Add flavor to your writing, starting with using metaphors and mastering details

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Yesterday was also a busy day. In the afternoon, I had a meeting with two friends from the “Business (opens in a new tab)” reading club to discuss future development strategies. In the evening, I had a dinner with the guidance professor and fellow students from National Taiwan University, and also celebrated the birthdays of two birthday girls.

During the break, I took the time to help a partner from “Vista Writing Companion Program (opens in a new tab)” correct her third assignment. This friend came to participate in the book club (opens in a new tab) I held in February this year, and also carefully read “Did you write today?” written by the Korean author Kim Min-sik. In-depth practice method for writing a slash life](https://www.books.com.tw/exep/assp.php/vista/products/0010809105?utm_source=vista&utm_medium=ap-books&utm_content=recommend&utm_campaign=ap-201903)》 (opens in a new tab).

Reading between the lines, it’s not hard to feel the inspiration that this partner has gained, and of course, I also know that she has mastered three secrets that make writing easier. On the one hand, I am happy for her progress, but on the other hand, I also feel that despite this article (opens in a new tab) reads smoothly, but seems to lack some flavor.

I understand that every writer puts a lot of effort into creating better content. Humans are emotional animals, so they usually don’t like cold things, so when we write articles, we must keep in mind: in addition to increasing readability and providing diverse information, if we can add some of our own unique personality and flavor to each article, it will also help to leave a deep impression on readers.

So, how do you add flavor to your writing? I have a few suggestions for improving your lackluster writing.

First, you must know your target audience and understand their needs and interests.

I often remind all students in writing classes to keep the readers in mind - figure out their user profile, background and interests, and also know what information and topics they will need? Take the reading experience written by our friend as an example. It is not enough to just write about your own feelings. You must also be able to know what information the readers want to know? Regarding the topic Target Audience, I have I have written many articles on the “Content Hacker” website. Friends who are interested can search for it!

Secondly, you can use metaphors when writing to increase the richness of the article.

You can also use different adjectives and verbs instead of just using general words to describe it. As for how to enrich your vocabulary and writing skills, I suggest you build your own inspiration database (https://www.vista.tw/en/blog/vista-teaches-you-how-to-build), read more articles by writers, journalists or bloggers, and set objects to observe and learn from. For example, Khaled. Hosseini spent four pages describing the darkness, helplessness, anxiety, and empty waiting without water or food, allowing readers to experience the “thick and suffocating hot feeling” (https://www.businesstoday.com.tw/artic (opens in a new tab) le/category/80407/post/201310210006/%E3%80%90%E5%AF%AB%E5%87%BA%E5%A5%BD%E8%8B%B1%E6%96%87%E3 %80%91%E5%AD%B8%E7%BF%92%E5%A4%A7%E5%B8%AB%E9%87%91%E5%8F%A5%20%E8%8B%B1%E6%96%87%E5%AF%AB%E4 %BD%9C%E6%B2%92%E5%A3%93%E5%8A%9B?utm_source=%E4%BB%8A%E5%91%A8%E5%88%8A&utm_medium=autoPage).

Next, you can use the power of visuals and audio and video to enrich the level of writing.

Humans are not only emotional animals, but also highly visual creatures. As the saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” If you can cleverly combine it with some wonderful photos, images or infographics, it can help you tell a vivid story and attract the reader’s attention. Therefore, every time I write an article, I also carefully select the appropriate featured images. Don’t underestimate it, it’s just a picture. If it’s not handled properly, it may even have the opposite effect!

Finally, please make good use of details to express your opinions and strengthen your professional discussion.

Because I often give lectures, I have read many articles written by business people and college students in recent years. I found that the reason why many people are unable to master the skills of writing, and even unknowingly turn writing into a cliché with no new ideas, is actually mostly due to the fact that there are too many boring narratives in the article. If you can provide enough details, readers will not only understand it, but also find pleasure in reading it.

In addition, good writers can often make their details unique. For this point, you may wish to refer to the works of the writer Li Weijing (opens in a new tab). During her lifetime, she was often moved to tears by the small details that others ignored in life (https://money.udn.com/money/story/7307/3540391 (opens in a new tab)). No wonder she could write “The Necessity of Old-School Dating” (https://www.books.com.tw/exep/assp.php/vista/product (opens in a new tab) s/0010557339?utm_source=vista&utm_medium=ap-books&utm_content=recommend&utm_campaign=ap-201903)”, “I am Xu Liangliang (opens in a new tab)” and “Style Miss Pig (opens in a new tab)》This is a work with warmth and layers. It is not in vain that Hong Kong writer Zhong Xiaoyang praised her as “a person who can create a world (opens in a new tab)”.

Continuously give details, colors, tone, and emotions to the characters (opens in a new tab) Even if the whole story is not told, readers will know what may have happened.

Li Weijing (opens in a new tab) once said: “As long as one person is changed by you in a speech, it is worth it.” Similarly, if you can add flavor to your writing, enrich it, and affect more people’s daily lives, isn’t that a good thing?

★ Welcome to like the “Vista Writing Companion Program (opens in a new tab)” fan page!

★ Do you want your copywriting to be liked by more people? Come and watch “Slow Reading and Understanding in Seconds (opens in a new tab)”.

★ To improve your content power, please don’t miss the online course “Content Power: The Super Power of Building Brands (opens in a new tab)” ★ Photo Credit: Louis Hansel (opens in a new tab)

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Further reading

• Feel the pulse of the world with your heart and write a wonderful and touching chapter
• Step out of your comfort zone and challenge more diverse writing styles and styles