Stéfan / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

I know a lot of you artists don’t much like writing.

I’ve heard about it this week as I’ve been posting my little twitter crumbs about choosing words and describing your art in terms your audience will connect to.
 
 
 
 

 
 
Yes. I know.

I understand.

But writing is important. Writing is a bridge to your art. It’s a way for people to connect.

Good writing… or at the very least, considering your writing will help you create a stronger public message around your art and your brand.

Like any good guardian, I have to at least try to get you to eat your veggies so you grow strong and healthy.
(In this case healthy isn’t strong teeth and bones, it’s a growing audience of devoted buyers – yay!)
 
 

How to make brussel sprouts more palatable.

This is so great. Jonathan_W / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

The single easiest way to make writing easier for you, is to write how you talk. Literally.

Literally pretend that you are talking to a friend and you’re telling them about your art. Or an event or show that’s coming up.

Or you’re sharing a cuppa and talking about the art retreat weekend you went on that blasted through the paint plateau that you’ve been stuck in for 6 months.

Just pretend that you’re talking to a friend and write down, word for word, exactly how you’d speak it to someone you know.

Record yourself with a mini recorder or voice memos on your smart phone.

Bing!Bing!Bing! WINNAH!

You’ve just turned brussel sprouts into poutine my friend.

• Writing in a conversational tone immediately removes the stiffness from your writing.
• It’s natural, easy to read and friendly.
• Conversational writing begins to open up and share your personality with your audience. You’re awesome – shine yourself out there.

Joseph Robertson / Beach Photos / CC BY-NC-SA

It’s not a suitcase.

When you write on your website or for an event posting or to your email list, white space is your friend.

You’re not getting charged for space.

You’re not trying to smuggle cigarettes and liquor over the border in your bag.

Spread out a bit, let things breathe.
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
If you had any post-secondary English training – throw it away.

I have a degree in History and English. You should see my first few articles – dense like encyclopedias. No one wants that.

Complex sentences and essay-style paragraphs of lead-in, statement, proof, are just giant blocks of text that no one wants to read.

Think technical manual. ick.
 
 

Think visual diversity.

Yep.

Simple sentences. No more than 3 sentences per paragraph (and often I use less).

Lots of white space.

Make your writing scannable and make your writing visually interesting. Mix it up a bit. Headlines make your work scannable. Bullet points, pull-quotes, block quotes, lists and images are great ways to create visual diversity to your writing.

Use your images to advantage. Post them every other paragraph. Center one right in between two paragraphs.

Break it up. We don’t read on the internet the way we read a book.

Keep it short, sweet and casual.

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