William Strunk, an English Professor, quietly published a 43 page guide to writing and gave it to a dozen students ONE of them turned it into the highest-selling writing guide of all time: The Elements Of Style (1959) HERE are its 9 tips to captivate people with words Thread: twitter.com/i/web/status/1… pic.twitter.com/nSV1SGWGRS
If I wanted to make money as a new ghostwriter in 2023, Here’re the 9 steps I’d take to make $10,000 before March 31st (from start to finish):
when writing or speaking, it’s tempting to give your readers a lot of context for whatever Big Event you want to talk about don’t let the backstory become your story “start right before you get eaten by the bear” (Wes Kao) pic.twitter.com/YOgtY8vwPA
Hot take: everyone is wrong about AI writing tools. here's my 3-part theory why...
I think "know your audience" can be dangerous advice for writers. Write stuff you yourself find interesting and entertaining. Writing for yourself is fun, and it shows. Writing for others is work, and it shows.
The future of content is a barbell strategy: • Ultra long-form: rich, in-depth, actionable guides and long reads • Ultra-short form: tweets, memes, and TL:DRs. You'll either expand your 1,000-word blog post into something worth reading or condense it into a tweet summary.
One of the most legendary marketers of all time: David Ogilvy In 1982, David wrote an internal memo to the employees of his advertising agency titled "How to write." And in just 10 bullets he put together a masterclass in effective writing. Here's a breakdown of each one: pic.twitter.com/MxRYuQRLyA
Business writing is a superpower. But schools and employers do a horrible job teaching people to write. In 1981, two advertising executives wrote a timeless guide for how to write in the business world. And here are 12 of their tips you should staple to your desktop: pic.twitter.com/w0hh0qBOG4
Online Writing Rules for Success ✍️📈🚀 After writing 3,000+ articles online over the past 8 years, here are some of my biggest lessons learned. Follow these rules, and your writing will improve 10x. Don't, and have fun with your blog nobody reads. [THREAD] 🧵👇
Great writing can be fast. I’ve written 1,007 ads for @thehustle That’s in the ballpark of 250 different startups. At 150 words an ad, it's a LOT of writing. You learn to write fast. Here's my framework for writing a great ad in 61 minutes w/minimal effort 👇
This is outstanding writing advice: there’s no such thing as a synonym. As a writer, it’s your job to find the right word. pic.twitter.com/xSi0V8BDxs
How can some people write so beautifully? I think I've figured it out. THREAD: The four elements of writing style:
- Four elements of style • Your voice • Your presentation • Engaging the senses • Engaging the imagination
- "Talk vulnerably like you do with friends. "
The best way to write better is to write more. A great editor helps. Books help. But, you can't edit/improve what's not written. Write more. Get all the shitty stuff outta the way 🙂
The process of writing should start much before you write your first word. Reading, thinking, and ruminating about a topic is a necessary prerequisite of a good write up. In short, to write well, (actively) read a lot.
- Read to write
If you write/blog, this post is for you! 👇 I try to answer the question, what's the point of writing? How should we think about the job -- the responsibility of a writer? More on this and my favorite typewriter <3 "The job of a writer" 🔗 thesephist.com/posts/writer/ pic.twitter.com/HBCzcUFtie
If you want to build a network, publish more. If you want to get better, publish more. If you want to find opportunity, publish more. If you want to help others, publish more. If you want to help yourself, publish more.
A semi-considered guiding light I had when writing for many years is "Just write about things you would have found surprising 5~10 years ago in a way that you of 5~10 years ago would have found maximally compelling."