How to Write "Right" (Write Successful Articles) {A POEM & LIST of Commonly Misused Words}

You need to get down to the basics in order to become a successful (and hopefully popular) writer. The list below should help you on your way to writing and publishing better articles.

• Be original! Write about something you know or researched (including citations when appropriate and relevant links).
• Use proper grammar and spelling, have good flow, use paragraphs to break up long passages, keep tense consistent, and be concise.
• If it's creative writing, use descriptive words that paint a picture, convey an emotion, or display your personality.
• Attract your reader with an interesting title, summary, and first paragraph.
• Writing about a trendy topic or current event may make your article popular today; to be successful over time, write about enduring, perennial, expansive (aka evergreen) topics that people will always be searching. Alternatively, develop a niche for yourself, and people may refer to you and your articles on that specific topic.
• When relevant, use pictures, video, and eye-catching formatting (e.g. bullet points, lists, bold/italics).

*A note on the title "How to Write 'Right'" - I know it would be better to say "how to write well" or "how to write successfully", but as you'll see below, I am playing off the identical pronunciation of "write" and "right".

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Original content is king
Eye-catching formatting is queen
Add pictures and video
If you want to be seen

Give information and tips
Don't just say anything
Because readers want facts
Not just ads and links

And be sure to comment
On your hub and others'
To get a high score
And to get followers

Show kindness and tact
Whenever you speak and act
Use good grammar and spelling
And write right, but with feeling

Do all these things
And you won't be a dud
Next time you write
And publish a hub

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• it's = it is, it has; "It's nice to meet you." and "It's been nice speaking with you."
• its = possessive pronoun; "The table was missing its legs."
• their, theirs = possessive pronoun; "The parents loved their son." and "The game was theirs to lose."
• they're = they are; "They're a nice bunch of people."
• there, there's = "Let's go over there." and "There's a good restaurant down the street" where "there's" = there is (can also be "there has" - see below).
• your = possessive pronoun; "You are your own worst critic." or "You're your worst critic."
• you're = you are
• let's = let us; "Let's go to the mall."
• lets = "He lets me use his car."
• to / two / too = Do I really have to explain the differences between the number two and the word too, as in also?
• we're = we are; "We're going to the mall."
• were = "Were you there yesterday?"
• here = "Here is your mail."
• hear = "Did you hear that dog bark?"
• lose = "Did you lose your wallet?"
• loose = "My pants were loose in the waist, so I got a smaller size."
• can't / won't / don't / aren't = cannot / will not / do not / are not
• shouldn't / wouldn't / couldn't = should not / would not / could not
• we'll / I'll / I'm / I've = we will / I will / I am / I have
• how's = how is, how has; "How's it going?" and "How's it been?" = one example of many words you can add "apostrophe s" to (it's not correct to just add an "s").
• compliment / complement = "Your shoes are cute" is an example of a compliment (a nice statement to a person); "Your shoes complement your outfit" where "complement" means "goes together with or completes something." To make things trickier, there's also "complimentary" which usually means "given free of charge."
• regardless / irrespective = REGARDLESS is a word; IRREGARDLESS is not (you may be thinking of IRRESPECTIVE, which is a word); e.g., "Bad reviews of the movie were everywhere, irrespective of where you looked." "Regardless, I still want to see the movie." I think they're similar in meaning but the difference is "regardless" can be used on its own; "irrespective" should not be. "Irregardless" should never be used.

Contractions are shortened versions of words or a group of words, often shown by omitting certain letters and the use of an apostrophe. Many contractions sound the same as other words, making them homophones, like "you're" and "your". Homophones are words that are pronounced the same but have different meanings. Another example is "rose" as in the flower, and "rose" as in "she rose up out of bed" (known as a homograph when spelled the same). Homophones can also have different spellings (known as heterographs), such as "write" and "right". I double-checked these definitions on Wikipedia.

I don't claim to be perfect in spelling words and using grammar and punctuation correctly, but misusing contractions and other homophones really bugs me (aka a pet peeve). In this era of texting, social network updates, and blogging, I see these mistakes frequently, and they hurt my eyes and make me cringe. Spellcheck often misses these words since they are real words, but they still might not be used correctly. Also, don't get me started on typing or word predictors on your cellphone (often tragically wrong but still used). I don't mean to offend, only to help, so I hope the list I've compiled helps. It's not an exhaustive list, so feel free to add your own commonly misused words or grammar pet peeves in the comments below. All examples are my own.

When in doubt, just use the long form of the word instead of the contraction form. A lot is forgiven or overlooked when texting and emailing, but if it's for a publication or a document for work or school, paying attention to one's grammar is the key to success!