How to use the 5 W's of Communication to Write Anything

The 5 W's of Communication

Getting a degree in Journalism teaches you many ways and styles of writing, but it also teaches you HOW to Communicate! After studying for many years, I finally realized that good writing boils down to the basic 5 W's. Who, What, When, Where, Why. How is actually a 6th 'W', but more about that later.

Who?

Start with the basics:

Who is writing the note, letter, story, invitation, communication, etc...
Who is the audience?
Who is going to read it?

If you can't answer this first question, then why write at all?

What?

What the heck is your communication about? Don't just ramble on and get sidetracked. Stay focused on the subject. The "whats" include (but are not limited to):

What is the purpose of the letter, note, blog, etc...?
Is it an invitation to a party?
Is it informative/educational?
What do you want the reader to know?

You must clearly identify what your communication is all about.

When?

Always include a time frame! Is it for right now, this instant? This may be implied and not have to be stated in a date and time format, but if you are doing an invitation, you MUST include the date and time. You would be surprised how many times I've gotten a meeting invite, but no time or date!

If you're writing something that seems timeless, guess what? It isn't! There is always a time frame for everything. Find it.

Where?

Another item that is frequently missed. Either the place is not specified at all or there are no directions on how to get there!

This is oh so important in invitations! You get the Who, What, When, but forget to detail the Where!

Where is where the action takes place in communications, be it in a novel, a letter, a blog, or even a simple note.

Why?

Ah! The heart of all communication! Why should I or anyone else read what you have written? This is where you have to make things interesting.

Express urgency.
Ask for feedback.
Inform your readers.
Write something about other people (people are interesting beings).
Write something about a current event.
Expand on a background story.
Make your article a resource to refer back to.
Paint a picture with words.

Good stories all contain the 5 W's PLUS the following formula....

Good Story Formula!

Good stories all have this in common:

Feature appealing, interesting characters
Striving against great or impossible odds
To achieve a worthwhile goal

That's the big writing secret! If you don't believe me, think about it for a while! Compare this formula to anything written, be it a novel, short story, screenplay, movie, play, whatever!

How?

I told you I would come back to this one. Ok, I've got some really cool people who want to fight city hall to get a super dome built. How, do I put this down on paper?

First, don't forget the first 5 W's - Who, What, When, Where, Why - Memorize these!

Now here are the How's of good writing:

Never use cliches, metaphors, similes, or dull figures of speech.
Never use long words when short ones will work better.
Re-write to cut out all unnecessary words.
Use an active style over a passive style. Use a lot of verbs!
Don't use foreign, scientific words, or jargon when everyday words will be more understandable.
Use accurate and direct quotes for color, pace, and emphasis. Don't over do it.
Use exciting adjectives and adverbs, things like - "explosive apple" or "wormy apple"
Keep paragraphs short.
Use a "human" sympathetic voice. Relate to your characters.
Keep sentences short.
Break any of the above "rules" before writing something that sounds awkward for you.
ALWAYS use your spell checker!

Basic Needs

Almost everything written appeals to our basic needs. These are the things that make our life complete. Aside from food and shelter, we seek out these things to enrich our life. Writing with the basic needs in mind makes all of our communication more interesting.