Expert tips from a nurse-turned-writer

P.S. I’m not an expert-expert, but I do make a living by stringing words together and want to share everything I learn with you!

Hello writers,

Over the next three weeks, I’m going to lay out 3 solid non-fiction article structures: inverted pyramid, listicle, and problem-solution.

Your subject matter and goal make a big difference on which you should use, and I’ll share every secret I know (and can find) to help you decide.

Talk soon,

WRITING TIP OF THE WEEK

Invert that pyramid

This writing structure boasts plenty of fame. The inverted pyramid offers your readers dessert first, and who doesn’t love that??

To follow an inverted pyramid structure, you first need to lay out the whole story (the who, what, why, where, when, and how) right off the bat.

Then, you give more details on the topic: statistics, quotes, and explanations. Finally, you top it all off with background information that puts the whole thing into perspective (but that your readers could also skip without missing too much).

For all my visual learners out there, here’s what it looks like:

Why use this method? Because it’ll capture any reader’s interest — even if they have the attention span of a caffeinated squirrel. Some types of writing work especially well in this format:

• News articles

• Press releases

• Sports reports

• Emergency alerts

Do you ever use this structure to flip a story upside down? Reply and let me know!

P.S. You will never catch me writing a sports report. For the benefit of everyone…

TRIVIA-PALOOZA

The 14K-word sentence

Your trivia question for the week is…

💡 Which book boasts the longest sentence in literature? (Almost 14,000 words!!) 💡

(The answer’s at the bottom!)

FREELANCER CORNER

An expensive learning curve

Here’s the deal: your first few projects (at least) for a new client will take much, much longer than future projects with them.

But why?

To write a top-notch, first-class, knock-their-socks off first project, you have to:

• Get to know a brand new (and possibly enormous) style guide

• Study your client's voice

• Familiarize yourself with a new brief style and SEO priorities

• Ask looooooots of questions (or at least you should!)

It may feel like a waste of time, but if you feel like quitting, I'd gently suggest sticking it out for a few projects. Once you get used to the new framework, you may love it!

IT’S PERSONAL

Different day, same stuff

Not much going on here lately — we’ve been keepin’ it chill at home and I’m digging it. So, I’ll just share this photo of that one time I saw a mega rainbow through a window at Blackness Castle.

I’ll try to do something interesting before next week… 😁

‘Til next time

Thanks for reading and see you next week!

Share with friends and fellow writers so they can subscribe!

You can view all my work on Authory and also feel free to check out my website!

💡 Find the trivia answer HERE 💡