5 writing takeaways from terrible drivers
The same sorts of annoyances you see while commuting can nettle readers. Here are examples of roadway cloggers and their linguistic equivalents—with solutions for the latter, at least.
Your morning commute would be a breeze—if it weren’t for all those other people.
Even with all the traffic lights, stop signs, turns and on- and off-ramps, just cutting out 50% of the other vehicles would afford you a free flow to your destination, wouldn’t it?
OK, so now apply that mindset to your writing, clearing the way for readers to reach your message.
Let’s consider the linguistic counterparts to these five vehicular vexations:
Moseying mopes. These slowpokes wait for a solid five seconds after the light turns green before they even consider pressing the gas pedal. They also dawdle their way toward an intersection, thwarting your chance to make the green light—yet they glide through the yellow-turning-red signal, leaving you stuck and costing you time and souring your cheery mood.
Start your copy strong, and keep driving it forward to take your readers on an exciting ride. Use high-octane verbs to get your text firing on all cylinders.
Pedal pumpers. Some drivers speed up. And then slow down. Race furiously to an already-red light. Then stop short. Over. And over.
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