1. Bullet points — They make scanning for essential information easier.
Example:
Foods that will help lower your cholesterol include:
- fruits: berries, bananas, grapes, apples, pears, citrus, tomatoes
- beans
- vegetables: avocados, carrots, okra, potatoes, eggplant, kale, broccoli, cauliflower
- grains: oats, barley
- nuts
2. Headings and subheadings — Headings are another great way to break up large sections of text to make it more scannable. Subheadings can also describe main points within those sections.
3. Sidebars or textboxes — If you have enough information related to a topic that doesn’t fit within the main article, this is a helpful way to show it.
Example: In my profile of positive psychology coach Laurie Curtis and her business, CurtisEase, I added a sidebar which summed up “8 Things to Do to Stay Positive.”
4. Numbered lists (like this one) — They’re a good alternative to bullet points.
5. Columns — These work well in documents to present large blocks of text in a more appealing format, with headings and visuals, as necessary.
Example: This company newsletter features information separated into two columns.
The Classy Writing Blog
Five Articles That Are Easy to Create
“These types of articles can be short enough to make your writing life easier, especially if you need inspiration just before a deadline….” Read more.
Quotes
“You don’t have to be perfect to be organized.” ~ Monika Kristofferson
“Ironically, ‘making it look easy’ comes down to learning discipline. You have to make yourself follow the path of an organized writer until it becomes second nature, until you can’t imagine writing any other way.” ~ David A. Fryxell, Write Faster, Write Better
Comments? Suggestions? Need help? Feel free to contact me.
Michelle Troutman
classywriting.com
