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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 and has gained 600K+ views for her writing tutorials. She is the author of 9 books. See more of Kathy’s content here.

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Word Wise is for busy people who want to write more (or need to), but don't have a lot of time.

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Dec 12, 2024

What is a devotional ... and should I learn to write one?

There are lots of different kinds of inspirational writing: sermons, Bible studies, articles, books, blog posts ...

So when it comes to writing a devotional, it’s helpful to have clarity. The word has become a catch-all term among people of faith.

A devotional is a ...

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Dec 11, 2024

Your year-end content writing to-do checklist (free download)

For freelancers, small biz owners, and nonprofits, the end of the year comes quickly. As the calendar winds down, your blood pressure may go up.

And while the year-end appeal season requires monumental effort for nonprofits, the overwhelm is not limited to ministries and charities. The race is on to ...

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Dec 10, 2024

Writing a story? Use this simple 3-part format ...

Using a simple story writing format helped me helped me write more powerful content.

Good writers write stories. That goes for reporters and bloggers and copywriters and content creators. Powerful stories make for powerful content.

“Psychologists refer to stories as ‘psychologically privileged,’ meaning that ...

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Dec 09, 2024

Start and grow your email list: a simple tutorial

You need an email list. That goes for all of us, whether you’re a blogger, freelancer, small biz owner, a nonprofit, ministry, or a large corporation.

The reason you need a list is simple. Email is the most common form of business communication. Nine out of ten of people check their email every day, some up to 15 times a day. A list is a tool that ...

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Dec 08, 2024

What's an RFP ... and why should you know how to write one?

An RFP – a Request for Proposals – is an invitation to a nonprofit to write a grant proposal.

Keep in mind that while you have been invited to apply, so have others. When you write a grant proposal and present the problem your project will solve, you’re submitting an entry into a competition.

How can your ...

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Dec 07, 2024

Why you need to use comparisons when you write

A comparison shows what’s the same and what’s different between two objects.

It's a useful tool for writers because the human brain relies on comparisons to organize information. It’s one way we can process all the stimuli that ...

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Dec 06, 2024

Bestseller! Great gift idea for girls 10-12

In this preteen devotional, girls can find out more about God and how to follow Him.

Each devotional includes an activity that grows the girl's friendship with God: interactive journaling, drawing activities, fun crafts, and more! Fun crafts, cool projects, Bible puzzles, and word searches are just some of the extra perks included in this bestselling ...

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Dec 05, 2024

8 Kinds of illustrations to use in devotionals

All kinds of illustrations are used in devotionals.

A devotional illustration paints a picture in words, making a spiritual truth become concrete for the reader.

They’re effective because you use details: names, smells, feelings, tastes, sights, numbers, facts...

Continue reading "8 Kinds of illustrations to use in devotionals"

Dec 04, 2024

Brainstorm a Year’s Worth of Blog Post Ideas in One Sitting

“I’m working on creating my new site. However, I am having a hard time coming up with blog post ideas,” wrote a member of my online writing group. “I’ve always written A+ research papers with little effort. Writing and researching are my strengths. But getting ideas? I got nada.”

Could the group share how to brainstorm ideas?

Yes.

Let’s use this writer’s problem to solve our own. We’ll give her a jumpstart by …

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Dec 03, 2024

How to start an article

Use the article writing format that places the most important information at the top of the piece.

It’s a structure you see all the time in news reports.

Your reader gets a summary of the story at the top with details to follow.

It's called the Inverted Pyramid format. Sometimes, you'll hear it referred to as the Summary News Lead Style or Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF).

I like how the Inverted Pyramid gives you a visual image of how to ...

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Dec 02, 2024

Need a fundraising letter quick? Use this simple download

If you’re a copywriter, ministry writer, or content writer (or want to be one), then writing appeal letters can be part of your bread and butter.

Even if you’re a general freelancer, then there’s a good chance you’ve been asked (or will be asked) to write a fundraising letter, whether for a client or for an organization that you support.

Naturally, you want to write a good one...

Continue reading "Need a fundraising letter quick? Use this simple download"

Dec 01, 2024

Want to persuade you rreader? Use this simple writing technique

If you want to persuade readers, then repeat yourself.

So concludes a study conducted at Germany’s University of Göttingen. One hundred students were paired with 100 specially-trained partners to interview potential job candidates. After the interviews, the trained partners repeated four pieces of information supporting the candidate opposite the student’s choice.

Repetition made a difference. 70% of the students ...

Continue reading "Want to persuade you rreader? Use this simple writing technique"

Nov 30, 2024

How to write a takeaway

A takeaway is the key point you want readers to remember from your article, book, blog post, or devotional. Another word for a takeaway is “application” or main lesson.

It’s what readers “take away” with them once they’ve finished reading your content. What will they do now as a result of reading your content?

A takeaway can be ...

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Nov 29, 2024

Great gift idea for the preteen girls you know

I wrote The Christian Girl's Guide to Friendship when my own daughter was a tween.

Like so many girls, she struggled so hard to navigate friendships and how to learn to be a good friend ...

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Nov 28, 2024

How to write a donor thank you in 3 simple paragraphs

On your list of 743 things to do, crafting a meaningful donor thank you is probably close to #742. Don’t let it be.

Your thank-you package is an unsung way to cultivate friends, not just contributors. It’s an investment in a long-term relationship.

Put another way, it's one of the best ways to “friendraise” when you’re “fundraising.”

But a thank you letter to donors is easy to put together and can ...

Continue reading "How to write a donor thank you in 3 simple paragraphs"

Nov 26, 2024

Use a simple year-end content plan to get it all done

As the calendar winds down, your blood pressure may go up. So much writing to do and so few days and minutes in which to do it, no matter if you're writing content or copy.

The overwhelm is not limited to ministries or freelancers - but if you’re like most nonprofits, you’ll receive 30-50% of your organization’s gifts during the last quarter of the calendar year, when your supporters race to give individual gifts before the tax year ends on December 31.

An intentional year-end plan will help you maximize your writing time at year end. Use this checklist to make sure you’re on track...

Continue reading "Use a simple year-end content plan to get it all done"

Nov 25, 2024

A no-cost way to build your following - with a special tip

Social media is a no-cost way to build your following.

But here's a tip: the most effective Facebook posts create dialogue with readers.

So ...what makes Facebook posts for nonprofits or small biz different from posts to your own personal page?

People want to know what’s going on in others' lives.

When it comes to your organization, you have the opportunity to build that same kind of connection with readers...

Continue reading "A no-cost way to build your following - with a special tip"

Nov 24, 2024

How to write a how-to article

On the first day of English class, the teacher asked us to pull out a sheet of paper. “Write a how-to article explaining how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich,” she said.

She gave us 15 minutes to complete the assignment, then collected the papers and dismissed us.

The next day, the teacher entered class wearing work overalls. She carried a loaf of bread, two jars (one of peanut butter, the other of jelly), a knife, and a roll of paper towels. After setting the supplies on her desk, she dug into ...

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Nov 23, 2024

What makes YOU the ideal writer for a project

The USP – your Unique Selling Proposition or Unique Selling Point – is what makes you different from other writers.

It's also sometimes called your "Competitive Advantage."

But therein lies one of a writer’s deepest fears. It’s the fear that you are nothing special as a writer. That you are not as skilled as other writers ... that you have little or nothing to offer a client or publisher ... that you are a fraud.

Those fears are a pack of lies.

The truth is that ...

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Nov 22, 2024

Get ready for 2025! Create your own strategic plan

If you’re a nonprofit organization, small biz owner, or solopreneur, then you need a strategic plan.

And you don’t need an MBA to create one.

Nor must you pay big dollars to a consultant to get started. This workbook helps you get started with your first strategic plan for your own nonprofit or business – or update an old one...

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Nov 21, 2024

Life these call-to-action examples for your content

Readers expect to be told what to do.

But writing an Ask can feel awkward – like you’re being bossy or salesy.

When you have some call to action examples to use as a template, you can have confidence to ask with clarity.

You know how it is: your reader has a need. You’ve addressed that need in an engaging letter … email … landing page … blog post. Then you reach that point in your writing when you’ve got an icky feeling...

Continue reading "Life these call-to-action examples for your content"

Nov 20, 2024

Wannabe writer? Say goodby to your biggest enemy

“Where have you submitted your content?” That’s the question I posted to the writers in my Facebook writers’ group.

I expected members to list all kinds of markets. But the responses shocked me, like …

“I don’t know where to find someone who’d want to read my stuff. I’m just a wannabe writer.”

These precious, up-and-coming writers feel like they’re in a battle with a horrible enemy.

Maybe you feel that way too. If so, here’s what to do …

Continue reading "Wannabe writer? Say goodby to your biggest enemy"

Nov 19, 2024

Got your year-end online content ready to go?

A year-end online appeal is cheap and simple to send.

With December 31 as biggest electronic giving day of the year (according to some gurus), a year-end online appeal at the eleventh hour makes sense.

Leverage the year-end online rush when you create an email campaign (or short series) to send between Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

All you need is ...

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Nov 18, 2024

How to use repetition to persuade

One of the best ways to write persuasively is by repetition – saying an idea more than once.

It’s a simple technique, but not simplistic. There are different ways to repeat an idea in order to persuade your reader and bring her over to your way of thinking. But you cannot write repetitively on auto pilot and expect to be persuasive.One of the best ways to write persuasively is by repetition – saying an idea more than once.

It’s a simple technique, but not simplistic. There are different ways to repeat an idea in order to persuade your reader and bring her over to your way of thinking. But you cannot write repetitively on auto pilot and expect to be persuasive.

Rather, handle with care...

Rather, handle with care.

Continue reading "How to use repetition to persuade"

Nov 17, 2024

Write your book summary before you start your book

A book summary is the cornerstone of your book-writing process. It offers clarity before, during, and after you write your book.

You can use your summary before you even write one word of your manuscript when you ...

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