22 writing lessons

Good morning!

I’ve been writing intentionally for the last several years.

It’s been a life-changing experience. In all the good ways.

And, it’s been an incredible learning experience.

Without further ado…

Here are 22 of my favorite writing lessons:

Get the reps in and write every single day. Even if you're the only one to see it.

Use AI for ideas and outlines. Write the important stuff yourself. People know when you are using ChatGPT.

Give yourself permission to have fun. Don't take yourself too seriously.

Write like you talk. Make each sentence radiate with you personality. Even if it's not the most professional.

Write with emotion. Just conveying information is a great way to put people to sleep. Appeal to emotions. Every word should create genuine human emotion. People need a reason to care. Don’t make it difficult.

Use infotainment. Use the potent combination of entertaining and educational. This is what comedians do.

Address your audience directly. Make it about them, not you. Use “you” and “your."

Use storytelling in your writing to make it more engaging. Stories 10x your reach, especially if they are about transformations.

Use powerful, uncommon words that get embedded in people's brains.

To grab attention, make the first sentence short and exciting. Then, gradually make each subsequent sentence longer. This uses the sunk cost fallacy, and pulls people in.

Spacing makes a big difference. Your writing should be scannable. Good rule of thumb: 20% long sentences, 80% short sentences.

Give your writing authority and stop using phrases like “I think…” or "I just..." They make your writing sound weak.

Use numbers from real data. Creates a hook, and makes you sound like an expert.

When there is a list of 3 or more items, use bullet points. Draws attention and makes the info easier to digest.

Write questions, then answer them. Makes you sound smarter. This is a trick that politicians use.

Stop using these words: "very", "really", "thing", or any word that end with "-ing."

Use open loops often. Especially in hooks.

Active voice > passive voice, online. But not always.

Write as simple as possible at a 5th grade level, 90% of the time. Don't dumb it down too far though. Throw your smart readers a bone.

You can't please everyone. Write about your passions. Especially if it's controversial (but not criminal).

Do cool stuff first, then write about it. Don't go full Hemingway, but do as much as you can handle.

Write a paragraph, then read it out loud. Edit if it sounds choppy. This will make your writing flow like moonshine at the Boone County, WV fair.

And that’s it!

What would you add to this list?

Swanagan

P.S., if you like this and send it to your friends, I’ll send you a t-shirt.