ways to write good articles:
1. Minimize the barrier gate between the reader and the story.
Not many people realize that the first paragraph in an article will influence the attitude of the reader to read an article. The opening paragraph that is too long will make people not interested and feel exhausted at the beginning. In fact, they still have to read the following paragraphs to receive information in their entirety.Therefore, to write good articles, write an opening paragraph that is short and quite interesting. One or two sentences in the opening paragraph will be enough to make the reader interested in continuing reading. Prove to the readers that the articles that your friends write can provide value to them.
2. Shorten a paragraph.
Simply put, almost all writing is short. The situation of readers who are currently mostly reading through smart phones makes it difficult for someone to continue to be able to follow a long paragraph. They will feel exhausted and finally not interested in continuing.Shortening a paragraph is indeed a challenge. But in my opinion if this is done successfully, there will be benefits that can be given to the reader that they will still be able to continue to listen paragraph by paragraph without feeling tired. In addition to the number of pauses between paragraphs, the ideas delivered will also get space to "breathe". But don't get caught up in writing sentences that are too short but cannot be understood. The point is how to write a paragraph that is short and clear.
3. Make the article brief but still sweet.
This regulation in my opinion is quite unique because Hannah emphasizes again about abbreviating sentences. But according to him this point is important because a good article only requires effective sentences. Not a winged sentence and growing everywhere. Sharp, clear and purposeful are important elements of a good article.4. Give the contents
According to Hannah, most articles currently contain empty words. "People only write nonsense," he said.I think I agree with what Hannah said. That we often find an article that has no meaning at all. These articles are usually flavored with bombastic titles which are only intended to eliminate the boredom of the readers. Articles like this are not only not useful for the reader, but also consume energy and time.
Never write articles or content just because you want to write content. Write articles for a meaning and understanding. Tell your readers something. Imagine they ask "why / why" about the article written and answer the question in the article.
The world needs more content that is able to provide teaching, explain a meaning and meaning and also make people understand something.
5. Tell a story.
Everyone is happy with the story. Hannah calls it one of the most basic human characteristics, which is always interested in convincing stories. The best way to attract the reader's attention to an article is to bring stories. Catch their attention with an event, the setting of a place and a plot.Stories are the most brilliant ways to open an article. The story is also able to describe a core idea. The story also does not need to be excessive but only needs to be written effectively. Tell the reader how a tool you used to use, then tell a story how you use it yourself and what happens. Short, simple, clear, and suddenly the article will feel so alive.
Avoid writing something that is dry in the story. In the internet world that is noisy with content and writing, no one reads crisp writing.
6. Show and tell.
Start by showing what you are doing, then explain what it means and why it matters.This rule is used for all writing structures. Convey your idea in a sequence like this: illustration (explanation), explanation (explanation), understanding (understanding). Show the reader then explain what it is and then help the reader to understand why it is effective and how to use it. Without this method, the article will feel boring and will not have value.
And the last thing that Hannah didn't put on the list was practice. Practice, practice and practice. Practicing making works is an effort to perfect the work. Practice until friends really understand the shape and structure of good articles. So that later writing good articles will become a habit that occurs naturally.
Everyone has interesting things to tell. Your friends even have more stories than you realize. But the world needs things that have meaning, convincing stories that will give birth to knowledge and help people to understand.
This guide made by Hannah in my opinion is quite simple and easy to understand. So it feels like it can be practiced and imitated by friends who really want to learn to write stories and ideas in a good article. not only useful for writers but also can inspire many people to understand something.
Writing this article back in Indonesian is also one of my efforts to be able to understand Hannah's guide more deeply. So that I can practice and practice to write better.
Good practice, happy writing.
