On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft contains this piece of advice from horror writer Stephen King: “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write.”

In the same book, King describes himself as a “slow reader” who usually “gets through 70 or 80 books a year.”

I’m an avid reader, but not a fast one. I don’t know how he finds the time.

But I do agree with him – and with Annie Proulx, who Maddie quoted in her recent blog ‘5 invaluable lessons my favourite books taught me about writing’ – that reading is an essential part of becoming a better writer.

I’ve put a lot of books down over the last few months. With a one-month-old in the house, finding time to read (and sleep!) is tricky and life is too short to finish a book I’m not enjoying.

Now more than ever, if a book becomes a slog, I stop. Your readers will do the same if the blog content you produce doesn’t grab them.

So, here are three invaluable writing lessons I’ve learned this year from just a few of the books I couldn’t finish.

1. Jargon is not your friend

In the second half of the 1800s, Jules Verne collected 54 of his novels under the title ‘Voyages Extraordinaires’. The sequence features classics like Journey to the Centre of the Earth, From Earth to the Moon, and Around the World in 80 Days.

I’ve read and enjoyed a few of them. Earlier this year, though, I started – and then put down – Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea.

This story of an expedition in the submarine Nautilus, captained by the tyrannical Nemo, features a giant squid. Which should be all you need to know.

And yet, rather than focusing on rip-roaring adventure, the novel becomes bogged down in long paragraphs listing the Latin names of all (and I mean all) the fauna and flora our submariners encounter. It’s boring, confusing, and fatally stalls the plot.

Your blogs should take readers on a journey. The words you choose should guide them on this “extraordinary voyage”, not put obstacles in the way.

Avoid financial jargon and always look back at what you’ve written. Would it make sense to a layperson? If the answer is “no”, it’s back to the drawing board.

Break the process down into its simplest parts, find the key message you want to get across, and then do so in plain language. And if that fails, try adding a giant squid.

2. Always play to your strengths

Actor Keanu Reeves has been doing the media rounds of late, promoting his first novel. Based on the BRZRKR comic book series he co-created, British writer China Miéville penned the book.

The Book of Elsewhere was released in July and is now back on my shelf unread… for now at least. The problem: it doesn’t play to either man’s strengths.

Reeves has been in some great films and Miéville is a multi-award-winning writer of fantasy, who has also written on the Russian Revolution and the Communist Manifesto. In his fiction, he creates intricate societies inhabited by unforgettable characters. But he’s only a visitor in Reeves’ BRZRKR world.

Never be afraid to try new things but write broadly about what you know and are truly passionate about. It will come across in your writing and help you to engage your readers.

Focusing on your specialism also means you can pack your content full of helpful insights, placing you as the go-to expert and ensuring your readers come back for more.

3. A human touch helps your readers care

The Hellraiser films are some of my all-time favourites. Creator Clive Barker has written some brilliant books too – epic battles of good versus evil like Imajica and Weaveworld.

I was three-quarters of the way through 1988’s Cabal before I realised that I didn’t care what happened to any of the characters.

Largely set beneath a graveyard in a nightmarish limbo known as Midian, it didn’t help that most of them were dead to start with. But they also weren’t sufficiently drawn to grab me, let alone keep hold.

Ensure your newsletter content appeals to your readership by making it relatable, tapping into the human side of your business and the service you provide.

Speak directly to your audience, answer the questions they have, and don’t be afraid to open up. Your clients and prospects are interested in people, whether that’s case studies from satisfied customers or team updates, introducing readers to the people who make your business tick.

Get in touch

I’m terrible at throwing books away, so these three will stay on my shelf and, one day, I’ll give them another try.

You’re unlikely to get that second chance with your online content.

If you need help getting your blogs right the first time, speak to the Yardstick Agency now. Our expert team of well-read content writers can help you and your business so contact us at hi@theyardstickagency.co.uk or call 0115 8965 300.