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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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Jun 15, 2026
Eat the frog. Beat writer's block.
“Eat the frog first!”
The quip has become a rallying cry for productivity and self-improvement experts, made popular in the international bestseller Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy.
But it’s also a powerful principle for writers, too.
The idea behind “eat the frog first” is to complete the one task that you’re least motivated to do - right at the start of the day. Maybe it’s ...
Jun 14, 2026
Why use short sentences?
“Keep sentences short.”
That is the first of ten clear writing principles recorded by American businessman Robert Gunning, the creator of the readability Gunning Fog Index.
Fog being lack of clarity, of course.
Gunning believed that writers.
Jun 13, 2026
Good, bad, nice, really, very: eliminate them ruthlessly
Overworked words that are tired and ambiguous: good, bad, nice, really, very.
“The writer who has a definite meaning to express will not take refuge in such vagueness,” said author and English professor William Strunk, Jr. (1869-1946) in his classic The Elements of Style.
I “take refuge” in overworked words to avoid writing with depth (laziness) … to dodge overwhelm (hurry) … or to sidestep self-revelation (fear). Overworked words are an easy ...
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Jun 12, 2026
Busy? Distracted? Overwhelmed? Try this ...
It's easy to get busy, distracted, and overwhelmed. You beat yourself up and then focus on what you don’t do.
Just Take A Step points out what you can do. Each of the eight chapters of this devotional Bible study walk you through ...
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Jun 11, 2026
20 kinds of evergreen content you can write
Evergreen content is information that stays relevant long after you publish it.
It’s content that’s not time sensitive. Evergreen posts are not tied to the latest trends, news, or fads. Instead, evergreen topics never go out of date.
These are the kinds of posts that become the most-clicked pages on ...
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Jun 10, 2026
Just 20% of your content's success depends on wrtiing
You’ve poured hours into your blog post … article … email campaign … sales page. Finally, you hit “Publish.”
Then … crickets.
Why do some pieces get attention while others flop and disappear into the noise … even after you’ve slaved to perfect it?
The answer is quite simple, dear writing friend.
It’s a hard truth. But grasp it — and your writing will succeed...
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Jun 09, 2026
3 helpful tips for writing your hook
Writing a hook – your attention-getting introduction – starts by knowing the end of your piece.
Which may come as a surprise, since your hook is the first sentence or two to your article, blog post, essay, marketing copy, short story, letter, web page, or nearly any other written work. You might also call it your “hook sentence.”
Just as it is the hook that snags the fish, the hook sentence catches the reader’s interest so that he keeps reading...
Jun 08, 2026
Where to find freelance writing jobs with nonprofits
You want to write for your favorite cause, but you are not sure where to find freelance writing jobs with nonprofits — ones that will pay you. The good news is that no matter what your interest is, there are hundreds of nonprofits working in that niche. And there is a proven way you can discover how and where to find freelance writing jobs that will help them carry out their wonderful work.
Hundreds of opportunities? Yes. There are ...
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Jun 07, 2026
Interruptions: Hindrance ... or help?
Does an interruption throw you off your concentration as you write? If you said yes, you’re not alone.
Among a writer’s worse interruptions are email and texts, according to a study published by Gloria Mark at the University of California-Irvine. Mark reports that after only 20 minutes of computer interruptions (like email), workers indicate significantly higher stress, frustration, workload, effort, and pressure.
Concentration produces more ...
Jun 06, 2026
Which do you expect: acceptance or rejection?
The Imposter Syndrome is typical in the new writer, but it’s a thinking pattern that impacts long-time writers, too.
You may recognize it in yourself. Why would people read your words? You’re a phony. A fraud. A counterfeit or fake.
If you’re a new writer without a stable of clips, you may expect ...
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Jun 05, 2026
Make a personalized book writing plan to get your book done
“I want to write a book.” You’ve said that more than once. In fact, your book idea has been floating around in your head for some time.
You may have jotted down some notes or you’ve got a file folder with clippings and facts and anecdotes. Maybe you even have an outline. But an actual manuscript? You haven’t made much headway on that, if any.
What you need is a book writing plan — a plan that is simple enough to ...
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Jun 04, 2026
How to write SMART objectives
Here are 5 important tips for writing objectives.
It's one of the more important writing skills to have – specifically, for writing grants, writing business plans, and strategic planning – that I wish I’d known when I first started out.
It ain’t a bad list of tips to have on hand just in general, either, when you're trying to write with clarity.
Just for the record, you can use these 5 tips when writing any kind of objective statement...
Jun 03, 2026
How to use keywords to write better web pages and posts
When you know how to use keywords, you can write better web pages, blogs, and social media posts.
Keywords are terms and phrases that define a piece of content.
They help drive search engine page results rankings, so the keywords you choose can lead readers to your website, blog, or social media platform for free. (Yay!)
But for many of us, using keywords creates jitters …
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Jun 02, 2026
SELWAB: A simple (and foolproof) formula for your lead
The SELWAB formula is a self-check for writing leads for letters, but it applies to writing leads for articles, headlines, and emails, too.
The reason I use SELWAB is simple: I want my reader to keep reading.
It’s an easy guideline formula: as I begin to write any lead (for a letter, an article, a headline, email subject line, a blog post), I frame my opening sentence or paragraph with ...
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Jun 01, 2026
How to use keywords to write better web pages
When you know how to use keywords, you can write better web pages, blogs, and social media posts.
Keywords are terms and phrases that define a piece of content. (How keywords work.)
They help drive search engine page results rankings, so the keywords you choose can drive readers to your website, blog, or social media platform for free. (Yay!)
But how do you know which keywords to use? You can ...
Continue reading "How to use keywords to write better web pages"
May 31, 2026
A simple remedy for writer's block
King Ahasuerus had just been to a banquet prepared by Esther. And he was invited to another one the next day.
But that night, he couldn’t sleep. Like many, the king handled his restlessness by reading.
Reading revealed information that Ahasuerus needed for ...
May 30, 2026
How to begin writing a book
If you struggle to begin writing a book, you’re not alone.
Plenty of writers have a book in their heads.
There’s a simple way to get it out of your brain and onto paper ...
May 29, 2026
If you have 20 minutes, you can build your blog ...
The main problem, most bloggers say, is time.
They don’t have time to blog or write consistently.
You, too?
But the truth is this: if you have 20 minutes, then you can build your blog...
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May 28, 2026
How an illustration transforms the abstract into the concrete
A devotional’s point is abstract: love, joy, peace, patience, steadfastness, goodness, mercy, forgiveness, grace …
An illustration is a word picture. When you use words to paint a picture, your reader can “see” a tangible image in her mind, much like a verbal slide or a still photo. ...
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May 27, 2026
Is your content persuasive? Use this checklist to confirm
If you’re a content writer, you are in the business of persuasion.
You produce relevant, valuable information. Your focus is on a particular set of readers. How can your content be helpful, appropriate, practical, or entertaining for them?
Here’s where the copywriting formula, A FOREST, is so useful...
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May 26, 2026
Run-on sentences can be your friend. Fragments, too.
You’ve been schooled in the evils of run-on sentences since the day you wrote more than one “and” in an essay.
The biggest objection from your teachers? Run-ons are grammatically incorrect. They lack acceptable punctuation.
They’re just not right, according to your high school language arts instructor...
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May 25, 2026
The most important factor in choosing a content writing niche is ...Early in my writing journey I learned that I could transfer my article writing skills to the content writing niche.
Early in my writing journey I learned that I could transfer my article writing skills to the content writing niche.
So I took a copywriting course.
Yet as I completed the lessons and read the forums and participated in discussions, I realized that I really didn’t fit in.
Other students and instructors repeatedly talked about working in well-paying niches like the financial market, health market, and tech market. Companies in those niches have bigger budgets. Therefore, they hire more freelancers and pay larger fees.
However, I was ...
May 24, 2026
The best social media comments do THIS
On Twitter, a well-known Christian leader took a stand on an issue.
The comments from other users swung widely from kindness (“Yes!”) to neutrality (“I respect your position”) to downright vitriol (“You are a hypocritical, evil person. I’m unfollowing you.”)
But the comments I respected most were those that ...
May 23, 2026
How to create dialogue with ... your reader?
When you ask your reader a question, you invite her to interact with you.
Jesus used this technique. Scripture records 307 questions Jesus asked listeners.
His questions ran the gamut ...
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May 22, 2026
Is this grant right for your cause? How to find out.
A grant proposal is a lengthy project with lots of elements. Before you invest your time in writing a grant application, you want to know that you’ve maximized your chances.
One of the easiest ways to increase your odds is to apply for grants that are a good fit for you and your cause. In fact, misalignment is one of the biggest reasons that grant applications are rejected outright..
Continue reading "Is this grant right for your cause? How to find out."
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