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A writer’s style is what sets one’s writing apart, is unique and intriguing. Such style is the way writing is dressed up (or down) to fit the specific context, purpose and target audience. Word choice, sentence fluency, and the writer’s voice — all contribute to one’s style of writing. How a writer chooses words and structures sentences to achieve a certain effect is also a facet of the own writers style and flare for words. I lean more towards funny, edgy and witty humor writing which is often noted and enjoyed by my readership.
Do you know what your writing style is? Here’s a short-list of the most commonly used writing styles in media and on the web.
Style #1 – Persuasive Writing is a critical skill for marketing that can be a slightly intimidating to a novice. Looking at a service or product, it is imperative to convince your audience that they want it and need it. This is where the “why” of the 5 W’s come into play. A great starting point is to jot down the main points of what would be a verbal persuasive argument. From establishing your oral argument, you can translate that into persuasive writing to craft an effective, persuasive marketing pieces. Check out 9 Simple Tips for Writing Persuasive Web Content.
Style #2 – Informative Writing does exactly what is says-it informs your audience beyond their current knowledge base. In other words, a fact-based writing style. Here is not the place for overly embellished sentences but moreover researched facts & true precedents. This writing style is most frequently u
sed in news reporting, medical media and outlets that use less “fluffy words” and more punch line information. you need to follow some simple guidelines that will ensure that your words are memorable, informative, and concise So remember Top 5 Informative Writing Tips for Bloggers
Style #3 -Anecdotal Writing is most often found in the blogging forum where anecdotal free form writing is not only common, but very much welcomed. “People love stories—tales about real people doing real things. We can’t resist them”, PR Daily. People love great lead-ins with a short story that ties directly into the main point of the article. It is often witty, even playful and is the antithesis of informative writing. For several great tips on writing anecdotal leads, see this excellent article from PR Daily.E
10 Elements of Writing Style Infographic
Hot & Cold Writing Styles In Advertising
Using the Inverted Pyramid Style of Writing for Ad Agency New Business
So in just a few days the University of Miami will be hosting WordCamp Miami. It’s something I’ve been looking forward to since we sponsored and attended WordCamp Orlando in December of 2012. Now the one in Orlando was our first experience and I can surely tell you it was awesome. There were so many cool people who all loved WordPress. From the designers, to developers, to sponsors, and everyday bloggers. As we approach this conference in Miami, there’s a few things one should expect. These aren’t in order per-say and all have an equal amount of enthusiasm behind them.
I would say one of the main reasons for attending a WordCamp is to gain more knowledge about the platform. It really doesn’t matter your level of use, be it novice or seasoned developer, there are still things to learn. This WordCamp will actually feature three different tracks to follow. Users and Bloggers, Designers Track, and Developers Track. After looking at the schedule I already know we’ll be splitting up so that we can absorb as much as we can then collaborate later to unload. The sessions range from “Top 20 Plugins We Can’t Live Without” to “Amplifying your WordPress CSS with Compass & SASS”. There will also be news about what’s coming down the line with future updates and additions to WordPress that are sure to wet your appetite. This really will be a day to have fully charged devices to take in as many notes and tips as you can before reaching 2% life.
For me I look forward to this very much. Designers and developers typically don’t congregate too much, and this event is a great mixer. In Orlando there really was an absence of competition, yet a great sense of comradery. If anything you could easily strike up a conversation about some failed plugin or theme house that we’ve all used and cursed. So we’re looking forward to meeting some other developers from the Miami area and hope to make some new Twitter connections too. We never take the attitude that we know it all, or that we can handle all on our own. One of the greatest things about this open source community is that all of us have the potential to create something awesome and be a contribution to the platform.
A large part of our clientele are actually WordPress users. They sometimes have questions about how things work, but for the most part are great at just creating content while relying on us designers and developers to get their sites to work and operate the way they envision. If you’re looking for more clients, this is a great place to mingle. Your elevator pitch literally can be just “Hi, my name is _________ and I’m a designer or developer….” Chances are you’ll get cut off right there and the conversation will turn to what exactly you’re able to do for said client and begin exchanging cards and email addresses.
Not going to be able to make it? Were you late to register and now can’t because the event is sold out? Well you’re in luck, they’ll be streaming onsite for the weekend. That includes the BuddyPress session on Friday the 5th too! So you may not even be in the state of Florida yet still gain knowledge from this event. Oh by the way, this is the first WordCamp Miami to be streaming live! It is totally free and no ticket or purchase is required to view the live stream.
After a day of cramming your noggin with knowledge you’ll need to unwind. And no better way then with everyone you just met during your sessions over beer and food after the conference. Share some notes, meet more people, and engage. There is sure to be deals to be made between sessions, notes to be passed during sessions, and pictures from smart phones in full effect all day. Everyone social media feeds should be full of content, shares, likes, and RT’s.
So what are you looking forward to? For those of you that have attended a previous WordCamp elsewhere be sure to comment below and let us know some of your favorite or most memorable experiences.
A couple of weeks ago we started talking about terms, vocabulary or jargon on the various graphic design software. Today we are going to learn a little bit about another Adobe software, Adobe Illustrator.
Adobe Illustrator is a great program for drawing vector-based graphics. You can create illustrations, diagrams, and other forms of artwork.
Lets now learn some vocabulary words for Adobe Illustrator.
Anchor point – a point on a path that indicates a change of direction.
Art board – printable portion of the work area, where illustrations can be finalized.
Bezier Curve - A mathematically generated curve that has two endpoints and control points to specify curve direction.
Bounding box – a temporary frame around a selected object that shows the object’s outer dimensions.
Brush— A selected brush determines the appearance of a path’s stroke. Brushes are stored in the Brushes palette, and sets of brushes can be loaded and saved.
Closed path - Vector paths that are continuous and have no ends; the beginning and end points are the same.
Constrain – to force and object to take a certain form.
Corner pointe – an anchor point where a path changes direction in an angle rather than smoothly.
Dock - A location in the application window where a panel or panels are secured so they do not float.
Fill – characteristics of the inner area of an object, such as the color, pattern, style inside and object.
Marquee - Rectangle drawn around an object with a tool to select an area.
Open path - Vector paths that have two ends; the beginning and end points are not the same.
Panel - A group of related commands and options.
Path – The line that forms the shape of an object.
Point of origin - The point on which an object rotates or transforms. The point of origin may be within the object or outside it.
Shear - To slant or skew an object from its original orientation.
Smooth Point – an anchor point that connects path segments in a smooth curve.
Stroke – Characteristics of the outline of an object, such as its weight, color, style.
Are any of these words new for you? Next week we will see and learn a little bit more about Adobe Illustrator.
