Basic Organization of Form and Content in Effective Writing

Introduction

In their book, "Writing Effectively", Mary Lynn Kelsch and Thomas Kelsch both speak of a "controlling idea" that can help organize form and content in effective writing. For web content development, this "controlling idea" can be aptly expressed in a key phrase(s) that you develop as a thematic framework to your entire writing, leading the reader to content that makes them understand the main idea of the article. If you focus well on your controlling idea through a key phrase in the various elements or your web page, then you can produce not only a well-organized web page, but also a consistent one that effectively communicates to readers what the information they need to know.

Write effectively by organizing your paragraphs

Effective organization in writing depends on how you embody your main key phrase in every paragraph. As an example, in the article 5 Good Techniques in Writing - Effective Writing Techniques, the main idea of the article is expressed in the key phrases "techniques in writing" and "effective writing techniques". With the number of techniques given (#5), five paragraphs were created to form the main body of the article. With an introduction in the beginning and a summary at the end, the form of the article is completed. Other forms of writing of the same type can be made with lists on tips, how-to articles, and checklists.

How-to articles as a form of writing

Without overusing the key phrase in your article, you can also organize an effectively written article that gives instructions by carefully setting a logical flow to the step-by-step instructions. Detailing the steps in simple and direct form will help your readers obtain the desired result from the instruction. An example of this form of effective writing on the Web can be found in the article Basic Web Development - Web Site Development. In this example, the main key phrase employed is "basic web development" and "web site development". The form of this article is organized into a 7-paragraph step by step guide capped with an introduction in the beginning and concluded with a summary at the end.

Organizing your writing to effectively present it from the least important to the most important

The first two paragraphs above presented how to organize your writing in terms of its form. This paragraphs will now present how you can organize your writing in terms of its content. With a how-to article that gives step by step instructions, organizing the content in each paragraph simply needs a sequential logic to your writing. For other types of articles, you can organize your writing by introducing them through sub-headings and listing them down from the least important to the most important (or from the more simpler to the more complex idea). An example of this article is presented in "How to Write Effectively - Employing Good Writing Techniques".

How to effectively write instructions

Another way to organize your content in writing is in presenting "how-to" articles. All that is needed in organizing this writing is to lead the reader to a logical flow that would help them arrive at an expected result. Depending on the simplicity or complexity of the "how-to" article, you need to include all the necessary details so that the reader can follow and produce the results he also wants to obtain from your instructions. Outline carefully all the necessary elements of each step and providing an example would be very helpful to your readers. Julie C. Melonie, in her book "PHP Essentials: A Better Way to Learn PHP", uses a "learn by example" style in organizing her instructional content. This web site also uses the same style in web site development. Learn By Example.

Enhancements to make your writing more effective on the Web

After you have employed the basic organizational tips and techniques given above for the form and content of your writing on the Web, you can then enhance the effectiveness of your writing by also embedding scripts and objects (third party applications) to illustrate your main idea. As an example, you can embed customized search tools from Rollyo.com, videos from YouTube.com, and book lists from LibraryThing.com. Although these tools are not basic to form and content in the writing of text, it can nevertheless be an effective writing tool because images speak a more descriptive and illustrative meaning than plain text. These can intensify the effectiveness of your writing on the Web if used with proper timing and placement on a page.

Summary

In this article, you have learned about how you can employ a "controlling idea" through a key phrase that will concretely embody the main point of the article. With this controlling idea, you can then organize well your writing on the Web so that both its form and content will help readers obtain the information they need or produce the results they want from your instructional articles. Five techniques are mentioned above to help you practice this well. Writing effectively comes with the actual practice of writing regularly on the Web. The more you write and learn to organize your writing well in form and content, the better you become an effective writer on the Web.

Related articles:

• "Writing Effectively: A Practical Guide", by Mary Lynn Kelsch and Thomas Kelsch
• Seven Forms of Writing Catholic Articles
• Writing Catholic Articles: Learn By Example

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