“Grammatically speaking, voice refers to whether the subject of a sentence is on the giving or receiving end of the action, explains Anne Stillman in Writer’s Digest Yearbook.

For us freelance blog content writers, “voice” is an enormously important element when it comes to “hooking readers and wowing fans”. This week, my Say It For You blog posts are devoted to a review of fundamental writing tools and techniques based on the Yearbook. In a way, choosing the right “voice” goes far beyond grammar and sentence structure, setting the entire tone for each business blog post.

“The active voice has definite advantages over the passive,” explains Stillman. “It’s more concise, it’s often more informative, and it can make your writing appear more vigorous and confident.”  That doesn’t mean, she adds, that the passive voice is never appropriate.  For example, Stilman says, “The wedding cake had to be carried in by eight strong waiters” is better than saying “Eight strong waiters had to carry in the wedding cake.”  Why?  The focus of the sentence is the cake, not the waiters.

Since one of the very purposes of business blog writing is to showcase the accomplishments of the business owners, as a general rule we bloggers need to focus on “staying active” in our content, I teach in corporate blogging training sessions.

A jewelry store blog might read “Our jewelry is worn proudly by all types of people, from homemakers to business executives,” but it would pack more punch to say, “From homemakers to business executives, people of every type proudly wear ABC
 jewelry.”

This past week in my Say It for You blog, I spent a lot of time discussing the ingredients of good writing. There’s certainly a lot more to effective blogging than just the writing. Bloggers need marketing expertise and at least some degree of technical expertise.  The bottom line, though, is that blogging involves the skillful use of words.

For us blog content writers as well as for our business owner and professional clients, A is an important letter in our lexicon. From apostrophes to active voice, paying attention to our craft pays off!

“Keep in mind that apostrophes are never used to form a plural word; they are used only in contractions and when creating the possessive form,” Brian Klems reminds readers of The Writer’s Digest Yearbook.

The basic concept behind this treasure chest of a magazine: Writers learn about hooking readers and wowing fans, but it’s important for them to go back and review fundamental writing tools. “Without a base, there’s nothing to build upon,” says Tiffany Lucket.  The Digest’s executive editor is addressing novelists, but blog content writers are equally in need of such a reminder.

And speaking of apostrophes, I find misuse of them nothing short of rife in business blogs, beginning with the use of “it’s” as a pronoun. (“You need to see this furniture to appreciate it’s beauty. Oh, Gawd…).

Brian Klems goes on to describe a related apostrophe question: Should you use the apostrophe to form a plural word when a name ends in the letter S? In a word, no, no. no!  We keep up with the Joneses, not with the Jones’. Of course, if you’re trying to have your cat keep up with the Jones’ pet, the apostrophe would be very apropos as a possessive.

What’s the big deal? Grammar mistakes in content writing for business are very much like the much-publicized TV star wardrobe mishaps in that they call attention away from the kind of impression we intend to make on behalf of our businesses or professional practices.  (Yes, I’ve been accused of being a “grammar Nazi”, and yes, it’s true that most readers won’t catch the grammar errors. But, can you afford to lose the respect of even a few?)

Assuming all content writers would at least reluctantly concede the answer to that question is  “no”, I’m devoting all of this week’s Say It For You blog posts to language basics covered in the Writer’s Digest Yearbook. IT”S elementary. Blog WRITERS’  AND BLOG WRITERS’ CLIENTS’ reputations need protection against grammar and vocabulary mishaps!  Repeat after me: apostrophes are never used to form plural words, and “its” would have one only if you mean “it is”.