On Writing: Stephen King’s Advice Extended for the Web

Here’s a nugget gleaned from 37 Signals’ Signal vs Noise blog about writing advice given by master story teller Stephen King in his book On Writing:

"Formula for success: 2nd Draft = 1st Draft – 10%…"

I’m one of those  picky writers who  trained as an editor in an earlier life, so I even reread my emails before sending. I hate typos and errors and excess words. And I commit these faults frequently.

That is why I recommend rereading everything before sending or publishing. If you’re a writer of anything on the Web, you owe it to yourself to become nit-picky. Or get a professional editor or even a friend to review before you publish.

True, much of what is written in blogs is rife with errors, and some younger writers seem to not care so much about form as content. But the rules of grammar and spelling weren’t invented by anal-retentive professors bent on slapping knuckles. They are there for good reason: to avoid ambiguousness and confusion.

And there is an additional reason this is important when you are writing for the web:

If you are in business, and writing on a blog, reread your posts
once for content clarity, and again for grammatical errors and typos.
Let some time pass before you save and publish; come back and reread
your draft with fresh eyes. You will be amazed at what you can catch
and correct before you publish.

Why is this important? If you are in business your words are your
agent: they will create credibility, respect, trust, and even
"likeability." Don’t let your words screw up your chances to make and
sustain a good impression.

Of course, with blog posts, it’s never too late to go back in and edit. Few people do, however.

Here’s more about the importance of letting a good blog post wait, by Glenn Stansberry of LifeDev:

"The darndest thing about blog content is that you can have the most
amazing post in the world, but if you can’t create mildly decent
sentences with proper spelling and grammar, nobody’s going to listen to
you."

And another great post on blogging is about writing by Lorelle Van Fossen of Lorelle on WordPress.

"Blog Writing Is About Editing: A great idea does not translate
automatically into good writing. It’s the editing that clarifies your
writing so the idea comes through. It’s as much about the words you add
as the words you take away to increase the post’s clarity and power."