This is a writing workshop I run with people to get them to be able to identify their writing styles and writing voice. It's a powerful entry into sharing and identifying alternative methods of storytelling - especially for entrepreneurs.

1. Get Some Style
Presented by Leticia Mooney
of Brutal Pixie
(we <3 content strategy)
www.brutalpixie.com
Hashtag: #PixieSessions

2. Get Some Style
(this is really just a writing workshop)
Presented by Leticia Mooney
of Brutal Pixie
(we <3 content strategy)
www.brutalpixie.com
Hashtag: #PixieSessions

3. Good Style is:
Clear
Concise
Understandable
Hashtag: #PixieSessions

4. Good Style is:
As
Clear
of
thi
Concise
sa
sp
os
Understandable
s
mu
ch
ibl
e
Hashtag: #PixieSessions

5. Good Style is:
Knowing how to tell a story.
st
Storytelling is the 21 century's
new Top Skill.
Hashtag: #PixieSessions

6. Learn to spot:
Poor use of modifiers
● Poor punctuation
● Ambiguity
● Poor use of pronoun references
● Redundancies
● Hedges
● Missteps
● Extenders
● Pomposity
● Cliches
● Passive voice
● … and fix tact, tone, attitude, sexism
●
Hashtag: #PixieSessions

7. More examples!
●
●
●
poor punctuation
e.g. After hanging the man
straightened the pictures
Ambiguity
e.g. Before mixing the
nitroglycerin with the sodium,
shake the vial for four seconds.
pronoun references
e.g. John told Nick that he had
wrecked his car.
Hashtag: #PixieSessions

8. Learn to spot:
●
Hedges
also known as fumbling for ideas.
e.g. kind of, probably, particularly,
generally, basically.
- Only use it when you use it on
purpose
Hashtag: #PixieSessions

9. Learn to spot:
●
●
Missteps
are things that hinder conciseness
e.g. it might be said that, it is clear that...
Extenders
stretching verbs into nouns
e.g. asked for confirmation of the details
asked him to confirm the details
Hashtag: #PixieSessions

10. Learn to spot:
●
Passive voice
HINT: passive voice loves extenders
e.g. It is a misunderstanding to think that the
antiestablishment movement of the 1960s will
be perpetuated by the reopening of the
Hendrix investigation.
When you could just say:
Reopening the Hendrix investigation will not
perpetuate the 1960s' antiestablishment
movement.
Hashtag: #PixieSessions

11. Learn to check for:
● modifiers
Hashtag: #PixieSessions

12. Learn to check for:
● redundancy
Hashtag: #PixieSessions

13. Learn to check for:
● redundancy
Hashtag: #PixieSessions

14. Learn to check for:
● unnecessary complexity
Hashtag: #PixieSessions

15. Learn to check for:
● Cliché
Hashtag: #PixieSessions

16. Good Stories
●
●
●
Good stories have a protagonist,
preferably one that faces a problem.
Persuasion requires ethos (credibility),
logos (logic), and pathos (emotion).
Good stories show, don't tell.
Hashtag: #PixieSessions

17. Find your style guide
●
Use your architecture
●
Get a style guide
●
Define your dictionary
●
Define YOUR OWN style sheet
●
Use it, use it, use it, use it, use it, use it...
Hashtag: #PixieSessions

18. Now, on to the words
1. Wise words by Annie Dillard, to inspire.
2. Now, we write!
Hashtag: #PixieSessions