My writing journey is a short one. I’ve started writing professionally only 6 months ago. Before that I was writing my college essays and few blogs here and there. My professors told me- It takes years to find your own voice. Maybe they are right. They didn’t say ‘how’ you find the voice. Or how I can improve my writing.
It was until I started this new role and followed the right people on twitter that helped me get better at writing.
Disclaimer- I am not a pro at it. This is my attempt to share what I have learnt in these 6 months.
Starting with 10 tips for better writing in only 10 minutes!
🧵10 tips for better writing in only 10 minutes:
— Kieran Tie (@kieran_tie) October 9, 2020
1️⃣ Always start with an outline. Always.
2️⃣ Trim the backstory. Get straight to the juicy bits.
3️⃣ More periods. Fewer commas.
4️⃣ One idea = one sentence.
5️⃣ Eschew complexity. Write like you talk.
Let’s break down each point and find the ‘why’ behind them.
1.Always start with an outline
This gives you clarity of what you’re about to get into. Avoids getting off topic. Like artists make a rough sketch (outline) of their piece, the same way an outline for your writing piece helps you visualize better.
Start with an outline then add your colours underneath. Then add a layer on top with all your details and shading using faded shapes and patterns and build it up
— Boss (@boss240280) November 22, 2020
2. Trim the backstory. Get straight to the juicy bits.
Reason- the attention span of readers is short. You gotta grab their attention and keep it till the end. Stick to the point. Don’t exaggerate for the sake of it.
1/ Stick to your point like the bark to a tree
— Mustafa Khundmiri (@mkhundmiri) July 16, 2020
As a writer, focus is your weapon. It gives you the mental strength to think in one single direction. And helps you stay relevant to your topic at each step.
Don't make a point for the heck of it. Do it only when required.
Lastly, to keep their attention- make them smile.
"Make the reader smile and you’ve got him for at least one more paragraph.” - William Zinsser
3. More periods. Fewer commas.
Short sentences tend to keep the reader’s attention going.
32. Know the power of the short sentence.
— Mckay Wrigley (@mckaywrigley) July 19, 2020
"An occasional short sentence can carry a tremendous punch. It stays in the reader’s ear."
33. Practice, practice, practice.
"You learn to write by writing."
They are punchy, faster to read and averts the ‘ignore-o-meter’
10/ Use short, punchy sentences
— Mustafa Khundmiri (@mkhundmiri) July 16, 2020
Long, wordy sentences add bulk to your writing and trigger your reader’s “ignore-o-meter”.
Cultivate the habit of using short sentences. They’re fun to write, easier to read and help you convey your thoughts more clearly.
4. One idea = one sentence.
This makes sure your writing is not cluttered. Good writing is all about clarity and being precise.
7. Clean your writing. Strip it down into clean components.
— Mckay Wrigley (@mckaywrigley) July 19, 2020
"the secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components."
5. Eschew complexity. Write like you talk.
Several people say this. Don’t use fancy words to sound smart.
27. Write like you talk.
— Mckay Wrigley (@mckaywrigley) July 19, 2020
"Never say anything in writing that you wouldn’t comfortably say in conversation. If you’re not a person who says “indeed” or “moreover,” or who calls someone an individual (“he’s a fine individual”), please don’t write it."
And to go one step ahead, write like you are talking to a ‘new friend’
3/ Write like you are talking to a “new” friend
— Mustafa Khundmiri (@mkhundmiri) July 16, 2020
The reason being simple – you are naturally more careful about what you say when talking to a new friend.
You choose your words wisely. You try to not make a bad impression. Above all, you speak concisely.
6. Write freely; edit ruthlessly.
When writing, don’t think of editing. If you start editing in the middle of your writing process, it’ll break the flow.
Instead, write freely and endlessly. Take a break. Then start editing furiously and brutally.
8/ Be a writer first, then an editor
— Mustafa Khundmiri (@mkhundmiri) July 16, 2020
Writing is best done in a state of flow. Where you put your thoughts and ideas on paper in their raw form. The moment you stop to edit, this flow breaks.
Understand that what you write is not set in stone. You can always improve it later on.
7. Conflict, context, climax, closure
Add depth to your writing. Even if you are writing non-fiction, you can make it exciting. One reason people dread research papers is- they are flat. It seem like a robot has written them. They are full of insights and years of hard work. But they lack ‘story telling’.
Smart SaaS marketers saw this. And understood that marketing is about story telling. Everyone loves to read and listen to stories.
38. Leave the reader with something new.
— Mckay Wrigley (@mckaywrigley) July 19, 2020
"leave the reader with one provocative thought that he or she didn’t have before."
39. Tell a story.
"narrative is the oldest and most compelling method of holding someone’s attention; everybody wants to be told a story."
8. People are bored by passive voice.
Another highly repeated tip.
Passive voice makes a sentence more wordy and complex.
Matthew Warren @mattbwarren Differences between popular and academic writing. Don't use the passive voice. Put the people back in the story. Avoid jargon and technical terms. Consider your audience. #psyresearchday pic.twitter.com/U8xnavOVRv
— Melanie Rimmer (@Melanie_Rimmer) November 26, 2020
4/ Say “no” to passive voice
— Mustafa Khundmiri (@mkhundmiri) July 16, 2020
Using active voice instead of passive voice makes a big difference.
Active voice example: Millions of people use Twitter.
Passive voice example: Twitter is used by millions of people.
Sentences written in an active voice are more concise & direct.
Another example-
What is the passive voice?
— Katie (@ZiziFothSi) October 24, 2020
It’s any phrase that can be followed with “by zombies”.
“I’m sorry I hurt you” = active voice
“I’m sorry you were hurt (by zombies)” = passive voice
9. Eliminate fluff words: "very," "really," "truly," etc.
They don’t add any depth in the writing.
5 words to STOP adding to your sentences:
— KimScaravelli (@KimScaravelli) November 21, 2020
- Honestly
- Basically
- Just
- Actually
- Seriously
HONESTLY, these words are BASICALLY JUST bad habits. You ACTUALLY need to stop. SERIOUSLY!
Want to sound smarter?
— Blake Emal (not e-mail) (@uxblake) November 8, 2020
Cut these words from your speech & writing:
-just
-very
-well
-some
-really
-literally
-actually
-basically
15. Examine every word.
— Mckay Wrigley (@mckaywrigley) July 19, 2020
"Examine every word you put on paper. You’ll find a surprising number that don’t serve any purpose."
16. For every long word you use, there is usually a short word that works.
"Beware, then, of the long word that’s no better than the short word"
10. Empathize with your reader. Why should they care?
First think of writing for yourself. Will that piece please you?
Then understand what makes the reader interested in reading. Why they pick that blog or book. Find their motivation and work on it.
25. Write for yourself first.
— Mckay Wrigley (@mckaywrigley) July 19, 2020
"You are writing primarily to please yourself, and if you go about it with enjoyment you will also entertain the readers who are worth writing for."
26. Care about your words.
"care deeply about words."
6/ Balance clarity with brevity
— Mustafa Khundmiri (@mkhundmiri) July 16, 2020
Don’t sacrifice clarity to achieve brevity. Have a strong balance between the two.
It’s a mistake to assume your reader knows everything. They can read your writing, not your mind. So take them by hand and spell it out for them.
Bonus Tips-
11. Wastewater theory
Before writing brilliant pieces, you’ll write crap. And that's a fact.
The writers you look up to did too. What made them brilliant was consistency and practice.
Follow Ed Sheeran’s advice on writing better-
Found this from Julian’s Tweet
12. List down your top favourite writers and blindly copy them.
WHAT?
YES
WHY?
There are two insights here:
— David Perell (@david_perell) August 30, 2020
1) When you copy your favorite writers, you’ll absorb their style.
2) If you can’t find your voice, copy people and pay attention to moments of resistance. At times, you’ll want to write something different — those moments reveal your unique style.
Second best way to improve your writing ...
— Aaron Orendorff (@AaronOrendorff) November 23, 2020
Pick five literary heroes from at least three genres and two time periods. Read them out loud. Regularly.
The first best?
Write a s*** ton and give yourself the permission to suck.
Hope you liked this compilation of the tweets. I’ll keep adding more with time.
Acknowledgement
Thanks to all the Twitterers who shared these tips which has helped me in improving my writing for sure.