The Hemingway way of identifying good and bad writers
I have a Google form on my website for writers who want to become content writers and copywriters.
Most of the writers who submit queries want to get paid assignments from me.
Once I receive a query from them, I politely ask for a few samples, which they eagerly send.
Within the first paragraph I can make out whether I want to work with that content writer or not.
How?
I will come to this later.
So, while browsing the web for writing ideas, I came across this small but interesting blog post on how to identify a good writer the Hemingway way.
There is no detailed methodology.
The blog post simply refers to a Paris review interview that must had been published years ago.
In the interview, somewhere Hemingway says, “The better the writers the less they will speak about what they have written themselves.”
This is an interesting observation, and this can be applied to almost every field.
Let your work speak for itself.
As a professional content writer, one often must toot his or her own horn.
The trick is not to go overboard and, in the process, put off your prospective clients.
Fortunately, I have worked with hundreds of clients by now and I have a hefty portfolio.
Whenever I receive a query I don’t need to eloquently explain what wonders I can work with my content writing and copywriting services.
I simply send them a list of relevant links and they can see by themselves what type of content I have written for related websites.
For example, if someone needs a content writer for an accounting website, I send him or her the links to all the accounting websites I have written content for.
Coming back to how I decide within the first paragraph whether I would like to work with the new content writer or not.
What I’m looking for is confidence.
I look for short, crisp sentences.
They need to be authoritative and carry conviction.
I don’t like when words are unnecessary used to impress the readers.
Simple, confident language.
There must be a sense of sincerity.
Of course, there must be no typos, spelling and grammar mistakes.
When I am evaluating a content writer, I’m not looking for a Shakespeare or a Tolstoy.
I’m looking for a no-nonsense content writer or copywriter who can properly explain the business of my clients.