Being a good writer in a particular genre, on a particular medium, does not necessarily mean that we’re able to transpose that same writing ability and apply it to different media.
To put it in no-nonsense terms… different media require different styles of writing!
While writing an academic/research paper more often than not requires rather long prose (to accommodate all that research and explanations!), writing on digital media platforms require snappy sentences to catch the reader’s attention.
It’s pretty much the epitome of hook, line and sinker.
Digital media aims to get the reader’s attention as quickly, and as best, as possible. And then digital media steps up to reel in the reader with quality content. And the rest, as they’ll know it, is history.
It’s like, one minute you’re just browsing on Twitter, but you stumble upon Ryan Reynold’s hilariously NSFW, snappy tweets, and you’re now suddenly addicted and you wish he’d tweet every other minute.
Personally, I think these 3 quick tips help writers navigate the temperamental waters of digital media:
- KISS — Keep It Short and Sweet!
- Look for the humour in things — Don’t take yourself too seriously!
- Watch out for errors — Do a fact/grammar/spelling check before you publish!
Till the next post!
Geraldine Stallard 