What To Do When Writing

Write for you constituent first, always

Have an idea of who you want to provide the information to before you start. What you're writing should be like a conversation with a friend.

Remember to use the active voice

For example, instead of writing, “The bill should be paid by the property owner,” we would write, “The property owner pays the bill.” It’s much more simple and direct.

An easy way to tell if you are using the active or passive voice is to add “by zombies” after the verb in the sentence. If the sentence still makes sense after adding “by zombies,” it’s in the passive voice. If not, it’s in the active voice. For example:

• Passive: The town was attacked (by zombies). Still makes sense.

• Active: Zombies attacked (by zombies) the town. Doesn’t make sense.

There are trickier versions of the passive voice, but this is an easy tip to keep in mind.

Be short and to the point

If a headline is longer than 11 words, it’s probably too long. Use full names and titles in headlines. Paragraphs should be two to three sentences at most. Aim for a sentence length of 15 to 20 words. For example:

• “Perhaps more important than fire fighting itself in many modern industrial countries is fire prevention,” could just be: “Fire prevention is important.”

Brevity can also increase readability and make the site more friendly for people using smartphones.

Write for smaller screens

The more text, the more scrolling someone does on their smartphone or tablet.

Consider a bulleted list

Do you find yourself with a big paragraph? By breaking down your points into a bulleted list instead of a huge block of text, you’ll increase readability and comprehension. For example:

“The Fire Prevention Division, in the Boston Fire Department, directs fire prevention activities. It handles the more technical fire prevention problems, maintains appropriate records, grants permits, investigates the causes of fires, and conducts public education programs,” could just be:

“The Fire Prevention Division:

• handles more technical fire prevention problems

• maintains appropriate records

• grants permits

• investigates the cause of fires, and

• conducts public education programs.”

Just remember, you don’t have to bullet everything on a page. Only use bulleted lists when they make sense.

Personalize the experience for constituents

Don’t be afraid to say "we" instead of “The City.” Instead of "residents" or “applicants,” consider saying "you."

Can we use a photo with the content?

Photos add depth to what you are talking about, and may provide greater context for users struggling with reading comprehension.

Break up content into blocks or chunks

This allows readers to digest the content more easily. Ideally, you should separate these blocks of text with headlines and bullet lists of information.

Write as you talk

This is a common rule in writing. The content that you create should be like a conversation between two people. Stuffy language can get in the way.

One of the easiest ways to write as you talk is with contractions. People talk in contractions — like can’t and don’t — and using them helps people relate to what you’re writing. The important thing to remember, though, is not to overuse them. Only use them when they sound natural.

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