2. disclaimer
T H E G R E A T T I P S C O N T A I N E D H E R E I N A R E N O T I N T E N D E D T O B E
U N D E R S T O O D A S H A R D A N D F A S T R U L E S F O R E V E R Y S I T U A T I O N , A N D
E V E N I F T H E Y W E R E , H E L L , R U L E S A R E M A D E T O B E B R O K E N A N D
A N Y W A Y , M A Y B E Y O U ’ R E A C T U A L LY P R E T T Y C O N F I D E N T I N Y O U R
W R I T I N G A B I L I T I E S , I N W H I C H C A S E F E E L F R E E T O T U N E O U T F O R
T H E N E X T 1 0 - 1 5 M I N U T E S A N D D R E A M A B O U T S P R I N G T I M E , B U T
H O N E S T LY , W H O A M O N G U S D O E S N ’ T D O U B T O U R A B I L I T Y T O M A K E
O U R S E L V E S U N D E R S T O O D O R H E A R D S O M E T I M E S ? W E ’ R E H U M A N ,
I T ’ S F I N E , T H I S I S A S A F E S P A C E . L O O K , I ’ V E B E E N D O I N G T H I S —
A N D B Y T H I S I M E A N W R I T I N G , P R O F E S S I O N A L LY , F O R M O N E Y — F O R
A L O N G T I M E A N D I S T I L L F R E Q U E N T LY S E E K O U T G O O D B O O K S A N D
G R E A T T I P S F O R B E C O M I N G A S T R O N G E R W R I T E R A N D I ’ M N E V E R
N O T S U R P R I S E D A T H O W E F F E C T I V E A N E X E R C I S E I T I S T O T R Y
A D O P T I N G A B E G I N N G E R ’ S M I N D ; E V E N T H E M O S T S E E M I N G LY O B V I -
O U S A N D S E L F - E V I D E N T A D V I C E C A N B E A R E V E L A T I O N I N T H E F A C E
O F A B L A N K P A G E . S O I F Y O U ’ R E E V E N R E M O T E LY I N T E R E S T E D I N
B E C O M I N G A S L I G H T LY B E T T E R W R I T E R , T H E F O L L O W I N G G R E A T
T I P S C A N A N D W I L L S E R V E Y O U W E L L ; G A I A I N H E R I N F I N I T E W I S -
D O M K N O W S T H E Y H E L P M E A L L T H E T I M E .
4. simplicity = clarity
• SHORT WORDS, SHORT SENTENCES, SHORT PARAGRAPHS
• ONE IDEA PER SENTENCE
• READ IT OUT LOUD
5. short words, short sentences, short
paragraphs
people read 25% slower online and screens are hard on the eyes.
cut your readers some slack.
avoid jargon. go with “use” instead of “utilize.”
if you can, avoid the passive voice. subject first, then predicate.
no one likes looking at long blocks of text. chop ‘em up.
50-75 words feels nice. even fewer feels terrific.
6. one idea per sentence
if you suspect you’re overusing conjunctions, you probably are.
the second you reach for the semi-colon, you’ve gone too far.
parentheticals—god bless em!—are fun (they can also be
distracting)!
7. read it out loud
the #1 best way to make sure your writing is clear and easily
understood is to read it out loud.
if you forget the point halfway through the sentence, revise.
if you stumble over needlessly cumbersome words, revise.
if you’re exhausted before you reach the end, REVISE.
(writing is revision.)
9. empathy above all
• DON’T GET TO THE POINT—START WITH IT
• HELP PEOPLE SCAN
• READ IT OUT LOUD
10. start with the point
time + attention are valuable. don’t squander either.
ask yourself: why is your reader paying attention? what do you
want them to learn or do? make sure they know that right away.
if you’re asking for something, remember to actually ask for it.
11. help people scan
stone cold truth: people don’t often read very closely.
use fonts, subheads, bullet points, emoji, photos, whatever—
anything to make sure that even the most casual reader will pick
up something, anything.
white space is aight space. (sorry.)
12. read it out loud
close your eyes. imagine your reader. put yourself in their shoes.
now open your eyes, ya loon. it’s time to read out loud.
do you understand what you’re reading? is it helpful? is it
interesting? did you learn something? are you going to respond
or react?
yes? awesome.
nooooooot reeeeaaaallllly? revise.
14. say what you mean /
mean what you say
• AVOID HYPERBOLE + CLICHE
• WRITE THE WAY YOU SPEAK
• READ. IT. OUT. LOUD.
15. absolutely never use hyperbole and
avoid cliches like the plague
figurative language is tricky. not everyone gets it, not everyone
loves it. some people flat out despise it, and too much of it can
weaken your position.
focus on real facts, feelings and ideas.
avoid using adjectives and adverbs that don’t convey new
information or add real value. they’re clutter.
(this is a good time to remind you rules were made to be broken.)
16. write the way you speak
conversational writing is friendly writing. people like friendly.
i.e. it’s fine to use contractions and end sentences with
prepositions!
if you don’t speak in exclamation points, don’t use ‘em.
your voice is always your voice. your tone changes according to
the situation. adjust appropriately.
17. READ! IT! OUT! LOUD!
sit up straight. take a deep breath. go on. do it.
does that sound like you? do you believe your own words?
if someone were to press you on any of it, could you elaborate?
are you filled with the fire of one thousand splendid suns for
you, yes you, have the power to spin pure verbal silk out of
cerebral mist? isn’t this fun?
hell yeah pimp. that’s some good ass writing.
18. further reading
N I C E LY S A I D
1 0 T I P S F R O M O G I LV Y H I M S E L F
W R I T I N G T H AT W O R K S
C A D E N C E & S L A N G
V O I C E + T O N E
