Article Writing Tip: Think Chunky Peanut Butter

If you want readers to really bite into your online articles, you have to write like chunky peanut butter.

I love chunky peanut butter, but it tends to tear up and leave lumps on my daughter's PB&J sandwiches. She prefers smooth peanut butter that spreads over her bread like butter.

But smooth is just what your online articles should NOT be.

How Online Readers Read

Online readers don't actually read. Instead, they scan and pick out individual words and sentences.

They may skim right over long paragraphs and words that visually blend into each other *unless* you leave a few chunks in their way. Back to the analogy of my daughter's sandwich: you want to tear up the page a little.

How to Make Your Writing Chunky

Here are some ways you can use chunky writing in your own articles:

* Use simple language and stay away from big words
* Put the most important ideas first in your paragraphs and in your sentences
* Don't write long paragraphs. Write in chunks of two or three sentences
* Limit yourself to one idea per chunk
* Keep sentences short and don't use unnecessary words
* Use bolding occasionally
* Use bullet points or numbered lists
* Use subheadings to make your articles extra chunky

Proof That Chunky Writing Works

If you're looking for proof that following the above tips actually makes a difference, read on.

Example 1

Here's a paragraph from a print article I wrote for my virtual assistant business:

A virtual assistant, or VA, is an administrative professional who outsources his or her administrative talents and experience to small business, individuals and corporations for a long or short-term period. Most virtual assistants have several years of experience in the corporate world, and bring to their business the training and experience accumulated during those years. Many administrators who leave the corporate world to start their own virtual assistant business do so because they are motivated to achieve and want to influence how their talents are used and developed. Virtual assistants are known for continually developing their administrative skills, business knowledge, and keeping up with leading edge technology to provide you, the client, with professional and reliable virtual service.

Example 2

This is one way I could rewrite the same paragraph for online readers, following the above guidelines:

A virtual assistant (VA) is an administrative professional who outsources his or her skills to:
* Small business owners
* Independent professionals
* Corporations

Most virtual assistants have several years experience in the corporate world. Often, they have left corporate life because they are motivated to achieve and want to develop their unique talents.

Contracting a virtual assistant can give you and your small business access to:
* Administrative expertise
* Business knowledge
* Leading edge technology
* Professional and reliable service

Which was easier for you to read online?

If you're like most readers, you may have skimmed right over the first example but slowed down to read at least part of the second.

Of course, this is only one possible way I could have rewritten it. Why don't you try your own hand at rewriting it? Or even better, try rewriting one of your own articles?

Then ask someone else which they find easier to read - the original or the rewrite.

For your next article, think chunky peanut butter. Save the smooth stuff for the sandwiches.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Denise Willms is co-owner of WAHM-Articles.com and a homeschooling mom of two. Subscribe to Denise's newsletter, WAHM-Articles Ezine and get your copy of her report, Uncovering the Secrets of WAHM Article Marketing.

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