This document is a pocket guide for marketers to help them overcome fears about writing and provide tips for becoming better writers. It covers getting over the fear of writing, becoming a writer through developing your own voice and understanding your audience and format. It also discusses writing techniques like word choice, rhythm, and emotion. Additional sections cover the writing process, revising, editing, and finishing writing. The conclusion emphasizes that becoming a good writer simply requires writing more. Additional resources are provided.
How to increase your writing skills.
Review of the Wiki-how article with the same title.
You can find the full article here:
http://www.wikihow.com/Improve-Your-Writing-Skills
How to increase your writing skills.
Review of the Wiki-how article with the same title.
You can find the full article here:
http://www.wikihow.com/Improve-Your-Writing-Skills
Sabbatical (Open Polytechnic) - Faculty as Scholars: Tips for Becoming Effect...Michael Barbour
Barbour, M. K. (2011, April). Faculty as scholars: Tips for becoming effective researchers and writers. An invited presentation to the Open Polytechnic, Lower Hutt, New Zealand.
Short story writing tips from Shortstorylovers.commarkrobert2012
Great short story writing tips by shortstorylovers.com everybody should keep in mind before writing any short story. By keeping these points you can write short stories like a real writer.
Intro to Creative Writing & its TechniquesNoha Fathi
Get introduced to creative writing and some of its techniques.
The power of words can be sensed easily when written creatively. That is why, creative writing exists.
As a novelist, the alphabet is your best friend... Or rather, your first friend - you wouldn’t be doing much writing without it!
Obviously it isn’t possible to encapsulate all there is to know about novel writing in an A to Z (this would be a very short course if it was) but here’s a good overview of what you want to be aware of as you move through the Now Novel process... Things I wish I had known before I wrote my first novel.
Think of it as the Novel Writer’s Alphabet. The Now Novel Writer’s Alphabet.
This 18 page e-book contains what I can easily call the most important guidelines for anyone wanting to become a writer or copywriter. It is a compilation of my learning from the book called ‘On Writing’ by author Stephen King. I would suggest you buy King’s book. But till then, you can soak in the learning that I’ve had from reading the literary genius’s work.
"The Power of Writing with Abandon" by Grant Faulkner, Executive Director of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).
Grant presented this material to the Sacramento branch of the California Writers Club on September 20, 2014.
Set realistic expectations and trust your instincts. These are two attitudes for writing success covered in this slideshow. This slideshow includes important attitudes in your writing to cultivate a successful writing process, life, and result in all of your writing projects.
PLM Open Hours - PDM-ERP Schnittstellen (Prozesse und Technologien)Intelliact AG
Welche Prozesse sind wichtig bei der Umsetzung einer PDM-ERP-Schnittstelle und welche Technologien können verwendet werden? Wir erklären die wichtigsten Entscheidungen in den Prozessen und Technologien und deren Auswirkungen.
PDM Open Hours - Aufbau, Verwendung und Pflege von BennennungskatalogenIntelliact AG
In globalen PDM-Projekten werden die Anforderungen an die Benennung von Artikeln und Dokumenten immer höher. Komplexität entsteht vor allem durch den Anspruch an die Standardisierung und die Verfügbarkeit von mehrsprachigen Texten. An einem praktischen Beispiel wird in diesen PLM Open Hours der Aufbau, die Verwendung und die Pflege eines Bennenungskataloges aufgezeigt. Zudem zeigt das Beispiel, wie eine einfache Integation ohne viel Customizing im Zielsystem möglich war.
Sabbatical (Open Polytechnic) - Faculty as Scholars: Tips for Becoming Effect...Michael Barbour
Barbour, M. K. (2011, April). Faculty as scholars: Tips for becoming effective researchers and writers. An invited presentation to the Open Polytechnic, Lower Hutt, New Zealand.
Short story writing tips from Shortstorylovers.commarkrobert2012
Great short story writing tips by shortstorylovers.com everybody should keep in mind before writing any short story. By keeping these points you can write short stories like a real writer.
Intro to Creative Writing & its TechniquesNoha Fathi
Get introduced to creative writing and some of its techniques.
The power of words can be sensed easily when written creatively. That is why, creative writing exists.
As a novelist, the alphabet is your best friend... Or rather, your first friend - you wouldn’t be doing much writing without it!
Obviously it isn’t possible to encapsulate all there is to know about novel writing in an A to Z (this would be a very short course if it was) but here’s a good overview of what you want to be aware of as you move through the Now Novel process... Things I wish I had known before I wrote my first novel.
Think of it as the Novel Writer’s Alphabet. The Now Novel Writer’s Alphabet.
This 18 page e-book contains what I can easily call the most important guidelines for anyone wanting to become a writer or copywriter. It is a compilation of my learning from the book called ‘On Writing’ by author Stephen King. I would suggest you buy King’s book. But till then, you can soak in the learning that I’ve had from reading the literary genius’s work.
"The Power of Writing with Abandon" by Grant Faulkner, Executive Director of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).
Grant presented this material to the Sacramento branch of the California Writers Club on September 20, 2014.
Set realistic expectations and trust your instincts. These are two attitudes for writing success covered in this slideshow. This slideshow includes important attitudes in your writing to cultivate a successful writing process, life, and result in all of your writing projects.
PLM Open Hours - PDM-ERP Schnittstellen (Prozesse und Technologien)Intelliact AG
Welche Prozesse sind wichtig bei der Umsetzung einer PDM-ERP-Schnittstelle und welche Technologien können verwendet werden? Wir erklären die wichtigsten Entscheidungen in den Prozessen und Technologien und deren Auswirkungen.
PDM Open Hours - Aufbau, Verwendung und Pflege von BennennungskatalogenIntelliact AG
In globalen PDM-Projekten werden die Anforderungen an die Benennung von Artikeln und Dokumenten immer höher. Komplexität entsteht vor allem durch den Anspruch an die Standardisierung und die Verfügbarkeit von mehrsprachigen Texten. An einem praktischen Beispiel wird in diesen PLM Open Hours der Aufbau, die Verwendung und die Pflege eines Bennenungskataloges aufgezeigt. Zudem zeigt das Beispiel, wie eine einfache Integation ohne viel Customizing im Zielsystem möglich war.
Plm Open Hours - Detailkonzepte welcher Art führen zu erfolgreichen Implement...Intelliact AG
Das Detailkonzept ist ein zentrales Dokument, weil es als Schnittstelle zwischen der Projektleitung, den Anwendern und der Umsetzung dient. Für den Projektleiter bietet es einen roten Faden, der durch die Verwendung und die Anpassung des Systems führt. Für die Anwender detailliert es die Anwendungsfälle soweit aus, dass damit bereits der Grundstein für die spätere Schulung gelegt wird. Zudem dient es bei der Implementierung als Grundlage für die Systemspezifikation (Module und Komponenten) und beschreibt bereits die Schranken für testgetriebene Entwicklung.
What is Lean UX? Come get introduced to the topic of Lean UX and learn the fundamentals of this approach, and how it is revolutionizing the field of UX with UserTesting. Discover how constant iterating through cycles and learning from each cycle can create products which can overcome business challenges and meet customer needs, while saving big bucks, resources, and time.
We will cover the basic principles of Lean UX, and how UserTesting fits into this model of research.
PLM Open Hours - Das Potential generischer ProdukstrukturenIntelliact AG
Eine generische Struktur ist eine Referenzstruktur für ein Produkt oder eine Produktfamilie. Durch eine stetige Zunahme von Variantenvielfalt sowie Produktkomplexität in den Unternehmen, haben PLM-Anbieter die alltägliche Herausforderung erkannt und bieten neue Funktionen zum Umgang generischer Strukturen in ihren Tools. Diese OpenHours zeigt einige System-neutrale Möglichkeiten und Potentiale von generischen Strukturen auf.
LMS Imagine.Lab Amesim / STAR-CCM+ co-simulation - Thermal analysis of a comb...Siemens PLM Software
This presentation introduces the co-simulation capabilities between LMS Imagine.Lab Amesim and Star-CCM+, two products from the Simcenter portfolio of Siemens PLM Software. This slideset also presents a concrete example of these co-simulation capabilities with the thermal analysis of a combustion chamber.
For more information, please visit our website:
siemens.com/plm/simcenter
Women of Distinction Magazine share inspirational messages from seasoned authors. Writing a book isn't easy, and your first book will definitely challenge you. Check out these quotes to get the inspiration you need.
Shaping the Personal Narrative: Northwestern Summer Writers Conference 2103Michele Weldon
Check out this slideshow from my two-hour workshop at the 2013 Northwestern Summer Writers Conference on essay and memoir writing. Michele Weldon is an author and essayist and has taught journalism on the graduate and undergraduate levels at The Medill School, Northwestern, since 1996.
Robert M. Stein's resume current as of August 24th, 2018. 13 Years Experience Implementing SEO and Google AdWords Management. An expert SEO & Google AdWords consultant in Connecticut operates his consultancy under the business name Connecticut SEO Experts. This resume is provided as a sample SEO and PPC resume template.
Professional, reliable and multi-tasking eCommerce, Internet & Search Engine Optimization specialist seeks position to utilize my analytical, statistical and creative experience, knowledge and skills. Google Adwords certified with a ten year background in PPC, SEO & Social Media. Experienced in the creation of over 50 WordPress websites. Highly experienced with Google Analytics analysis and reporting, Adwords tag creation and SEO research.
Solid Google Search Engine Marketing knowledge implementing and managing SEO, Google Adwords, Google Analytics, Bing, Facebook & Twitter accounts including content creation, keyword and competitor research, link building and publishing to social channels.
Established Google, Facebook, Twitter and in-house website strategies.
Used analytics on a daily basis to analyze web site traffic data to build up current channels and discover new ones.
Involved in the start-up of TicketNetwork, a Stubhub competitor. Made daily, weekly and yearly sales projections using market research and past revenue figures.
Handed the keys to a hastily constructed Google Adwords account on day one and built it up to become a major Google advertiser with significant spends in the tens of thousands of dollars monthly while continually improving campaigns and discovering new channels to increase ROI and ROAS.
Have attended Internet marketing conferences and have experience networking and meeting with vendors in the Internet Marketing realm.
Short video marketing has sweeped the nation and is the fastest way to build an online brand on social media in 2024. In this session you will learn:- What is short video marketing- Which platforms work best for your business- Content strategies that are on brand for your business- How to sell organically without paying for ads.
First Things First: Building and Effective Marketing Strategy
Too many companies (and marketers) jump straight into activation planning without formalizing a marketing strategy. It may seem tedious, but analyzing the mindset of your targeted audiences and identifying the messaging points most likely to resonate with them is time well spent. That process is also a great opportunity for marketers to collaborate with sales leaders and account managers on a galvanized go-to-market approach. I’ll walk you through the methods and tools we use with our clients to ensure campaign success.
Key Takeaways:
-Recognize the critical role of strategy in marketing
-Learn our approach for building an actionable, effective marketing strategy
-Receive templates and guides for developing a marketing strategy
It's another new era of digital and marketers are faced with making big bets on their digital strategy. If you are looking at modernizing your tech stack to support your digital evolution, there are a few can't miss (often overlooked) areas that should be part of every conversation. We'll cover setting your vision, avoiding siloes, adding a democratized approach to data strategy, localization, creating critical governance requirements and more. Attendees will walk away with actions they can take into initiatives they are running today and consider for the future.
For too many years marketing and sales have operated in silos...while in some forward thinking companies, the two organizations work together to drive new opportunity development and revenue. This session will explore the lessons learned in that beautiful dance that can occur when marketing and sales work together...to drive new opportunity development, account expansion and customer satisfaction.
No, this is not a conversation about MQLs and SQLs. Instead we will focus on a framework that allows the two organizations to drive company success together.
Mastering Local SEO for Service Businesses in the AI Era is tailored specifically for local service providers like plumbers, dentists, and others seeking to dominate their local search landscape. This session delves into leveraging AI advancements to enhance your online visibility and search rankings through the Content Factory model, designed for creating high-impact, SEO-driven content. Discover the Dollar-a-Day advertising strategy, a cost-effective approach to boost your local SEO efforts and attract more customers with minimal investment. Gain practical insights on optimizing your online presence to meet the specific needs of local service seekers, ensuring your business not only appears but stands out in local searches. This concise, action-oriented workshop is your roadmap to navigating the complexities of digital marketing in the AI age, driving more leads, conversions, and ultimately, success for your local service business.
Key Takeaways:
Embrace AI for Local SEO: Learn to harness the power of AI technologies to optimize your website and content for local search. Understand the pivotal role AI plays in analyzing search trends and consumer behavior, enabling you to tailor your SEO strategies to meet the specific demands of your target local audience. Leverage the Content Factory Model: Discover the step-by-step process of creating SEO-optimized content at scale. This approach ensures a steady stream of high-quality content that engages local customers and boosts your search rankings. Get an action guide on implementing this model, complete with templates and scheduling strategies to maintain a consistent online presence. Maximize ROI with Dollar-a-Day Advertising: Dive into the cost-effective Dollar-a-Day advertising strategy that amplifies your visibility in local searches without breaking the bank. Learn how to strategically allocate your budget across platforms to target potential local customers effectively. The session includes an action guide on setting up, monitoring, and optimizing your ad campaigns to ensure maximum impact with minimal investment.
The session includes a brief history of the evolution of search before diving into the roles technology, content, and links play in developing a powerful SEO strategy in a world of Generative AI and social search. Discover how to optimize for TikTok searches, Google's Gemini, and Search Generative Experience while developing a powerful arsenal of tools and templates to help maximize the effectiveness of your SEO initiatives.
Key Takeaways:
Understand how search engines work
Be able to find out where your users search
Know what is required for each discipline of SEO
Feel confident creating an SEO Plan
Confidently measure SEO performance
How to Run Landing Page Tests On and Off Paid Social PlatformsVWO
Join us for an exclusive webinar featuring Mariate, Alexandra and Nima where we will unveil a comprehensive blueprint for crafting a successful paid media strategy focused on landing page testing.With escalating costs in paid advertising, understanding how to maximize each visitor’s experience is crucial for retention and conversion.
This session will dive into the methodologies for executing and analyzing landing page tests within paid social channels, offering a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical insights.
The Pearmill team will guide you through the nuances of setting up and managing landing page experiments on paid social platforms. You will learn about the critical rules to follow, the structure of effective tests, optimal conversion duration and budget allocation.
The session will also cover data analysis techniques and criteria for graduating landing pages.
In the second part of the webinar, Pearmill will explore the use of A/B testing platforms. Discover common pitfalls to avoid in A/B testing and gain insights into analyzing A/B tests results effectively.
Top 3 Ways to Align Sales and Marketing Teams for Rapid GrowthDemandbase
In this session, Demandbase’s Stephanie Quinn, Sr. Director of Integrated and Digital Marketing, Devin Rosenberg, Director of Sales, and Kevin Rooney, Senior Director of Sales Development will share how sales and marketing shapes their day-to-day and what key areas are needed for true alignment.
5 big bets to drive growth in 2024 without one additional marketing dollar AND how to adapt to the biggest shifting eCommerce trend- AI.
1) Romance Your Customers - Retention
2) ‘Alternative’ Lead Gen - Advocacy
3) The Beautiful Basics - Conversion Rate Optimization
4) Land that Bottom Line - Profitability
5) Roll the Dice - New Business Models
When most people in the industry talk about online or digital reputation management, what they're really saying is Google search and PPC. And it's usually reactive, left dealing with the aftermath of negative information published somewhere online. That's outdated. It leaves executives, organizations and other high-profile individuals at a high risk of a digital reputation attack that spans channels and tactics. But the tools needed to safeguard against an attack are more cybersecurity-oriented than most marketing and communications professionals can manage. Business leaders Leaders grasp the importance; 83% of executives place reputation in their top five areas of risk, yet only 23% are confident in their ability to address it. To succeed in 2024 and beyond, you need to turn online reputation on its axis and think like an attacker.\
Key Takeaways:
- New framework for examining and safeguarding an online reputation
- Tools and techniques to keep you a step ahead
- Practical examples that demonstrate when to act, how to act and how to recover
Come learn how YOU can Animate and Illuminate the World with Generative AI's Explosive Power. Come sit in the driver's seat and learn to harness this great technology.
Mastering Local SEO for Service Businesses in the AI Era is tailored specifically for local service providers like plumbers, dentists, and others seeking to dominate their local search landscape. This session delves into leveraging AI advancements to enhance your online visibility and search rankings through the Content Factory model, designed for creating high-impact, SEO-driven content. Discover the Dollar-a-Day advertising strategy, a cost-effective approach to boost your local SEO efforts and attract more customers with minimal investment. Gain practical insights on optimizing your online presence to meet the specific needs of local service seekers, ensuring your business not only appears but stands out in local searches. This concise, action-oriented workshop is your roadmap to navigating the complexities of digital marketing in the AI age, driving more leads, conversions, and ultimately, success for your local service business.
Key Takeaways:
Embrace AI for Local SEO: Learn to harness the power of AI technologies to optimize your website and content for local search. Understand the pivotal role AI plays in analyzing search trends and consumer behavior, enabling you to tailor your SEO strategies to meet the specific demands of your target local audience. Leverage the Content Factory Model: Discover the step-by-step process of creating SEO-optimized content at scale. This approach ensures a steady stream of high-quality content that engages local customers and boosts your search rankings. Get an action guide on implementing this model, complete with templates and scheduling strategies to maintain a consistent online presence. Maximize ROI with Dollar-a-Day Advertising: Dive into the cost-effective Dollar-a-Day advertising strategy that amplifies your visibility in local searches without breaking the bank. Learn how to strategically allocate your budget across platforms to target potential local customers effectively. The session includes an action guide on setting up, monitoring, and optimizing your ad campaigns to ensure maximum impact with minimal investment.
When most people in the industry talk about online or digital reputation management, what they're really saying is Google search and PPC. And it's usually reactive, left dealing with the aftermath of negative information published somewhere online. That's outdated. It leaves executives, organizations and other high-profile individuals at a high risk of a digital reputation attack that spans channels and tactics. But the tools needed to safeguard against an attack are more cybersecurity-oriented than most marketing and communications professionals can manage. Business leaders Leaders grasp the importance; 83% of executives place reputation in their top five areas of risk, yet only 23% are confident in their ability to address it. To succeed in 2024 and beyond, you need to turn online reputation on its axis and think like an attacker.
Key Takeaways:
- New framework for examining and safeguarding an online reputation
- Tools and techniques to keep you a step ahead
- Practical examples that demonstrate when to act, how to act and how to recover
A.I. (artificial intelligence) platforms are popping up all the time, and many of them can and should be used to help grow your brand, increase your sales and decrease your marketing costs.In this presentation:We will review some of the best AI platforms that are available for you to use.We will interact with some of the platforms in real-time, so attendees can see how they work.We will also look at some current brands that are using AI to help them create marketing messages, saving them time and money in the process. Lastly, we will discuss the pros and cons of using AI in marketing & branding and have a lively conversation that includes comments from the audience.
Key Takeaways:
Attendees will learn about LLM platforms, like ChatGPT, and how they work, with preset examples and real time interactions with the platform. Attendees will learn about other AI platforms that are creating graphic design elements at the push of a button...pre-set examples and real-time interactions.Attendees will discuss the pros & cons of AI in marketing + branding and share their perspectives with one another. Attendees will learn about the cost savings and the time savings associated with using AI, should they choose to.
Digital Commerce Lecture for Advanced Digital & Social Media Strategy at UCLA...Valters Lauzums
E-commerce in 2024 is characterized by a dynamic blend of opportunities and significant challenges. Supply chain disruptions and inventory shortages are critical issues, leading to increased shipping delays and rising costs, which impact timely delivery and squeeze profit margins. Efficient logistics management is essential, yet it is often hampered by these external factors. Payment processing, while needing to ensure security and user convenience, grapples with preventing fraud and integrating diverse payment methods, adding another layer of complexity. Furthermore, fulfillment operations require a streamlined approach to handle volume spikes and maintain accuracy in order picking, packing, and shipping, all while meeting customers' heightened expectations for faster delivery times.
Amid these operational challenges, customer data has emerged as an important strategy. By focusing on personalization and enhancing customer experience from historical behavior, businesses can deliver improved website and brand experienced, better product recommendations, optimal promotions, and content to meet individual preferences. Better data analytics can also help in effectively creating marketing campaigns, improving customer retention, and driving product development and inventory management.
Innovative formats such as social commerce and live shopping are beginning to impact the digital commerce landscape, offering new ways to engage with customers and drive sales, and may provide opportunity for brands that have been priced out or seen a downturn with post-pandemic shopping behavior. Social commerce integrates shopping experiences directly into social media platforms, tapping into the massive user bases of these networks to increase reach and engagement. Live shopping, on the other hand, combines entertainment and real-time interaction, providing a dynamic platform for showcasing products and encouraging immediate purchases. These innovations not only enhance customer engagement but also provide valuable data for businesses to refine their strategies and deliver superior shopping experiences.
The e-commerce sector is evolving rapidly, and businesses that effectively manage operational challenges and implement innovative strategies are best positioned for long-term success.
2. 3. INTRO: YOU CAN WRITE.
13. PART 2: BECOMING A WRITER.
18. PART 3: WRITING AND WORDS.
CONTENTS.
7. PART 1: GETTING OVER THE FEAR.
26.PART 4: BEING DONE.
32. PART 5: CONCLUSION / ADDITIONAL RESOURCES.
3. Additional
Resources
Being
Done
Writingand
Words
Becoming
aWriter
Getting
Overthe
Fear
There are a million reasons why you “can’t” write.
So what’s your reason?
It’s not your job. You don’t like it. You haven’t done it in forever. It’s
hard. You’re more of a math person.
Those are all bullshit.
They may be true, but they’re still bullshit. There’s no reason you can’t
write – no matter how “unqualified” you are for the task. This pocket
guide is something to keep with you to remind you of that.
YOU CAN WRITE.
4. There are a million courses you could take, books you could read, and
experts you could talk to that would make you more “qualified” to
write. But there’s no bigger step to take than simply getting the
inspiration and the confidence you need to get started.
Keep this pocket guide with you, and flip through to whatever section
you need that day to get the small daily reminders you need that
writing gooder – sorry, weller – is within your grasp.
It’s not easy. But you can write.
YOU CAN WRITE.
Additional
Resources
Being
Done
Writingand
Words
Becoming
aWriter
Getting
Overthe
Fear
6. What makes you a writer is that you’ve written something. What other
sign are you waiting for? A book deal? For the Queen to appoint you
Poet Laureate? A LinkedIn Skills endorsement? No one needs to know
that you “are” or “are not” a writer; it’s of no consequence. Write
something. And then write something else.
“I’M NOT A WRITER.”
“It’s none of their business that you have to learn to write.
Let them think you were born that way.”
- Ernest Hemingway
Additional
Resources
Being
Done
Writingand
Words
Becoming
aWriter
Getting
Overthe
Fear
7. University education has no bearing on your ability to write. If you need
proof, just go pull an old term paper. You’d be astounded how
ridiculous spending $40,000 a year makes you sound.
“I HAVEN’T WRITTEN SINCE COLLEGE.”
“Everywhere I go I'm asked if I think the university stifles
writers. My opinion is that they don't stifle enough of them.
There's many a best-seller that could have been prevented
by a good teacher.”
- Flannery O’Connor
Additional
Resources
Being
Done
Writingand
Words
Becoming
aWriter
Getting
Overthe
Fear
8. You might be right – perhaps you’re not very good. But to get good,
you’ll need to sit down and just do it already. (Have faith. Most people
won’t even get this far. So you’re already better at writing than them.)
“I’M NOT GOOD ENOUGH.”
“This is how you do it: You sit down at the keyboard and you
put one word after another until it’s done. It's that easy,
and that hard.”
- Neil Gaiman
Additional
Resources
Being
Done
Writingand
Words
Becoming
aWriter
Getting
Overthe
Fear
9. The more you do it, the less time it will take – because you’ll be
over the fear. (Or at least you’ll have learned to suppress it deep,
deep down.)
“WRITING TAKES ME FOREVER.”
“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all
others: Read a lot and write a lot. ”
- Stephen King
Additional
Resources
Being
Done
Writingand
Words
Becoming
aWriter
Getting
Overthe
Fear
10. You have value in just being you. Let that show through in your writing
– very few others will have the guts. Be genuine. Be open. Show
someone why you care. That passion delivers value enough.
“I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY.”
“What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all
done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a
terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the
phone whenever you felt like it.”
- J.D. Salinger
Additional
Resources
Being
Done
Writingand
Words
Becoming
aWriter
Getting
Overthe
Fear
11. Writer’s block is an annoyance, but it’s not a reason not to write. Force
yourself to get started wherever it’s easiest – jotting down an outline,
pulling quotes, conceiving storylines – just for the sake of making a
blank screen less intimidating.
“I ALWAYS GET WRITER’S BLOCK.”
“The scariest moment is always just before you start.”
- Stephen King
Additional
Resources
Being
Done
Writingand
Words
Becoming
aWriter
Getting
Overthe
Fear
12. Just start. Begin writing, even if you have to delete it later. Putting
words to paper – brilliant words, stupid words, any words – is the only
way you have a chance at creating something worthwhile.
“WORDS ARE HARD FOR ME.”
“Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it’s the only
way you can do anything really good.”
- William Faulkner
Additional
Resources
Being
Done
Writingand
Words
Becoming
aWriter
Getting
Overthe
Fear
14. Getting
Overthe
Fear
You may have to change your tone, or your language, or your format,
or a million other things to make a piece of writing better. But none of
that should inhibit the inherent “you-ness” of what you write. Don’t try
to adopt someone else’s voice. (Even if it sounds really, really good.)
They’re better at being them than you are, anyway.
HAVE YOUR OWN VOICE.
“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
- Oscar Wilde
Additional
Resources
Being
Done
Writingand
Words
Becoming
aWriter
15. If a tree falls in a forest and there’s no one there to hear it, does it
make a sound? If you write something no one understands, does it
have any merit? While some might argue it does, writing should meet
the needs of your audience if you’d like it to meet any practical end.
WRITE FOR YOUR AUDIENCE.
“You can wear what you like linguistically or sartorially when
you’re at home or with friends, but most people accept the
need to smarten up under some circumstances.”
- Stephen Fry
Getting
Overthe
Fear
Additional
Resources
Being
Done
Writingand
Words
Becoming
aWriter
16. Your “so what?” is the reason you’re writing a piece. If you have the
urge to write something, there must be some purpose. Take the time
to articulate to yourself exactly what that reason is so you can articulate
that reason to your readers, and create a purposeful piece of writing.
DETERMINE YOUR ‘SO WHAT?’
“If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been
written yet, then you must write it.”
- Toni Morrison
Getting
Overthe
Fear
Additional
Resources
Being
Done
Writingand
Words
Becoming
aWriter
17. There are poems and short stories. Tweets and feature-length films.
Articles and cartoons. One-acts and puppet shows. Which one are you
writing? Choose a format that can support what you’re building, or your
story will collapse.
BE DELIBERATE ABOUT FORMAT.
“Prose is architecture, not interior decoration.”
- Ernest Hemingway
Getting
Overthe
Fear
Additional
Resources
Being
Done
Writingand
Words
Becoming
aWriter
19. Lazy writers fart out words. Actually, no – most writers fart out words;
lazy writers don’t re-read to swap out the vague words for clear ones.
Time spent thinking of the word that best describes what you’re trying
to say is time well spent.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT WORDS.
“The difference between the right word and the almost right
word is the difference between lightning and a
lightning bug.”
- Mark Twain
Getting
Overthe
Fear
Additional
Resources
Being
Done
Becoming
aWriter
Writingand
Words
20. Don’t sacrifice clarity to show off a big vocabulary. As Kerouac said,
“One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.”
FOCUS ON SUBSTANCE, NOT ART.
“I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single
word of what I am saying.”
- Oscar Wilde
Getting
Overthe
Fear
Additional
Resources
Being
Done
Becoming
aWriter
Writingand
Words
21. Use empathy to guide your editorial decisions. Empathy will tell you
what to write or when to make a joke. It’ll tell you to delete a comma,
then to add it back in, and that even though only a few readers will get
a reference, they’ll enjoy the delicious high of being “in on something”
enough to forgive you for how long this sentence has gone on.
WRITE WITH EMPATHY.
“A writer without interest or sympathy for the foibles of his
fellow man is not conceivable as a writer.”
- Joseph Conrad
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22. WRITE WITH RHYTHM.
“This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five-word
sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to
what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones.
It’s like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety. Now listen. I vary
the sentence length, and I create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a
pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I use
sentences of medium length. And sometimes, when I am certain the
reader is rested, I will engage him with a sentence of considerable length,
a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a
crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the cymbals—sounds that
say listen to this, it is important.”
- Gary Provost
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23. Figurative language, imagery, metaphors, all those literary devices you
learned in school – look them up again. Practice creating evocative
descriptions that show rather than tell.
WRITE WITH EMOTION.
“Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light
on broken glass.”
- Anton Chekhov
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24. It’s remarkable how much slack people will cut you when they’re
entertained by you. If you can transfix someone enough that they read
your writing from beginning to end, you’ll find they forgive you the
occasional literary misstep.
TELL A STORY.
“If you can tell stories, create characters, devise incidents,
and have sincerity and passion, it doesn’t matter a damn
how you write.”
- Somerset Maugham
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25. CUT YOURSELF SOME SLACK.
“The only people who seem to bother with language in public today
bother with it in quite the wrong way. They write letters to broadcasters
and newspapers in which they are rude and haughty about other
people’s usage and in which they show off their own superior knowledge
of how language should be … When asked to join in a “let’s persuade this
supermarket chain to get rid of their ‘5 items or less’ sign,” I never join in.
Yes, I am aware of the technical distinction between less and fewer … but
none of these are of importance to me. None of these are of importance.
The old pedantic me would have insisted on “none of them is of
importance.” But I’m glad to say I’ve outgrown that silly
approach to language.”
- Stephen Fry
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27. John Irving quipped, “Half my life is an act of revision.” If you want to be
an okay writer, don’t revise. (Wanting to be okay is, by the way, okay.) If
you want to be extraordinary, do what the extraordinary do: revise.
REVISE YOUR WRITING.
“The first draft of anything is shit.”
- Ernest Hemingway
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28. You’re encouraged to just get stuff down on paper, and tidy it up later.
Don’t concern yourself with perfection from the get-go. But you must
delete, reword, add, move, and let go in your second, third, or thirtieth
go-around. You, or a well-paid editor. (You don’t want the cheap ones.)
GET THEE TO AN EDITOR.
“It is perfectly okay to write garbage—as long as you edit
brilliantly.”
- C. J. Cherryh
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29. Somewhere, for some reason, wordiness became an indicator of skill.
Look how hard-working he is – his story is so long! You know what’s
harder? Brevity. It forces you to make tough decisions – what to
change, what to cut, what to keep – that you don’t always get right. But
it’ll elevate your skill and your end-product. Be that disciplined.
BE BRIEF.
“Not that the story need be long, but it will take a long while
to make it short.”
- Henry David Thoreau
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30. It doesn’t matter who does it, but someone should polish up your end-
product. Knowing proper grammar and spelling doesn’t make you a
world-class writer. In fact, it doesn’t even make you a good one. It
merely saves you from looking things up in Google.
DO SOME COPYEDITS.
“I’ll leave you to tidy up the woulds and shoulds, wills and
shalls, that’s and whiches.”
- Oscar Wilde, to his publisher
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31. Don’t linger in the comments section of anywhere your writing appears.
At least you wrote something. What did they do today?
JUST FINISH IT.
“I went for years not finishing anything. Because, of course,
when you finish something you can be judged.”
- Erica Jong
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33. There’s this idea out there that there are a bunch of secrets to writing
good well. There are principles, sure, but memorizing them won’t get
you any closer to becoming a writer. The only way is to just write.
CONCLUSION: THERE IS NO MAGIC.
“People on the outside think there’s something magical
about writing, that you go up in the attic at midnight and cast
the bones and come down in the morning with a story. But it
isn’t like that. You sit in back of the typewriter and you work,
and that’s all there is to it.”
- Harlan Ellison
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34. Learn More
HOW TO CREATE A CONTENT
MACHINE.
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35. Learn More
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5 BLOG POST TEMPLATES
EVERY MARKETER NEEDS.
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16 TOOLS THAT MAKE CONTENT
CREATION WAY EASIER.
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LEARN FROM THE BEST
BUSINESS BLOGGERS.
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GETTING PAST WRITER’S
BLOCK.