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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 19, 2026
Meaningful writing requires ...
I studied the computer screen, gritting my teeth in frustration. Why couldn’t I find the list of course curriculum on this particular website?
One by one, I clicked each tab in the navigation and studied its drop-down list.
Nothing.
So I kept scrolling down until ...
Apr 18, 2026
This is the person who can help your book succeed
A good book editor is a behind-the-scenes coworker. Someone like Judith Jones (1924-2017).
Because of Judith, you’ve heard of Julia Child, the chef whose cookbooks made French cuisine accessible to the average person.
And you’ve heard of ...
Continue reading "This is the person who can help your book succeed"
Apr 17, 2026
Got 20 minutes? You can build your blog
If you have 20 minutes, then you can build your blog.
A blog is a powerful way to reach more users and build your business.
But like many writers, once you’ve started a blog you may struggle to sustain it and consistently add posts. You get frustrated and discouraged because you know you’re missing out on this opportunity to reach more readers...
Apr 17, 2026
Need a resume? Here's how to build one yourself
Whether you’re building a resume for the first time or you’re updating yours after years in the marketplace, the best place to start is by gathering your information in one place.
But there's plenty of frustration and stress with gathering all those bits and pieces.
What information should you include? How can you organize it so ...
Continue reading "Need a resume? Here's how to build one yourself"
Apr 16, 2026
Slay superlatives to show - rather than tell
The radio interview caught my attention.
“It was phenomenal,” gushed the guest, a public school teacher who struggled to motivate her class during the COVID-19 pandemic. “As soon as I offered incentives, students turned in their work on time. It was awesome!”
The verbal excess gave me pause. Those arm-twisting results are not “phenomenal,” which means “extraordinary” or “astonishing” or “exceptional.” Children enjoy candy and gift cards and free time. What else should a teacher expect from bribes?
As my ears and eyes become more sensitive to overreaching words, I notice certain terms used too often. ...
Continue reading "Slay superlatives to show - rather than tell"
Apr 15, 2026
One storytelling trick most writers miss out on
“Let me illustrate …”
When you know how to write a story, you up your writing game.
I’m not talking about writing a novel, short story, or other form of fiction. I'm talking about using stories in content and copy.
Plenty of writers use a story as a hook, in a transition, or to drive home a point. Anecdotes and illustrations are central to good content and good copywriting.
But a story won't drive home your point if you simply ...
Continue reading "One storytelling trick most writers miss out on"
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 ...
Continue reading "Write your post in steps with this worksheet"
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 ...
Continue reading "30 kinds of letters you need to know how to write"
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 ...
Continue reading "How to start (or revive) a newsletter in just 3 steps"
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 ...
Continue reading "The easy way to find benefits (vs features) to write about"
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 ...
Continue reading "Why every content creator should write a blog (still)"
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 ...
Continue reading ""What's your book about?" How fast can you answer?"
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