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Word Wise Blog: Content Writing Made Easy
Award-winning writer Kathy Widenhouse has helped hundreds of nonprofits and writers produce successful content , with 750K+ views for her writing tutorials. She is the author of 9 books. See more of Kathy’s content here.
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Apr 14, 2026
Christian writing resources for content creators, bloggers, freelancers
I am always on the lookout for good Christian writing resources, particularly those recommended by people I trust. (And if the resource is free or low-cost … well, that’s even better.)
Writing for the Christian market is specialized. That’s why I created this resources page. I’ve included links to ...
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Apr 13, 2026
Grant writing terms you need to know
I need to learn a whole new language.”
That was my first thought when I dipped my toe into grant writing for nonprofits.
I soon learned that grant-speak extends beyond government grants to private foundation and corporation funding operations, too...
Apr 12, 2026
Your homepage should do THIS
When new neighbors moved into the house next door – one that had been vacant for months – my husband and I were thrilled. A few hours after the moving van pulled into the driveway, we knocked on our new neighbor’s door. “Welcome to your new home!” we chimed out handing a plate of chocolate chip cookies to the young parents and their preschooler.
They didn’t need to be “sold” on the neighborhood. They needed a welcoming face...
Apr 11, 2026
Paul worked remotely, too
Working from a mobile office is no longer the exception. Prior to 2020, just one in five employees used a remote office to work from home.
By the end of 2020, 71% of those workers used a mobile or home office all or most of the time – largely because of the coronavirus pandemic. And more than half (54%) say they’d like to keep their mobile office long term, according to Pew Research.
The hero that makes possible today’s remote office? Technology, such as...
Apr 10, 2026
Write your post in steps with this worksheet
You want to build your blog.
The problem, you’ve found, is two-fold: (1) organizing your ideas … and then (2) writing a post in segments when you have just spurts of time.
What makes a difference is a blog writing worksheet to follow as you write each post.
A “fill-in-the-blanks” worksheet allows you to organize your thoughts, automatically creating an outline ...
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Apr 09, 2026
30 kinds of letters you need to know how to write
Businesses need dozens of kinds of letters.
Even in today’s digital age, written communication is a part of daily life. A letter is a letter, whether you send it on a sheet of paper or through cyberspace.
For instance, you will have to write a ...
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Apr 08, 2026
How to start (or revive) a newsletter in just 3 steps
Chances are you’d like to know how to start a newsletter if you don’t already publish one.
Or maybe you used to produce a newsletter that’s now lapsed. You want to know what’s needed to get going again and be successful.
(FYI, I’m talking about an email newsletter rather than print. MUCH easier.)
In any case, you've already joined that camp that's convinced that email newsletters are effective because ...
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Apr 07, 2026
3 tips for writing easy-to-read content
By writing easy-to-read content, you’ll appeal to more readers.
If you’re like me, you desperately want your content to avoid the TLDR label. I want readers to read what I’ve written, rather than skip it.
TLDR (sometimes TL;DR or tldr) is a popular internet acronym that stands for “Too Long; Didn’t Read.”
It’s an expression that’s become an online fixture – so much so that ...
Apr 06, 2026
5 must-have tips for writing at home
These 5 valuable tips for writing at home are a practical way to cultivate a healthy mind and soul while your fingers are typing.
And they’re for you no matter what kind of writing you do.
Maybe you carve out snippets of time to put together articles … or moonlight after putting in a full 8-5 day at another gig … or work as ...
Apr 05, 2026
The easy way to find benefits (vs features) to write about
Copywriting guru Bob Bly uses a persuasive copywriting exercise to distinguish between features and benefits – an exercise that I like to call “The Yellow Pencil Chart.”
At the top of a piece of paper, he records ...
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Apr 04, 2026
The little word with big connections
A preposition is a simple word that can be easy to overlook – a word like at, for, in, off, on, out, over, under, until, and with.
To be grammatical about it, a preposition is “a word that is used before a noun, a noun phrase, or a pronoun, connecting it to another word.”
Connection: these feisty little words indicate relationship!
No wonder prepositions are ...
Apr 03, 2026
Online course: Writing Devotionals that Stick
Devotionals are a unique genre. And you can write them!
Writing Devotionals That Stick is a full-length, online course that walks with you step-by-step as you learn to write devotionals in a way that stays with today’s busy, distracted readers.
Leaders, entrepreneurs, students, moms, professionals, writers – or those who want to be – have learned to write devotionals by using the principles found in this course.
It’s a fun and easy-to-use guide packed with ...
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Apr 02, 2026
The parts of a resume you MUST include
The basic parts of a resume outlined here are a tool you can use to understand how resumes are constructed.
This list will also help you gather your personal data, organize it, and present it effectively in a professional resume...
Apr 01, 2026
Why every content creator should write a blog (still)
“Should I write a blog?” A new author posted that question on one of my favorite online groups. She had just published her first book and was seeking ways to promote it.
Her question launched an extensive discussion. The newbie’s main concern was that ...
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Mar 31, 2026
Writing Your "About" Page: Use These Tips
I’ve been known to leave my About page alone for a couple years at a time.
I'm not the only one who is lax. Plenty of you out there who don’t even have an About page.
So when I got into a better habit of updating my site regularly, I put these tips together...
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Mar 30, 2026
SEO: Understand the basics
“What is SEO content writing?”
It’s a question I hear a lot – and not just from writing newcomers. The idea of creating content that conforms to any kind of acronym can be intimidating, akin to following a secret military code.
Your fears may be especially acute if you’re not technically-minded. Search engines are driven by a mass of algorithms, right? The complexities make even the most avid tech geek’s mind swim.
But there’s good news behind all those ...
Mar 29, 2026
3 of the best kinds of content for your email newsletter
Email newsletter templates fall into two categories: templates for layout and templates for content.
The first of those – pre-formatted graphic layouts – allow you to choose and use to create your own online ezine, even if you lack tech skills. (I use Constant Contact for my email templates.)
The second category of email newsletter templates guide you to ...
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Mar 28, 2026
When just 6 words is best
Ad copy on billboards presents an interesting writing dilemma. You don’t want to distract the driver who is speeding by at 70 miles an hour, but you want your message to be clear.
That’s why six words is considered to be the limit for an effective billboard message (that and large, large letters). A driver can grasp a six-word message in seconds.
The principle is similar when writing ...
Mar 27, 2026
"What's your book about?" How fast can you answer?
"What's your book about?"
If you want to sell your book, you need to answer that all-important question. And you need to do it in fewer than 200 words.
Perfect for nonfiction writers, self-publishers, and authors preparing proposals, marketing pages, or back-cover copy ...
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Mar 26, 2026
How to hit a bull's eye with bullet points
Bullet points (or “bullets”) have become a staple on web pages, in sidebars, for PowerPoint presentations, even in direct mail. They present information in list form.
Bullets are indented, short phrases, preceded by small dots, squares, dashes or graphics.
They’re everywhere, and readers like them.
That’s because bullets are ...
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Mar 25, 2026
Write an article or write a book? Take the quiz to find out
Should you write an article or write a book?
It’s a question you face at different junctures in your writing journey: when you’re first starting out and working towards publication … when you’re building your stable of writing clips … when you’re thinking of breaking into a new niche …
It’s a surprisingly important decision. Choose the wrong format and you may end up struggling with a book that feels thin… or compressing a powerful idea into an article that barely scratches the surface.
My answer to the question? It depends ...
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Mar 24, 2026
How to find the main idea of our content BEFORE you write
The writing process is easier when you find the main idea – the single most important thing (SMIT) to tell your readers – before you write.
If you do, you’ll save yourself time and aggravation. And your writing will have clarity.
When I first started writing seriously, I struggled with this piece of advice.
My problem was that in many instances, I didn’t know the main point I wanted to communicate in an article or blog post or letter. I had captured plenty of ideas but didn’t know how to process them to choose one...
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Mar 23, 2026
Simple story writing structure for quick content stories
A content writer needs to write persuasive stories.
If the idea of figuring out a story structure makes your fingers quake at your keyboard, then take a breath.
Let me go on the record here to say that when I started writing content, I was intimidated by storytelling...
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Mar 22, 2026
What's in your writing portfolio?
A writing portfolio showcases your work to potential clients, employers, and fans.
You fill it with samples of your writing that demonstrate your skills, whether you write articles, direct mail, blog posts, email campaigns, websites, books, novels, or any other content form.
Asaph, one of King David’s worship leaders, left us a writing portfolio in the book of ...
Mar 21, 2026
Why repetition is a powerful persuasive tool (used the right way)
Bible authors used repetition different ways.
Sometimes, the repetition is obvious with exact words used sequentially, as in “Truly, truly” (Gospel of John) and “Holy, holy, holy” (Revelation 4)
More often, the repetition is subtly delivered with a synonym: words or phrases that mean (nearly) the same thing.
Here’s an example in ...
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