Write Like You Talk Only Better: Learn the Secrets to Pulling Ideas Out of Your Head and Onto the Page by Barb Sawyers

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Write Like You Talk Only Better by Barb Sawyers Book CoverStars: ★★★★★

Summary: What happens when you write like you talk – only better? You tap into the basics of conversation you’ve enjoyed since you were a kid. Your writing flows. You connect and make friends. You think about what matters. You go for your goals. – from back of book

I love blogging but I know my writing skills could be better. I’m pretty good with spelling and grammar but formatting posts to draw readers in and keep them here is something I’ve been working on.

Write Like You Talk Only Better shows how to make your writing better, especially when you are writing for the internet which requires certain aspects that are different than writing on paper.

“Readers make snap decisions about whether they will open your email, read your report or check out your blog. So you have to hook them right away.” – pg 28

So why do we want to write like we talk?

“When people talk, they go from mind to mouth. But when they write, many jump from mind to mouse. By skipping the mouth, they shut out their intuitive grasp of the rules and the social nature of conversation. When you write like you talk, you go from mind to mouth to mouse. Suddenly all that writing you do is easier and friendlier.” – pg 7- 8

Chapter 3 is about identifying your ideal reader. This is am important step that bloggers and companies need to take and often don’t. Why do you want reading what you write? If your answer is I don’t know or something vague like women or moms, then you need this chapter. The better idea you have of who you are writing for, the more tailored you can make your writing for those people.

Chapters 4 and 5 are about making your point. What is it you are trying to get across and how can you make it more clear? I will be using these chapters a lot to refine my posts (mostly on my other blogs as reviews are different.) Chapter 6 will help you hook your readers so that they will want to read what you have to say.

Chapter 7 goes more in-depth on writing like you talk, including finding your voice which is important. Think of the blogs or websites you read often and how you can tell they are the author because their “voice” is similar. You shouldn’t be all over the place, for example if you are usually nice, then you shouldn’t all of a sudden be snarky.

Chapter 8 gets you writing. Just write and write uninterrupted, not worrying about format, spelling etc. Then you will go back to fix it. Chapter 9 helps you make what you wrote memorable. Chapter 10 helps you make what you wrote more focused. Chapter 11 is about fixing spelling/grammar and such. Chapter 12 is about going above and beyond the basics.

Did I mention that the book contains worksheets? At the back of the book are worksheets for you to use as you are writing and editing to make sure you covered all the aspects in the book. You can also access the worksheets online but you will need to read the book at least once first to fully understand what it all means and how to use them. 

If you see my posts on my various blogs improving, you’ll know why :)

About the Author: Barb Sawyers has a master’s degree in journalism and an honors B.A. in philosophy. She runs the Sticky Communication website and blog where she writes about writing. She is a fellow Canadian. You can also find her at Ezine, Facebook and Twitter.

*I receive a copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions are honest.

This post is Copyright 2001-2012 SMS Book Reviews. Do not reproduce anything without permission.
About Kathleen

I've been a nonfiction lover for as long as I can remember. I love children's nonfiction as well and love to share my knowledge and the books I gained them from, with the world. I wish more people would give nonfiction a chance.