Article #2 \u2013 <\/em>Structuring Your Blog & Presentation<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Article #3 \u2013 <\/em>Style<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Article #4 \u2013 <\/em>Common Pitfalls<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Article #5 \u2013 <\/em>Opening Your Blog<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Article #6 \u2013 <\/em>Closing Your Blog<\/em><\/strong> And Explaining Difficult Concepts<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Like titling, this is another topic in which we have a discrepancy between a blog\u2019s style and its efficiency in terms of generating traffic. If you\u2019re trying to get clicks, then final paragraphs are very important, and I will once again link a helpful guide on how to write an SEO-friendly conclusion<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In terms of just good writing<\/em>, however, conclusions carry a lot less weight than openers. If a reader has stuck with you until the end, it\u2019s unlikely their reading experience will change much based on the final paragraph (unless you really write something beastly).<\/p>\n\n\n\n How should a conclusion be written? There are two possible answers, which depend on the type of article you are writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For technical articles with an objective register<\/a>, it\u2019s every bit as simple as writing the opening, and more or less the same logic applies. First, declare that the article has reached the end, then express your hopes or best wishes. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This concludes our overview of the best text editors on the market. We hope our article helped you make an informed decision. Remember that the editor has to fit your needs, not the other way around, and of course \u2013 happy coding!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s pretty much all you need. For more stylistically sophisticated articles, there are two things you want to have in your conclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Firstly, clarification of potentially contentious points<\/em>. If you wrote an article about why it\u2019s a good idea to be more assertive in the office, you don\u2019t want that to be interpreted as telling people that they have to be jerks to each other. That\u2019s something you (should have) already specified in the body of the article, naturally, but make sure your final paragraph includes a reminder in that sense. Just to be sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Secondly, and this is considerably more difficult to pull off, you want your article to finish with a little bit of a punch. This isn\u2019t something very easy to teach, because what you\u2019re looking for is a memorable phrase \u2013 and what that is depends heavily on what you wrote in the article, and how that final phrase reflects on that. A few things you can do in this sense include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n These usually stand out in an article, although they take some creativity and inspiration. If you can find a metaphor, a simile, or an image that relates to the topic you have been discussing, use that to wrap up your argument. It will give your reader\u2019s mind something concrete to carry away from the article, and a powerful mnemonic object that lets them remember what you said. Here are a few quick pointers on writing metaphors<\/a>, and they mostly work for similes and imagery in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can make your final sentence resonate simply by turning it into a short statement about how you feel, ideally related to the general argument you have discussed in the blog. For example: \u2018Anyone can and will find a job if they take the time to learn Python. I believe that.<\/em>\u2019 Or alternatively: \u2018As I left my job with Apple, I told my friends that I would never return to backend development again. And I meant every last word.<\/em>\u2019 The trick here is to make sure that the final, short statement is definitive. You\u2019re not going to pack any punch by saying \u2018I\u2019m pretty sure I believe that\u2019 or \u2018I meant what I said, to an extent\u2019. It\u2019s the definitiveness of those sentences that, coupled with the relatable intimacy of a personal feeling, makes them memorable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A less personal variation of the above, this just means closing your article with a short sentence, ideally one that ends with a verb. For example, \u2018Hundreds of developers turned to Laravel to profit from their skills with PHP. And they did.<\/em>\u2019 It\u2019s possible to play around with this, of course; the sentence doesn\u2019t necessarily have to end with a verb (\u2018And they did just that<\/em>\u2019). But the principle is the same as the above, except this time you create rhetorical impact not by relating the reader to a personal emotion, but to some form of action in the real world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re really struggling to find an apt conclusion for your blog, even with the above suggestions, then an easy way to close is to Google famous quotes based on key words that can be related to your article. If you wrote an article about job hunting, you can Google quotes on \u2018perseverance\u2019, and then end your article by saying \u2018Remember, as the saying goes, it\u2019s often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock.<\/em>\u2019 This is a passable method, but it\u2019s also a bit of a cop-out, and you really don\u2019t want to abuse it. Readers will start noticing if you do this too often, and eventually it will just come across as lazy (because it is).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Knowing how to explain concepts that are difficult to understand is mandatory if you write blogs in tech. Here are a few techniques that you will want to make use of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I cannot stress how important visual aids are when explaining abstract concepts. In most cases the mind can process an image much better than it can process words. So use diagrams, draw out concepts visually, and represent data as charts and graphs. Even if all you do is screen-grab a snippet of code from your console, do it. It helps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pictures aren\u2019t just useful in their own right, they also break up your text both visually and conceptually. Readers will associate pictures to concepts, and therefore \u2018map out\u2019 your article as they read it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How to create<\/em> a good diagram is a question beyond the remit of this article (and frankly beyond the expertise of this writer). Ideally, you should be able to find ready-made pictures online to help you out. Otherwise, you should keep pictures you create relatively simple, with straight, geometric lines and patterns, and liberal use of primary colors. Consider drawing stick figures too, and don\u2019t worry about them looking rudimentary \u2013 they will add a human, relatable element to your image, which offsets any issue about how \u2018pretty\u2019 it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s move on to the actual writing bit of explaining difficult concepts. Here are a few pointers that you should always keep in mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Language matters, tone doesn\u2019t<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Most blogs out there that cover how to explain difficult concepts suggest using simple language and short sentences, and writing in an informal, light tone. The former is essential \u2013 keep complicated vocabulary to a minimum, and avoid long sentences wherever possible, as they will make it even harder for your reader to focus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The latter, on the other hand, is a myth \u2013 keeping your tone casual doesn\u2019t necessarily make your explanation(s) more accessible. You can use a dry and formal tone if you are more comfortable that way, and as long as you keep the language simple, it will be just as clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The \u2018jargon horseshoe\u2019<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Jargon that is key to the topic you are talking about must be defined<\/strong>. If you are explaining what SQL is, you can\u2019t gloss over the fact that it stands for Structured Query Language. But how and where in your blog should you bring this up?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The answer is: you should say it twice \u2013 once at the very beginning of your explanation, then one more time at the very end. The first time you mention it serves to give your reader an anchor. Here\u2019s what we are explaining, here\u2019s what we\u2019re talking about. No room for ambiguity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second time comes at the very end of the explanation, once the concept is (hopefully!) clear in the mind of the reader. Make sure that defining jargon is the first<\/em> and the last<\/em> thing that you do whenever you explain a difficult concept. (It goes without saying that all of this holds for necessary<\/em> jargon; complicated terms that are only indirectly relevant to what you are talking about should simply not be used<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Metaphor<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that we know how to start and end our explanation, what should be the meat of it? The answer is in two parts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First, employ a metaphor or a simile to describe the topic you are writing about<\/strong>. This can be challenging \u2013 it\u2019s like having to explain your topic by explaining something else instead. Make it as visual and as situational as possible, allowing the reader relate to something familiar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example: \u2018If you want to understand what a PHP engineer does, imagine somebody who can play the violin. A professional violinist is an expert with a tool that is mostly associated to outdated music, but in reality is one of the best things that can be learned to find paid work, as it\u2019s extremely flexible and used in more or less every genre<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\nClosing Your Blog<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Vivid imagery or metaphors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"creativity](\"https:\/\/www.wbscodingschool.com\/files\/2.-AdobeStock-by-sutadimages_274095365-1024x614.jpeg\")
Statement of belief or emotion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Active statement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Famous quote<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
EXPLAINING DIFFICULT CONCEPTS<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Use diagrams, charts and other pictures<\/em><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Business](\"https:\/\/www.wbscodingschool.com\/files\/4.-AdobeStock-by-Monster-Ztudio_421019853-1024x409.jpeg\")
Writing about difficult concepts<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Man](\"https:\/\/www.wbscodingschool.com\/files\/5.-AdobeStock-by-JackF_185060412-1024x738.jpeg\")
![\"complex](\"https:\/\/www.wbscodingschool.com\/files\/3.-AdobeStock-by-Song_about_summer_164646587-1024x682.jpeg\")