Writing the Living Web

In Mark Bernstein's "10 Tips on Writing the Living Web", he lists 10 different aspects for writing for the internet and how it can be effectively done. Below is my understanding of these ten tips and a summary of Bernstein's description of these tips.

1. The first, write for a reason, is pretty self-explanatory. If you are interested in fishing, write about fishing. Write a story about a fisherman. Write a song about how fun it is to fish and the excitement that you feel when a fish bites the bate. Writing without a reason is kind of like writing for an assignment; you're writing for a good grade, but you've got a million and one other things you would rather be doing. When you write for a reason, you write about something that is important to you or something leisurely like a hobby that you find fun.

In Bernstein's explanation, he expresses that it is important to bring details to life. He uses the example of artists having an extreme sense that this or that detail can make or break their piece of work. Using details and the reason why it is being written draws others' attention. Although there are many people bound to stop by your site, blog, article, etc., don't expect a certain person or group of people to take the time to sit down and read if their agendas are full. Writing with a purpose or reason promotes the importance of your work to you, and maybe even others who may come across it.

2. Write often is an important practice for getting better and getting deeper about your topic or reason. Getting used to the flow of writing can help you expand your writing style, and if it's something you try to spread out to online readers widespread, having multiple accents in your writing can help gain that attraction. Writing often is important because it keeps you in check and keeps your skill of writing in a comfortable pace towards improvement. As an example, I've played basketball a lot when I was in high school. I used to play with my cousins and friends, and I could easily say I could play pretty well. Now, since I don't play often, I suck. Simple as that. Doing something often is not entirely about practice, but it helps you enjoy what you like to do even more. In this sense, it helps expand your horizons on your reason for writing.

Bernstein tries to make it understandable that practice does not eventually perform perfection, but that practice (in the sense of doing things often) forms a state of meditation for a person. Writing often, as Bernstein explains, is a way to show consistency and reliability for updating content. Occasionally missing a post or work is "a small thing - rudeness, not betrayal", but by being inconsistent, readers can deem you untrustworthy of updating new content.

3. Writing tight makes a post more appealing to a reader, especially if its a topic that doesn't need many words to explain itself. If there is too much to read in one sitting, a reader can read halfway, plan to read the rest in the next day or two, and never return to the post. This destroys the purpose of your work and your writing can be easily forgotten. Be creative with what you are doing, but don't add millions of things that go on at once. It becomes too much for a reader to take and quickly exhausts their intuitive to read view the content.

"Omit unnecessary words" Bernstein exaggerates by putting the same sentence in the beginning and end of this section. This is possibly the most important part about writing tight to gather interested readers. Readers can and will notice redundant words and phrases and will become uninterested simply because the piece of writing is a bulk of unnecessary words.

4. Making good friends can help greatly the mission of what you are trying to write for the web. Making good friends means better networking options, easier forms of distribution and advertisement, etc. Making good friend means having to be a good friend. When your generosity is shown to a fellow writer of the web or just a reader, it is likely that their interest in your work will motivate them to help you on your expedition of exposure on your writing.

Bernstein explains multiple was of achieving this goal. Take good notice and acknowledge other writers' works, travel to meet people who may be interested in your writings and be generous to other writers or readers. finding different ways to make friends to help your mission is the same as making friends just to have a friend. There are many ways, specific and not as specific, to gain exposure through making friends.

5. Finding good enemies is like getting booed off a stage even though your performance was much more above average. In order to improve from the feedback of enemies, one must think of it as a motivation to do better the next time around. Create friends to create controversy for your work or what you are writing about and for.

As Bernstein said, "when its [disputes] over, try making good friends with good enemies. Let arguments and fights happen, only to learn why and how it happened. This can broaden your understand of what is being implied. He goes on about the process of having a successful debate and how you can keep yourself on top through planning of the debate's length and how you can end it at a certain period of time. Finding good enemies can engage other readers and make them more interested reflect more on the subject at hand.

6. Everyone wants to Let the story unfold. Everyone wants to see the story unfold. Keeping your readers in check of your content lets them know you want them coming back for more. Don't give them everything at once; it'll be too much to read. Don't give them everything because after all the excitement and intrigue for the content they were waiting for, they will easily lose interest. Let the suspense drag on, letting people wanting to come back to see the finale. It's what T.V. show directors do. And it works. If you're going to write a series of stories or chapters and post one every so often. give engaging detail and personalities, but don't go too far as to the length and the symbolism and metaphorical connections of your works. Being consistent and inconsistent of certain ideas and plots will create that "that's it? now I have to wait for next week's episode." rage that drives readers and viewers to attend the next event of exposure.

Bernstein puts three words in this section in bold font: foreshadowing, surprise and back story. Being able to use these ideas as an inspiration to wow your readers will make your readers more engaged and waiting for a boom or bam upon the climax of your work.

7. Stand up, speak out. Or in this case, sit down and write what you want. Say what you want, say what's important to you. Make it a point that people are listening to you through your writing by writing what's true and not something you can't detail or explain.

Bernstein focuses on the idea of putting yourself out their for other people to understand, not to judge. He talks about the best way to voice your opinion and not being whiny about it.

8. Being sexy is something many, if not all, people aspire to be nowadays. The media now always has something sexy to show its viewers and listeners. Some say sex is natural, so being sexy should be natural when that sexiness actually comes out. This concept can be made for writing as well. Having a sexy atmosphere can bring in an audience and tie them into what you are writing.

Bernstein explains that sexiness is indeed a natural part of life. He uses the example of "undressing" as a literal, figurative and emotional part of literature that binds people into your story.

9. Using your archive to spread out your work can be helpful, and other people might find it meaningful. Letting other people link to your digital works can mean more exposure.

In Bernstein's mind, keeping all the files or works used in your writing on the web should have a permalink (permanent [URL] link), that way people can link to your content and more people will have access to your works. He explains how using a permalink can help save the content from being unavailable on others' pages or lists.

10. Relax. Just relax. It's simple as that. Every person has their own way of relaxing. Just do it.

Bernstein says that taking things too seriously isn't good for the self, and especially not for your reputation as a writer for the web.
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These points led by Bernstein are accurate as people are just people and this is how they work. By using these methods of writing, people become more intimate with your work and gradually enjoy it more. He uses many examples and similes/metaphors to help paint the picture on how this leads to successful reader subscription. I believe any writer that practices this list has vast potential to attract readers and to bring exposure to their writing.