You’re writing a heading, the first sentence of an email, the introduction to a newsletter, a short description on a homepage.

But what should you say? When you have just a few words, what’s the best message?

One of the ways I employ to help me with this task is to first weed out what I DON’T want to say.

I’ll write a number of different opening sentences for an email, for instance. Then I’ll start hacking away at the ones that don’t carry the right message, or that carry the right message badly.

Knowing you’re going to cut away the bad versions, it’s easy to start a flow of different lines. You’re not under pressure to make every line brilliant, because you know that most will be discarded.

This process also applies a very useful discipline; it makes you write down a large number of different lines, different options.

This, in itself, is a good thing.

Far too often, particularly when under the pressure of deadlines, we make do with the first opening that jumps to mind. Unless you are a full-time genius, that first thought is unlikely to be the best one.

Listing, and then eliminating copy lines makes you think. It makes you stop and really consider what it is you really should be saying.

Better still, it makes you self-critical and more determined to deliver the best line possible.

Thanks to the Internet researching technical subjects is much easier, but many writers, including professional writers have become lazy. Sending an email to someone they found on the internet asking them a bunch of questions, then saying the research was theirs and not giving credit to sources, writing 101. Besides not giving credit to individuals, writers nowadays seem to think they can write their article through a series of emails asking experts question after question.

How about a little research? Read a little bit of the subject you’re reporting about, then if there are any questions, find an expert, interview them like a professional, give them the credit they are due, not only by name, but a link to their website. It’s the courteous thing to do especially now when everyone wants a little publicity for their website.