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OVERVIEW

To create an effective User Document, the writer must know who he/she is writing for. This article presents four dimensions (Skills, Attitude, Knowledge and Experience) for describing the User of your product (your Documentation Reader), and how to build a Persona that turns your generic User into an almost-real person. The article stresses the need to actually USE this information when structuring and writing your User Document.

GETTING INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR USER

The marketing department or product development team should be able to tell you who the intended User of the product is. (If they cannot, then the product is in big trouble.) Ask them to provide you with a complete description of the User. Ask them if their description can be make less strict (requiring fewer skills, ect.) and thus be applicable for a wider audience. Ask them how sure they are of their intended Users.

Ask them if they created a “Persona” (see below) to design the product. If so, ask them for the description of that Persona.

We will use this information to analyze your User in four dimensions. We will then re-build the ideal User into an almost-real person, who you can use to help design and write your User Document.

Timing: My estimate is that if the communication paths between you and the marketing and development teams are effective, then you should be able to complete this series of steps in a few hours spread over several days. This description of your User/Reader is an essential element in structuring and writing your User Document.

THE FOUR DIMENSIONS OF YOUR USER (Reader of your Document)

Four dimensions define your User/Reader. These dimensions are:

* Skills

What skills do you assume that your Reader must have in order to understand your User Document? (These are the skills that you assume that they have when they START to read your User Document… not the ones that you will teach them in the User Document.)

In a classic example of failure, a company that taught software programming did not specify that its students had to know how to use a particular computer word processor. As a result, students spent 80% of the class time learning how to use the word processor, rather than learning to write programs. The class was a failure.

List the skills that you expect your Reader to have.

* Attitude

Your Reader’s attitude is almost always a combination of anger (impatience at having to read this stuff instead of using the product), and fear (something is not working the way your Reader expects it to). Write with compassion for your Reader. Are there other attitudes that may affect how your Reader uses the product and your documentation?

* Knowledge

What information do you expect the Reader to have when they read your User Document? Is there something that you expect your readers to understand or to have to figure out for themselves? If there are such items, then you should tell your Reader where to get the needed background information.

* Experience

Skills plus practice, yields experience. Are there any experiences that you expect your Readers to have, so that they can understand how to use the product or understand what you are writing? BEWARE of your Readers’ experiences that may negatively affect how they use your product. One example is a product that radically changes the way that the User currently does things. Devote some space in your User Document to overcoming these problematic experiences.

WRITE FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR READER

These four dimensions spell out the word “SAKE.” This reminds us to write for the SAKE of our Readers. You use these four dimensions when generating the topics for your User Document, as well as reviewing the material that you have written. These are topics for other articles in this “New Technical Writer” series.

Make sure that you tell your Reader about any SAKE assumptions that you make about them. Thus if you assume them to have a special skill, such as “welding steel” then tell them your assumption early in the User Document. If possible, tell them where they can get the background SAKE items that they might need. For example, if you assumed that your Reader has the skill to identify a certain bird, then tell them were to learn to identify that bird (perhaps with a link or reference to a birding authority).

You want to avoid situations like the one in the example above: the unstated requirement for knowing a specific word processor that ruined a programming class. Is the assumption that everybody knew how to use that esoteric word processor a reasonable one? The course developers should have checked with their sales department, since they sold the course to students who could not possibly have known about that esoteric word processor.

You really must clearly state (early in your User Document) any out of the ordinary assumptions that you make about your Reader.

YOUR READER AS A REAL PERSON

From the SAKE dimensions, and from the descriptions of the typical User of the product that you got from the marketing or development teams, you will create a real-as-possible person to represent your typical User. Such a representation is called a Persona in the product development industry. The Persona is also your User Document Reader.

If the marketing and development teams use a Persona, and they provided a description to you, then use their Persona. You may have to add some description to it.

If you have to create a Persona, follow these steps (overview):

1. Imagine the generic User of your product.

2. Focus on this User. Describe the User. Think about his/her background, education, family, hobbies, interests. The goal is to make your generic User as tangible as possible.

3. Perhaps give the User a name, and even spend a minute or two to find a photograph of this Persona.

4. Evaluate for yourself if this Persona is a good representation of the User. Make changes as necessary.

Think about how the Persona got your product (for example, did they purchase it, did it come bundled with some other product, was it a gift, etc.). Think about what they are most likely to want to do with your product.

Later we will use the Persona to help define the topics of the User Document, and to help you write the actual text.

CHECK

Once you have generated the SAKE items and the Persona, write them out, and let members of the product and marketing teams check them for accuracy. “Accuracy” means “how closely your Persona coincides with their (product and marketing teams) view of the product’s User.” Discuss these points and make modifications as needed.

USING YOUR READER

Unfortunately most courses and books about technical writing stop here in their instructions about “knowing your Reader.” These courses and books expect you simply to keep your Reader in mind when you write.

But you can and should do much more with the description of your Reader. The Persona will help you structure the information in the overall User Document; it will also help you write each of the topics.

The SAKE dimensions will help you as you revise your writing. Here the SAKE dimensions will

* help you avoid using language your Reader might not understand, and

* help you avoid jumps in your writing that your Reader will not be able to make.

Other articles in the “New Technical Writer” series will describe how to use your Persona and SAKE dimensions to design and write your User Document. See the “Resources” or “Author Information” section of this article to find links to related articles.

In our wildest spy fantasies, in addition to the any number of ruses employed by undercover agents, is the use of invisible ink to communicate covert messages in plain sight of the enemy. But while our part in the drama may be fantasy, the use of invisible ink &ndash in a variety of forms &ndash is very real; its uses ranging from the commonplace to the extraordinary.

Invisible ink is used within the confines of any ordinary writing device. The message is written on ordinary paper; once the ink dries it is no longer visible to the naked eye. The method used to make the message visible again depends on the type of invisible ink used at the start. These methods fall into several generally accepted varieties:

The method that most people associate with invisible ink is that which is developed under the use of ultraviolet light. This can often be seen in the way of hand stamps used for readmission to amusement parks, night clubs, and the like. What is not visible to the naked eye suddenly glows under a UV light.

Another type of invisible ink is acidic fluid of any type, such as wine, orange juice, or even milk. Once water is added, the fluid becomes a type of invisible ink that can not be seen under normal circumstances. Once heat is added, the writing will appear in a brownish color.

Finally, there is invisible ink that can be seen by applying a chemical developer that has an acid base such as sodium carbonate, iodine solution, or silver nitrate. The actual ink can be anything from lemon juice to ammonia.

Many people use invisible ink to mark belongings as a means of a theft deterrent. Upon the employment of any of the methods of invisible ink development, the item is immediately identified.

The Internet can be a terrific resource for researching all the types of invisible ink and the methods used to develop it. You may be surprised by the number of household items used in such a non-traditional way.

Most job seekers have the same problem when writing their resumes: they feel overwhelmed when it comes to presenting themselves in such a concise format. If you’re suffering from this problem, you might want to work with a partner, a friend, a fellow job hunter, a counselor, or a professional resume writer, someone who can ask you probing questions and provide objectivity.

Gather and Check All Necessary Information - Learn to write a resume by writing down information under headings. Write your resume example that embraces your education; experience; honors; skills and activities and make a list of your training and education relating to your job choice.

Match Your Skills and Experience with an Employer’s Needs - Choose a target job/title that works best and write a good resume by matching your wishes with positions that are actually available.

Highlight Details That Demonstrate Your Capabilities - Learn to write a good resume by selecting details of your information that best matches the employer’s needs. Results need to benefit your employer and make you a viable candidate for the target job.

Organize the Resume Effectively - You write a resume by organizing your Personal information followed by a Summary of key points, Education, Experience, Honors and Activities. Write a good resume chronologically listing primary jobs held, including unpaid work that fills a gap or that shows you have the skills for the job. Write your resume example and compare with other like-positions resumes and create a draft based on the resume format you choose. References are a separate entity and may not be included, but always have solid reference available if requested.

Consider Word Choice Carefully - You write a resume that accurately describes you &ndash your skills, talents and expertise. Write a good resume by utilizing active verbs (in many forms) such as achieve, analyze, adapt. Learn to write a resume that describes you positively and accurately. Write a good resume using adjectives and nouns such as analytical, resourceful, capable.

Ask Other People to Comment on Your Resume - We at Houston Job Search will help you write resume and then we will critique it. Remain open-minded when you write a resume and with our constructive criticism, the final resume will achieve its objective. Ask your friends and trusted colleagues to review and critique your resume.

Make the Final Product Presentable - A resume should be printed on a high quality (24 lbs stock or more) paper using a laser printer. We at Houston Job Search can provide the resources.

Use dynamic action verbs such as: accomplished, collaborated, encouraged, established, facilitated, founded, managed, etc. Do NOT use the subject I, use tenses in the past.

I have been writing professionally for more than two decades and teaching writing nearly that long. Every conference, every writing staff, and every class has always included some writer who asks: “How Can I Become A Better Writer?”

They don’t usually like my answer. “Practice writing every day and read to study the writing of others every day.”

They don’t like the answer for one of two reasons usually. Some people are looking for some quick-fix, magic formula that will make them a good writer in three easy steps. Although my suggestion involves only two steps it is pretty obvious that it is a long-term project. The other group of people will sneer at the first because they consider themselves “real writers” but they don’t like the answer any more than the others. They believe they have a gift that simply needs to be unlocked by the magic key that published, successful writers possess.

The simple truth is that there is no way to improve your writing other than to continually practice your craft. Write every day. Experiment, plan, revise, and revisit. Make challenges and deadlines and competitions. Push yourself and your writing will reward you. I promise. Write something inspired by a writer you admire and then write something completely your own.

However it is not enough to simply write in a vacuum — or an ivory tower. You must also read the writing of others. Read far and wide. Read fiction, nonfiction, poetry and song lyrics. Read argument and persuasion, read informative and biographical, read science and fantasy. Read talented and skilled professionals and read those who are still finding their writing feet.

You are reading to gain inspiration and confidence. You are reading to build your vocabulary and your stockpile of writing tricks. You are reading to learn more about the rhythms and patterns of language. You are reading so that as you write you will be able to develop your own unique voice.

Learning to be a better writer is not the work of a weekend or even a semester. Learning to be a better writer is a life’s work. If you really are a writer then you will never consider your work done. I don’t know a professional writer who sits back and says “I’m done learning now, I’m as good as I’m going to get”. Certainly it need not take a lifetime to reach professional status but you shouldn’t make that your goal. Thinking in those terms can hold you back from becoming the best writer you can be.

For example, perhaps the reason your particular project was rejected had nothing at all to do with your writing but was in fact due to your topic, the particular needs of that publisher, or even the mood of the editor when your submission came across their desk. The truth is that you cannot control when you become a published, professional writer, but you can control your progress toward improving your writing. Believe me, the stronger your writing becomes then the easier it will be to achieve that other goal. When you reach the point that you regularly deliver quality writing then you will find a market. If you write it the rest will come.

There are several methods about article submission.

These are;

- Article Submission Service

- Article Submission Software

- Manual Submission

No matter which one you choose, they all have their advantages and disadvantages. But the difference is, no matter what your choice, the result will be just one: to get you recognized as an authority in your field. After all this is your purpose: getting popular among other websites and thus driving target traffic to your web page.

Increasing the link popularity of your web page:

In order to increase the link popularity of your web page, you’ll have to do more than placing two more links. One of the factors that count to the search engine is the quality.

Relevance and keywords are critical in article submission. What you write must be relevant to what you are promoting. When preparing to write an article for article submission you must choose keywords that are relevant to your product or service. Use those keywords in your article submission so the search engines will determine your article is relevant to the topic.

Good writers write articles to submit to article directories, but that is not the major use for them. Statistics show that most articles are written as content for web pages. So why? Why only write for your own web page? Why NOT write for article directories, when you article will be published on a number of websites that article directories, in essence, are? In fact you article will be published on a lot more directories than you submit to due the relationship between various groups of directories that interchange articles.

Artists and writers are fed by a constant stream of curiosity. Our imaginations flow freely with ideas and connections, which allows for a rich river of creativity that can infuse our lives with joy. But what happens when this flood of ideas overwhelms us, turning our creative output into a trickle? It’s time to build a creative dam.

A creative dam guides our inspiration into meaningful flow. It eases our efforts, helps us avoid struggle and allows us to be the creators we dream of being.

I’ve been helping writers and artists build structures to guide the flow of their creativity for years, and have a few tips to help you build your own creative dam.

Commit to it. Choose the one project that has the most meaning for you right now. Choose among all of your great ideas the one thing that will give you the most satisfaction when you complete it. Then commit to finishing it.

Structure it. Many successful creatives advocate a regular place or time for writing. This kind of structure can be a great dam for your writing or art making. With structure, you develop a ritual and bypass the need to constantly get re-invigorated. This dam could be as simple as using the same notebook for a project, sipping the same kind of tea, or sitting under the same tree. It may be a consistent writing time and place. Find a structure that works for you.

Choose one. If you’re like me, you tend to bounce around between projects. This can be a workable style, if, and only if, you finish the projects. If you discover that you have several projects in various states of completion, then you need to funnel your energy into one thing at a time. I know, I can see you squirming. But try it. Stick with something until you complete it. See what rewards you reap when you follow through.

Face your fears. You may notice that as you step into the stream of completion, all the fears that lurk around the banks of your writing whisper to you from the current. They are no longer hiding behind the rush of all your great ideas. You can’t avoid them any longer. Get out a piece of paper or your notebook. Do a free write about your fears of writing. Let yourself write for 15 minutes. Then take a deep breath and go back to your writing. You may discover that when you give space for your fears, they dissolve in the powerful flow of your creativity. Do this as many times as you need. When we avoid them, they lurk under the surface and covertly sabotage us.

Be accountable. I have a job helping people stay accountable because we need this kind of support. We know that when we tell people we’ll do something, we are more likely to follow through on it. I wrote Create Your Writer’s Life, my novel and weekly essays because I have accountability. Get writing buddies, join a writing group, hire a coach, whatever way you get support, it works.

Let yourself enjoy it. Life is challenging enough without giving ourselves grief over something that should be enjoyable. Relax into your creative expression. Jettison heaviness and despair. Your creative expression is meant to enrich your life, not be a dead weight anchor slowing you down.

Build your creative dam and ease your creative overflow into satisfying and completed writing projects. If after a month you find yourself still avoiding the writing, you may benefit from coaching.

A novel way for a writer to keep prospects and fans in the loop on their progress as a writer is through the use of a web log or ‘Blog’.

“This notion of self-publishing, which is what Blogger and blogging are really about, is the next big wave of human communication. The last big wave was Web activity. Before that one it was e-mail.” &ndash Eric Schmidt

This online tool has allowed many writers to share thoughts, humor, politics, and more with any and all who would visit. Since the Internet is a device of connectivity it also allows for immediate feedback in ways standard publishing cannot offer.

Essentially the web has created a means for someone who has not been discovered to find an audience who is interested in what they have to say.

For some, a blog is intended to be private in that they do not promote the blog for mass consumption, however with the growth of blogging it has become more difficult to ensure your blog will remain essentially a private journal.

As Eric Schmidt pointed out, blogging has become a form of self-publishing. In this case the author becomes the editor and publisher and has total artistic control. The use of Google Adsense can also provide residual income to help pay for any costs associated with your blog.

A blog can be very useful to a writer. It provides an outlet for regular writing, but it also allows people who enjoy your work to take in your regular posts and feel a greater connection to you. Some random blog-thought has been transformed by their owners into long form articles and stories.

“At its best, blogging is all about change. The format suits writers who want to move fast.” &ndash Naomi Darvell

Many blogging sites allow the use of photographs and audio. For instance, if you had a book signing you could use photos from the event in the body of your blog. If you have a recording of a portion of your book that you are authorized to rebroadcast it also can be placed in your blog. Links can be provided to encourage visitors to check out similar blogs by other writing friends &ndash and best of all a blog can assist visitors in finding where they may find other work you’ve produced along with information on how to purchase any available books you may have.

People who enjoy reading blogs will find a circle of blogs that entertain, inspire, and make them think or laugh. Having a blog that is tied into a personal website can go a long way in connecting with those who may already have an appreciation for your work.

Writing style is a writer’s uniqueness. When you build your unique style, you will be known for it. For instance, Ernest Hemingway used to begin his sentences with ‘and’ or ‘but’ that was his particular style; Dickens uses aesthetically complex sentences, and that’s his style. So, each writer has his own style, which is the sum total of all the writing mannerisms, choice of vocabulary, and grammar constructions. In this article we will discuss the importance of building such a writing style and see how we can do it.

1. Read more and analyze what you read as you go on. When you read professional publications and blogs, you will know more of what is in these days. You will know the specialty of a particular writer. This is a first step toward building your style.

Some professional publications I recommend reading include Readers’ Digest, news sites like BBC, The Telegraph, CNN, etc. While reading, give importance to the mannerisms, choice of words, sentence structures, etc., used in the article.

2. Why I say ‘avoid Wikipedia’? Wikipedia is written by the commons, and is not entirely correct. Only their premium articles (which are locked from editing) are error-free. All other articles are edited by people, those who even don’t have an account there, and hence tend to be full of errors, grammatically and factually.

Hence, it is important that you read it only for information, not for building writing style. Always read professional blogs and other publications which give you some great advice on writing.

3. Give importance to your grammar and punctuation. The key feature of a writer is primarily his writing grammar and punctuation. When the writer composes an article full of errors, his credibility goes down instantly. So, it is extremely important for the people trying to get into a writing field to learn grammar and punctuation. Rules of grammar and punctuation are very simple and can be learned from such publications as AskOxford, Merriam Webster, etc.

4. There are disputes galore! Yes there are a lot of disputes as the what is correct and what is wrong in written English. For instance, if you check out Oxford comma (google ‘comma rules oxford comma), you will know many writers recommend using it, while some writers avoid it.

It is dependent on the writer what he chooses to use.

Conclusion

It is popular saying that writing has personality. Indeed. The personality of a writer is dependent on the words he uses, the usage, vocabulary he chooses, and the style.

Landmark Status is a wonderfully funny book. Alan Rolnick uses Miami as the backdrop, and real estate as the weapon, to take the reader on a madcap journey that I can guarantee you will enjoy. When I put the put the book down and wrote the review, I just knew I wanted to talk to this guy. Anyone that can create the outlandish characters and amazingly funny scenes that I encountered in Landmark Status, has to be a pretty interesting person to chat with. Alan agreed to an interview.

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

I grew up in Newburgh, New York, a little city on the Hudson River. It was a beautiful place, old, proud and mostly unaware it had been rendered obsolete, cut loose from history’s moorings and set adrift by changing times. As a kid, I played in an abandoned brewery, took bus trips to Yankee Stadium and collected autographs from Hector Lopez and Moose Skowron (we never could get close enough to Mickey and Yogi). One time, a big kid sat on my hand for the entire bus ride, leaving corduroy-striped welts that lasted a week, but it really wasn’t his fault I couldn’t throw strikes.

In my teens, Beatlemania struck. My brother Paul and I decided to be rock stars, saving for guitars with car wash money, playing battles of the bands on the firemen’s picnic circuit. Paul was an outstanding guitarist and singer, destined to become an award-winning producer in New York. I wasn’t, but joined him there after graduating from Johns Hopkins with a major in Frisbee. Together, we made brilliant recordings that few heard, earned fifty bucks opening for Buffy St. Marie at Philharmonic Hall, and fortuitously took the equipment home instead of leaving it for next weekend’s gig at the Mercer Arts Center (which collapsed later that night).

Taking up journalism to put myself through my career, I became the guy at the New York Times who used computers to rank college and pro football teams. In 1983, the human pollsters awarded the Miami Hurricanes the National Championship, but my computer preferred Auburn. I’d been to Miami, fallen in love with the place, and decided it was time to go to law school (as my family had urged since I was six, usually with comments like, “he talks so much, he’s gonna be a lawyer”). The idea of living where balmy breezes caress you on the way out the door in December was particularly appealing.

Atoning for my computer’s mistake, I learned torts in locked classrooms and pulled all-nighters on the Law Review, winning induction into the Society of Wig and Robe (which, fortunately, required wearing neither). After twenty years of schooling, they put me on the day shift, working at one of Miami’s top legal sweatshops, representing robber barons in complex cases in federal court. Years later, I switched sides and began representing Davids against Goliaths in class actions.

Eventually, I decided it was time to throw a rope around the places I’d met and the people I’d been, and set out to write the kind of story I liked to read.

What is it with attorneys, are you all closet authors? In the past year I have read at least a dozen books by people in the profession, oh and they have all been very good. I have come to the conclusion that every lawyer must have a book in them.

Jeez, are there that many? Seriously, though, lawyers have to write to eat, and they’re trained to turn “fact patterns” into stories. Many of those stories are stranger than fiction, and they do make you yearn to come up with your own. Storytelling is crucial in litigation, where winning requires framing compelling themes, keeping witnesses in character, and distilling every legal argument to the pithiest possible paragraph. One classmate used to say he aimed for hearing the imagined words, “so, f___ you,” after every sentence of written argument. The unifying experience of all law students is fatigue, so I’m not surprised he’s forgotten he said it.

Where did the idea for Landmark Status come from?

Miami’s a frontier town, where outsiders easily become insiders, bellying up to the bar, tipping back a mojito and quickly learning there’s no secret handshake. I’d never been in such a place, and my legal training had dropped me off in its inner sanctum. There, I worked and tangled with kaleidoscopically colorful movers and shakers who were busy with Miami’s principal business, buying and selling the same dirt over and over again. I also got involved in litigating some of Miami’s more infamous Ponzi schemes. Having become a fan of Elmore Leonard, Carl Hiaasen and Dave Barry, I wanted to do my part to honor this unique, subtropical nuthouse. It just had to involve a mad scramble for a piece of property, set against a backdrop of investment fraud. And it had to have a lawyer in the middle, doing real lawyering, citing real cases.

How long did it take you to bring this project to fruition?

Five years. It just seems longer.

I was very impressed with Landmark Status, I love the dark humor. Are you happy with the way it turned out?

First of all, thank you for the kind words. It’s always hard to know if the material is working! And yes, I’m very happy with the way the book turned out. Dark humor seems to grow wild here, a place so bright and beautiful it takes your breath away, even when random catastrophe is poised to strike, well, randomly. Miami is a city built by people on the run, from the cold, from persecution or personal dead ends, for whom making it to (and in) this magic city tends to foster a sort of self-absorbed sunstroke. It’s a narcissistic sense of safety and triumph you can feel merely by turning your face to the sun, until reality’s sudden impact shatters your daydream. This happens a lot in Landmark Status, starting with the wrecking ball in the first scene.

As the characters careen around Miami, where most folks are from somewhere else and ethnic politics dominates, they also collide with more serious questions about the American Creed and what’s happened to it in our fractious times. Everyone’s immigrant story gets told, but Delia, and to a lesser extent, Benjy and Raj, are the only ones thinking about what it all means. I really didn’t set out to explore Miami’s own origin story, how it came to be, who built it, and who came here when or why. But, as it unfolded, the story became a little more like “Hawaii” and a little less like “Hawaii Five-O” (tire-squealing car chase through Opa-locka notwithstanding). Looking back, I think giving the historical perspective makes it a richer story. It also means I don’t have to do it again.

Most authors style their characters after real people, so how much Benjy comes from Alan?

Benjy’s a lot more mellow than I am, for one thing. I’d like to think we share the almost unspoken inner sense of right and wrong that propels him, even though he makes light of it. I’m proud of him for that, because swimming against the tide he’s in isn’t easy. He also tends to withhold judgment a lot longer than I would, and suffers fools much more gladly than I do. He hates to lose, though, and will do what’s necessary to win, and we’re very alike in that respect. I enjoy his easygoing tolerance of the shenanigans of the connivers all around him. I have no idea where he got that. And that trust fund thing? Completely made up. All donations will be gratefully accepted.

Are we going to see more Benjy adventures in your next book?

Benjy will definitely be back. Once I figure out how to do this whole web publishing thing, clues to his whereabouts will be provided at my website (Alan Rolnick).

I remarked in my review that Landmark Status would transition nicely onto the silver screen, what are your thoughts?

It’s great to hear you suggest that. From the beginning, I’ve thought Landmark Status would make a smashing film (with apologies to the Spanish Inquisition sketch). I see pictures when I set a scene, and I’m looking forward to rendering them in pixels as well as words. Of course, destroying all those cars costs money, so we won’t be doing this one on a shoestring. Somewhere on my desk, there’s a legal pad devoted to casting choices and music cues. If it were a few years ago, I’d be chasing Dustin Hoffman to play Benjy, but I hope he’ll be interested in playing Benjy’s father Bernard, the legendary zoning lawyer and dealmaker.

I understand that you are currently working on a film project, can you tell us a little about that?

I’m Executive Producer of the film “Canvas,” which is in theaters now and will be out on DVD early next year. Produced by Sharon Lane (a force of nature, to whom I’m privileged to be married), it stars Joe Pantoliano, Marcia Gay Harden and Devon Gearhart. The film has won a number of festival awards, as well as praise for its realistic portrayal of a family struggling to cope with mental illness. Sharon fought for years to overcome studio apathy toward this indie film and first-time Director Joe Greco. We ultimately raised the money and shot it ourselves in South Florida during the legendary hurricane season of 2005, which almost blew us all out to sea. Sharon has another drama in development that also plays to her expertise in managing and working with young actors. I’m onboard for business and legal affairs, and just might Exec Produce this one, too. I’m angling for a comedy after that.

You obviously are a multi faceted person, lawyer, movie maker, and now author. What do you do with all your ’spare’ time?

I honestly don’t have much spare time. I’m usually fighting to carve some out to keep up with our overbooked son, Max, who’s busy with school, piano lessons, soccer and baseball.

Alan, I want to thank you very much for taking the time to talk with me, and once again congratulations on creating a wonderful book, I hope that I see it on the NYT best seller list in the very near future.

Thanks, Simon. It was a pleasure.

Content writing has become an important task for webmasters nowadays. Literally content writing means writing content for the web. If you’re into web business then it becomes necessary for you to have a website that has current, relevant, and interesting content. This in return attracts and retains visitors to your site. However, one should always keep in mind that content writing is not everyone’s cup of tea.

Following are the few tips required to keep your website content relevant:

To begin with the first one is the passion of writing. Content writer should be passionate about writing as there is nothing worse than reading a dull and mundane article. This means if you aren’t interested in writing then please don’t write. As it will only provide the crap or waste.

The next tip is that content writing should be done with clarity and brevity. While writing just ask a question to yourself that does your article make sense? Also keep a check that you’re not using complex and arcane terms. Always keep this in mind that every visitor on internet is not literate and also English is not their prime language. Thus, try to keep your writing simple and flowing. Furthermore, also try to keep it crisp and short. The reason is that long and verbose article will certainly lose reader’s attention. And if you’re reader is gone then you’re bound to lose readership.

Third tip is what purpose of writing is. Mind you content writing is done with a specified purpose. Means if you’re trying to sell a product, then it should sell. Thus, focus to the writing becomes more important. Try to write topic centric articles and if by any means you want to mention something unrelated to the subject then it is advisable to write new article.

Last but not the least is that write in your own style. Content writing should be done in your own style as it engages the reader and grabs their interest. Preferably write as if you are in conversation with your readers. This is the reason blogs sells.

Hence, every successful content writer should know when to quit and begin writing. And if you’re an amateur to content writing then make a point to read more and try to do extensive research so that you get the crux of what content writing is.