Getting your writing to be noticed by others does not merely consist of using good spelling, grammar and punctuation. It also involves context. Context Matters to Content in writing involves the things written before and after a particular part in order to give clarity tothe reader. If a reader is unsure what you are referring to or what something in your article means, they will typically rely on what was said before and after to understand.
That is why it is so important to be aware of the context you use in your writing. The wrong wording and use of words could change the entire meaning of an article to someone.
It is important to remember that when communication takes place, it always involves at least two people.
This is no different for the freelance writer who is writing an article, blog, or anything else for that matter. With my personal blog my intention is to communicate my journey as a freelance writer.
The communication takes place once someone else reads any of my posts. If you want what you write to communicate effectively then you need to remember a few key things: Keep your topic focused, remember your audience and be careful how you use tone in your writing. All of these things will affect the context of what you write and invariably affect how people perceive your article.
Keep the context and content focused.
If a historian is writing a piece for a text book on World War II, the focus can hold to any issues pertaining to the entire war. But if the historian is writing a piece on D-Day, then his/her focus becomes much more narrow. A writer must understand what they are wanting to write about and then stick to that topic.
It would not serve my context or content in this post to begin talking about how I had barbecue ribs last night for supper. Nor would it serve any purpose for me to talk about where to submit articles. To keep my context and content focused in this particular article I need to stick with the topic of context and how it affects writing. Focusing on your topic will also help your writing to read much smoother. It will not confuse the reader by jumping from topic to topic and thus confuse the context.
Another thing to remember when it comes to context and writing, is to remember your audience.
If you are writing an article about surfing in California for a twenty-something age group, you may not want to include where the local shuffle board courts are.Context Matters to Content What you will want to do is focus your article’s language and content to match not only those interested in surfing, but the twenty-something age group that the article is suppose to reach.
By remembering who your intended audience is, you will be able to focus your content even more. This will make for a more effective piece of communication through your writing. Context Matters to Content by doing this you also ensure your reader understands what you are writing. The lingo for a twenty-something crowd may confuse someone in their sixties and vice-versa.
