You want to learn how to write better? Ok, let's get started.
This is your new rule book on writing:
MUST READ! This literally replaced everything I learned in school. It is so valuable.
Examples of high standards writing
1. Gates Notes. Easy to read, amazing data, comes from the heart. You can feel the passion. Uses conversational words, but not overly casual. There’s also a hint of storytelling.
- https://www.gatesnotes.com/About-Bill-Gates/Year-in-Review-2018
- https://www.gatesnotes.com/2019-Annual-Letter
- https://www.gatesnotes.com/Health/Professor-Hawking-Fellowship-lecture
2. First Round Review. Very informative, casual, has key takeaways and action items. Teaches the reader something. Good titles. Good images. Tweetable quotes (love this!).
Examples of their articles:
- https://firstround.com/review/the-30-best-pieces-of-advice-for-entrepreneurs-in-2018/
- https://firstround.com/review/how-to-make-connections-that-count-advice-from-a-silicon-valley-veteran-and-introvert/
- https://firstround.com/review/staying-connected-is-key-to-your-startups-survival-heres-how-to-nail-internal-comms/
3. Waitbutwhy. Amazing content, fun to read, down to earth.
- https://waitbutwhy.com/
- Example of a great article: https://waitbutwhy.com/2017/04/neuralink.html
8 ways to get your writing from good → great
- Fun to read. Makes the person laugh or be inspired. Comedy would be great. Izzy does this well in her articles.
- Great content - very informative and has interesting information that has unique insights based on data. Don't just write your opinions. Go deeper.
- Flow. Make sure your article flows really well. Tip: Before writing anything, create a storyboard to help you plan the article, I guarantee you it will be so much better.
- Easy to read. Has bullet points, bolded sentences, lists, and descriptive titles.
- Engaging title! Make readers want to click it. You can write an entire article, but if your title isn't good nobody is going to read it.
- Tweetable quotes. Love the idea First Round has of highlighting their tweetable quotes.
- Useful graphics, gifs, images, etc. Don't use clip art or random pics on Google. Make sure your content is relevant and useful.
Examples of writing articles by TKS Alumni:
Cassia: The Science of Dyslexia
Hannah: Using Machine Learning Models for Breast Cancer Detection
Mikey Taylor: Early Diagnosis of Autism
Isabella: Your Chocolate Bar is more Likely to Kill you than Human Violence in 2019— Homo Deus
Soumiya: Unlocking the Feminine Brain (blog style, no images, great content)
Madhav Malhorta: Multilayered Plastics
Quick Pro Tips:
Once you understand that people are like you and have limited attention spans with a ton of content competing for their attention, you'll realize "I better make my articles interesting and valuable."
Here's how:
- See this article for examples.
Here's how to get started...
8 Steps To Writing Your Article:
Step 1: Think of the goal/outcome you want your reader to take away.
Step 2: Outline the structure of your article. DON'T JUST START WRITING!!! 🔑
Step 3: Think of interesting analogies, examples, and/or stories to include.
Step 4: Write it out.
Step 5: Read it over. Fix typos (use Grammarly), change, remove, and add stuff.
Step 6: Remove useless pictures, add valuable visuals.
Step 7: Ask someone to give you feedback and find typos.
- Important: ask for feedback early!! Not after you're done.
Step 8: Make changes.
Step 9: Publish on Medium and LinkedIn. Step 10: Share on places like Twitter, Insta, and other social channels.
- Note: don't judge your article based on likes. It's about creating contend and learning. Remember, this is all part of your training.
Just get content out there in the world. Don't try to make it perfect, try to get it DONE!
BONUS CONTENT
Check out: Why You Should Start a Blog Right Now - by Alexey Guzey
Here's a free 7-day email "course" by David Perell (a professional writer) on how to write better: https://ageofleverage.com/course
Ps. His twitter has some 🔑 tweets on how to write well.
Julian Shapiro
Julia is famous on twitter for his writing tips. Here are some valuable resources for you to look through:
- Handbook for writing well: https://www.julian.com/guide/write/intro
- Writing Masterclass (90min): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ts3h1BEwcg