Easy Ways To Make WRITING effective

In this article, I am sharing writing tips by Nicolas Cole.

?? ? Compress what you're saying into bullets?

? Make sure you're emphasizing the right points?

? Then expand each point in more detail?

?? Delete the word "that." 99% of the time, you don't need it.

?? Make the last word the most important word in the sentence. For example, "You knew who the first President was." This is weak because "was" is not the most important word in the sentence. Rewrite: "You knew the name of the first President." Much stronger.

?? Increase engagement by increasing your RoR. Rate of Revelation = how quickly you introduce new information to the reader.?

Low score: 1 idea stretched across hundreds of paragraphs/pages. High score: 10+ ideas compressed into a handful of paragraphs/pages.

?? Prep the page Staring at a blank page is overwhelming. To immediately make the writing less intimidating, "Prep the page." ? Name the document ? Start w/ a working title ? Write the first sentence ? Outline your subheads. Filling in the skeleton = 10x easier.

?? Don't use semicolons. Most readers don't know what they mean. (And most writers misuse them.) Commas and periods are much cleaners.

?? Make your first sentence a short, declarative solid statement. Ex: "There is only 1 way to get rich." BOOM That short, strong declarative statement hooks the reader and tells them what they're about to dive into.

?? Cut all tiny-word-chunks?

? "And so as"?

? "It is for"?

? "If it is"?

? "Is it that"?

Anytime you notice 3+ tiny words stacked next to each other, delete them. The sentence becomes cleaner. I call this: "Pulling the weeds between your flowers."

?? Delete opening "i" phrases?

? "I think"?

? "I believe"?

? "I have learned"?

? "I conclude"?

You're the author. Everything you're saying is your thoughts, beliefs, lessons learned, and conclusions reached. Repeating so is unnecessary.

?? If you use niche language, make sure you write for a niche audience. In contrast, use general language to reach a broad audience. The words you use dictate who reads.

?? The Tequila Test: List what most people say about your topic when differentiating your content.

Eg: How to have an effective morning routine

? Wake up early

? Drink coffee

? Stretch

When writing, ask yourself: What's my tequila? Make a list of what most people say and don't use them. If you do, you're "the same" as everyone else. Say something DIFFERENT.

?? Open your essays/articles with the 1/3/1 sequence. 1/3/1 is a cadence that makes it easy for readers to fall into your writing. The first and last sentences read like candy. But the middle paragraph is where the value is.

?? Ignore word count. Instead, focus on saying what needs to be said. However, many words take (in their most potent form) the correct number of words. Nothing else matters.

?? Whether you like it or not, visibility matters more than ability in today's digital world. So if you want to be a successful writer, publish a lot.

?? Instead of trying to tweak your existing draft, put it aside and rewrite 100% from scratch. A brand new sheet of paper. Brand new document. Trust the best parts of V1 will make their way into V2. And anything that didn't need to be there won't.

?? Don't just say something. *Change* something (in the reader's mind).

?? Delete adverbs.

? Excitedly

? Delicately

? Finely

? Carefully

? Subtly

? Ferociously

? Vivaciously

? Kindly

Tactfully Words that end in -ly are unnecessary descriptions. Removing them makes your writing more declarative.

?? Before you start "intentional writing," do some unintentional writing. Open a blank page and spend 15 minutes journaling whatever comes to mind. Don't censor yourself. Don't edit for grammar. Instead, clean out the pipes so freshwater can flow.

?? Digital Writing Tip: All feedback is good feedback. 0 likes, 10 views, negative comments. These are good things. They show you (in a brutally honest fashion) what doesn't work. Which means you're one step closer to figuring out what does.