PinnedMember-onlyConsistency in WritingConsistency is hard. That’s why it’s so rare–and so valuable. — As a writer, you need consistency for many reasons: Improving your craft Feeding creativity and generating ideas Building an audience or an author platform All of these goals require consistent effort over time. The importance of consistency came home to me recently reading Mark Schaefer’s new book Cumulative Advantage about…Writing3 min readWriting3 min read
Published in The Startup·PinnedMember-onlyAre You Planning or Resisting?When you spend all your time planning instead of writing — A child stands at the end of a dock on a summer afternoon, gazing into the lake. She wants to jump in and swim, but spends a long time preparing herself. She sits on the edge of the dock and dangles her feet in the top inches of the lake…Writing4 min readWriting4 min read
PinnedMember-onlyUsing Humor in Nonfiction WritingWhy “serious” topics benefit from levity — Humor. We love reading it, but many of us shy away from writing it. Done well, humor looks effortless. That’s usually an illusion. But, just like telling a story, getting someone to smile is a skill that we can practice and improve. Many of the nonfiction authors I admire approach…Humor Writing3 min readHumor Writing3 min read
1 day agoMember-onlyThe Reading GameHow to Win Your Reader’s Attention — Join me in a quick thought experiment about reading and writing. Imagine that you’re strolling through an old-fashioned arcade with a few tokens in your pocket. At this arcade, each game costs a token, but most dispense tokens as you play and meet goals. Some games only cost one token…Writing3 min readWriting3 min read
Mar 10Member-onlyClear the Weeds and Make Time to WriteWhat’s stealing time and attention from your writing? — Do you have problems finding the time to write? If so, you’re not alone. A few years ago, I surveyed hundreds of current and aspiring nonfiction authors. The biggest barrier people reported was finding the time. Why is that? …Writing3 min readWriting3 min read
Feb 24Member-onlyHearing Yourself as Others Read YouWe don’t always realize the tone or mood we’re projecting in words — Did you know that your brain has a “mute” button for your speaking voice? When you speak, it dampens the reception of sound waves through the air, prioritizing the sound generated from the vibrations inside your head. That’s why our voices sound so strange to us on recordings. We grow…Writing3 min readWriting3 min read
Feb 9Member-onlyWriters and Their VoicesHow do you feel about your writing voice? — I never thought much about my writing voice until I started freelancing as a marketer in the tech industry. I spent years slipping in and out of distinct brand personas and ghost-writing for executives. This work taught me how to shape-shift my voice. Unexpectedly, I discovered it was fun. Your…3 min read3 min read
Feb 2Member-onlyFebruary Writing ChallengeFebruary is short. Make your writing match. — Most months have 30 or 31 days. Take around 10 percent away and what do you get? Here’s the challenge this month: can you trim your writing by 10 percent? Important emails Blog posts Social media posts Yes, even social media. Find the evidence in the study Causal Effects of…Writing Tips1 min readWriting Tips1 min read
Jan 26Member-onlyPlaying with Short SentencesIf you write long, elaborate sentences with multiple asides or interjecting clauses-and many of us do-you might experiment with a sprinkling of shorter sentences. Short sentences give big ideas room to breathe. When I work with nonfiction authors on their manuscripts, I frequently ask the authors to break up a…Writing Tips3 min readWriting Tips3 min read
Jan 12Member-onlyDeliberate writing practiceCombine daily efforts with intention — You may start learning how to write in school, but that’s only the beginning of the story. As long as you read and write—from emails to social media posts—you learn. You feed your sense of the written language and practice your craft. Sounds great, right? But “passive” learning presents two…Writing3 min readWriting3 min read
