Month: February 2023

Someone DM’d me on Twitter the other day and asked me about the subtitle of this site: Create. Conversational. Concise. Content.

It combines the power of rhetoric and heretics.

The rhetoric part is all for words starting with the letter C. This is a rhetorical tool called alliteration. Alliteration arranges words that start with the same letter or sound. It’s a simple yet effective way to make your words stick in people’s minds and leave a lasting impression. For example:

• Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
• She sells seashells by the seashore.
• How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

The heretic part is that it breaks the rules of normal grammar and copywriting. The four independent words describe the purpose of this site. The four words combined describe the purpose of this site. I stole the idea from the masterful copywriters at Apple. Here are three examples for the MacBook Air:

• Thin. Light. Powerful. And ready for anything.
• Light. Years ahead.
• All in. All day.

These writing tools are powerful. And like anything powerful. Be cool. Be careful not to overuse them.

I recently wrote about the value of reading.

Last month, I read a book. Today I picked it up to find an idea I wanted to share. I knew it would be easy. When I read it, the volume turned up, so I KNEW it was highlighted and tagged.

I eventually found it. But was reminded: If everything is highlighted and tagged, nothing is highlighted and tagged.

Incidentally, this extends beyond books.

This is a communication rule created by Albert Mehrabian. The unnuanced explanation is that when we speak, communication is broken into three parts:

• Spoken (words) – 7%
• Tone – 38%
• Body language – 55%

Body language does the heavy lifting. That looks catastrophic for writers, doesn’t it?

It’s harder. But it’s possible to show body language in writing. Here are three ways:

Action Verbs

As the name implies, these are verbs that show action. For example, instead of “she was happy,” we could say, “she giggled with joy.” Those are two different images, aren’t they?

Dialogue Tags

This is a fancy term for the phrase that comes before dialogue in our writing. So, we could write: He said, “Knock it off.” But. To add some body language: He lowered his voice, gritted his teeth, am mumbled through his pursed lips, “Knock it off.” Visions of my childhood just flashed before my eyes.

Show, Don’t Tell

Instead of telling the reader about the emotion, show it with your words. If we tell them “the team was excited,” they get it. But showing them with an illustration, “the team danced around the room screaming and high-fiving,” they feel it.

It’s not a one-for-one exchange. But then, our written words can be more precise, powerful, and prolific. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Yesterday I talked about my writing mentors. Seth and Ernest are concision masters. Though not as pithy, I also like James Altucher. James is a bit peculiar, but he’s a ridiculously sharp businessman, author, and podcaster.

One of the strategies I picked up from James is the idea of 10 ideas. Every day he and I write a list of 10 ideas. The list can be on any subject. For example, as soon as you are done reading this, you can write a list of 10 ideas to write 10 ideas about.

Here’s the thing. Few of the ideas are good. Many of them are nonsense. But it’s not just about the ideas. It’s about training your brain AND letting it come up with ideas. Good or bad. 

I have adjusted this strategy slightly. My rule is to write at least 10 ideas. I can come up with more, but at least 10. Here’s the list I did this morning on the value of reading:

1. It is one of the most important skills I can develop.
2. It improves my vocabulary and recall skills.
3. It helps me understand the world around me. 
4. I gain insights from others’ experiences.
5. It helps me empathize. 
6. It helps me stay updated on current events. 
7. It keeps me more informed and better equipped to make decisions.
8. It stimulates my creativity.
9. It exposes me to new ideas and perspectives. 
10. It forces me to challenge assumptions.
11. It improves my focus. 
12. It juices up my critical thinking skills. 
13. It reduces stress.
14. It builds a habit. 

I shared this list because there are a lot of good ideas about the value of reading. Maybe you can use one or six.

So, whether it’s a book, an article, or a blog post, take the time to read something every day. And maybe come up with at least 10 ideas too.

If you want to get good at anything, find a mentor. The good news is mentors are everywhere.

And. Your mentor need not know you exist. Nor be alive.

Seth Godin is my favorite writer. He has no idea who I am. Still, I consider him a mentor. He talks to me every day in his blog.

Same with Hemingway, the king of concise. Except he talks to me through his books.

I have notebooks filled with handwritten quotes from these writers. As I write the words, I pay close attention to word choice, musicality, and how they can pack so much meaning in so few words.

Find a mentor.

…to make a first impression. (Sorry. That was a holdout from yesterday’s post.)

But it’s true.

And today, that one chance is often through writing. It might be an email, a Tweet, a LinkedIn post, or a resume.

Depending on whom you believe, we have anywhere between 5 and 21 seconds to grab someone’s attention. I lean towards 3 seconds.

BUT. Even before a single word pierces our consciousness, we’ve decided to read. Or not.

If the content is formatted in an easy-to-read, scannable way, the words have a chance.

Oddly formatted content or a big blob of text…not so much.

Hokum? Maybe?

But, over the next few days, look at what you’re reading. And what you’re not.

I get it. Sometimes your back’s against the wall. Your creativity is dead as a doornail. You feel like you’re just spinning your wheels. You’ll never get it done, but you never say never.

It’s the eleventh hour. Still, you know patience is a virtue. So, you put your best foot forward and power through. No pain, no gain, you tell yourself. A glance out the window, and you notice it’s raining cats and dogs.

UGH! Stop it, you tell yourself. Get back on track. You decide to delete everything you’ve written and start from scratch.

But wait. Is that the light at the end of the tunnel? It’s a strategy that’s older than dirt. But you’re at the end of the road, so you take one for the team.

Eventually, it happens. It seems too good to be true. You made it to the finish line. You’re on cloud nine. All your work has paid off. You begin crying like a baby.

It’s Super Bowl Sunday. Or, depending on your philosophical bent, The Big Game Sunday. There are LOTS of interviews. And LOTS of cliches.

A well-timed cliche in your writing can be effective. But I try to avoid them like the plague.

I’d like to thank my team and family for supporting me. And you for tagging along.

Storytelling has been used for centuries to entertain. But it’s also one of the most powerful communication tools to educate and persuade.  

Here are three reasons why you’ll want to use it in your everyday writing:

It engages: Storytelling creates an interactive experience. It engages our brains. And because of that, we remember the stories better than a list of facts and figures. 

It’s emotive: Storytelling is an emotional experience.  When we connect with our readers on an emotional level, our message is more effective and persuasive.

It simplifies: Storytelling makes the complex easy to understand. We can help our readers move an abstract concept to an actionable next step.

So next time you have something to share, tell a quick story to make your point. It’ll make it more memorable, more persuasive, and more impactful.

Believe me. The irony is not lost on me. I just shared a list of three reasons why you might want to tell a story. But you can see it in action here and here. Keep an eye out. There will be more.

Thanks for staying with me.

Much can be said about how to write:

• Don’t end a sentence with a preposition. Or if it’s okay to.
• Create an outline. Or not.
• Remove unnecessary words. Or leave them.

But not much is said about when to write.

Cato, a Stoic philosopher, once said:

“I begin to speak only when I’m certain what I’ll say isn’t better left unsaid.”

He said, speak. It works with write too.

I appreciate you reading this.

The Rule of Three is a rhetorical tool created a long, long, long time ago. I give credit to Aristotle because he’s the father of rhetoric, and he created:

• Logos
• Ethos
• Pathos

We see it a lot. Don’t we?

In writing and presentations:

• Tell them what you’re going to tell them.
• Tell them.
• Tell them what you told them.

In screenplays (three-act structure):

• Beginning
• Middle
• End

In other places:

• Location, location, location.
• Stop, drop, and roll.
• Goldilocks and the three bears.

Does it work?

I don’t know if anyone knows. But it is omnipresent. There must be a reason.

Right?

So give it a try the next time you write an email, give instructions, or send a text.

Thanks for reading.