Vigor: the spark of life

Vigor has many meanings: strength, energy and force; enthusiasm and intensity; the capacity for natural growth and survival. In your writing, it’s that final, essential, elusive element that brings your words to life.

Your passion and personality can shine through in the right situations, showing your style and influencing your readers. But what if personal enthusiasm for your task is precisely what you lack? Here are some tips to ignite your writing spark, even on days when your inspiration is waning.

1) More verbs, please!
Writing with vigor means keeping your readers engaged and moving. So use as many verbs in your text as possible – making sure they are active verbs (instead of "to be" verbs) – and avoid turning verbs into nouns.

Before: Product X is able to conduct an assessment of your supply levels if your absence prevents you from doing so.
After: Product X assesses your supply levels when you can't.

2) Get specific.
Details bring a text to life. The right amount of detail can keep a reader interested and help you stand out from the competition.

Vague: We sell a wide range of products for your diverse needs.
Specific: From widgets to gizmos, we have what you need for a perfect IT set-up.

3) Be real.
This one's the hardest. To energize your writing, the most important thing to keep in mind is that you're communicating with real people who want the truth. They'll see through false claims and be put off by exaggeration. Keeping your company’s voice in mind as you write, aim to develop a genuine bond with your reader. This honest approach will also help bring out your own natural enthusiasm, which will show in your writing.

4) Just write.
Let yourself loose before reigning yourself in. If you're having trouble getting enthusiastic about what you're writing, simply start writing anyway – whatever comes to mind. You can always add, change and remove text in later drafts. Being spontaneous will also ensure a more conversational, personal style. And remember: there's no such thing as a perfect first draft!

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Well done!
You've made it through our training camp for good writing style. Now clarity, simplicity, economy, variety, suitability and vigor are all at your disposal. Have fun with them and keep all six elements in mind whenever you write – they'll help you stay on track and perfect any writing task. Look for more writing tricks, English tips and marketing advice in upcoming WordSpin articles.