Someone told me the other day that she finds it difficult to write a straight how-to or informational piece. She said, “It’s hard to write instructions.” This woman’s writing has a literary quality to be envied. But she claims that she cannot write in simple terms.
I also know people who think that because they can write fiction or academic material, a how-to should be easy. When they attempt it, however, their writing just isn’t organized and clear. If this describes you, maybe the following tips will help.
1. Rather than writing the how-to or instructional piece from scratch, create an outline. Keep it simple. Start by listing the steps or the points you wish to make.
2. Organize the steps or points logically.
3. Write out how to approach and carry out the steps.
4. Weave the instructions together with connecting words and other useful narrative.
5. Consider any questions that might come out and make sure that you respond to them within your article or instructional booklet.
6. Refine and edit the work. Pretend that you are someone from Mars seeing instructions for making popcorn, for example, for the first time. Make sure that you’ve written your material so that even this alien will understand and can follow the entire process.
Here’s what you want to achieve when writing your how-to or instructional piece:
• The language and sentence structure are simple, making your piece easy to read.
• Readers can easily follow the steps or techniques you have outlined.
• Readers’ questions are answered.
Writing a how-to or instructional piece is not exactly a science, but it does require someone who can visualize the process he is writing about, organize it in his mind and write simple instructions that anyone can understand and follow.
Perhaps you need help structuring your article or booklet. You wonder, should you just make it a “list” piece or narrate with a few bullets. Will you include examples/anecdotes, diagrams or photographs depicting the process?
If you need additional help for writing this type of article or booklet and, perhaps, some fresh ideas, study similar writings. Find articles and books on your topic and see how they are structured. What makes them work or fail?
Are you one of the many writers who are turning to article-writing as a way to make ends meet? You will benefit from reading my book, A Writer’s Guide to Article Writing. You’ll find it among my wide array of books at http://www.matilijapress.com