Strunk and White, in the Elements of Style , recommend that the words you would most like to emphasize ought to be left until the end of the sentence. A sort of “save the best for last” method. As bloggers, should we be following standards like these? Or are blogs, as a medium, the opportunity to create all new style elements?

If you have read my other posts here, you most likely already know that I firmly believe in knowing the rules. In order to create your own style, I think you must know what is considered the “correct” form for the function. Whether or not you follow the rules is entirely up to you, but I’ll fight to the death anyone who argues that you shouldn’t even bother learning them. Or maybe I’d just say they were wrong. Whatever.

So let’s say that, like me, you have spent most of your life gobbling up written pages. You read for entertainment, fulfillment, education and the betterment of your own writing. When you began to apply what you know to blogging, did you find gaps and misplaced advice? I did.

The advice given by Strunk and White to save the best for last is a prime example of this. If bloggers left the good stuff until right before the white space I believe we’d lose readers. It isn’t that this advice is wrong, exactly. The problem is that it isn’t quite inclusive enough for blogging.

I believe the correct, cohesive advice comes from Roy Peter Clark, author of Writing Tools . While his writing tools are not geared specifically toward bloggers, I believe he speaks to those of us who are writing for the new generation of short-attention-span, hard-to-hold readers. Clark says that important and strong words should be placed at both the beginning and the end of sentences and paragraphs.

For bloggers, I believe this advice is just what we need to hear. We most definitely need to introduce strength at the beginning of our posts and paragraphs in order to pull in the reader and get them to connect and maintain that connection. The ends of sentences offer the finality of a period; while the ends of paragraphs join words with white space for strong visual emphasis.

I’d never give up my Strunk and White, but it always helps to bring in a more contemporary viewpoint. When looking for new writing rules, just be sure you consider the source. In this case, Clark is a very well-known and respected scholar so I know he knows his stuff and can give solid, educated advice. While some advice might seem great, always take it with a grain of salt if you are unsure about the reliability of the source.

Also, remember that other elements such as your niche and target demographics can have an effect on how your audience reacts to certain writing styles. Some audiences will be more willing to wait for the punchline. As a blogger, you can easily see – through visits/comments/etc. – how readers are reacting to your article. This can help you determine the effectiveness of your writing.

While you are writing your next couple of blog posts, keep this tactic in mind. Even go back and read older posts, considering the placement of verbs and strong nouns. Are you maximizing that placement or just throwing words about willy-nilly just to get your point across? Ultimately, the rules you choose to follow or break in your writing are entirely up to you. But, if you give it a fair shake, I think you will find that word order is crucial to an article’s success.

A Quick Note: Roy Peter Clark’s 50 Writing Toolsis available for free in summarized written form and as individual podcasts. I highly recommend taking the time to listen to Clark explain each of his tools, it is definitely worth the investment. I’m not affiliated with Poynter Online and I don’t know Roy Peter Clark(though I sure wish I did!), I just think this is a terrific educational tool for all writers.