A new year, a new series of social media posts you might have missed, once again all about writing. Yes, you could say that is a particular interest of mine.
There’s some advice about getting back into writing after the holidays, tips to be a better writer, what you can learn about writing from Taylor Swift and more:
- Falling off the exercise wagon is easy over the holidays. So is losing your writing mojo. Daphne Gray-Grant has seven steps to get back into writing after a break, like promise yourself rewards.
- Write your first draft as fast as you can, tell your readers “I see you” and other ways Ann Handley says you will become a stronger writer in 2023.
- Working on a piece of long writing? Danish journalist Line Vaaben describes her Post-it method to nail the structure for Nieman Storyboard.
- Read your writing out loud. “If it sounds delightful and conversational, like you, it’s good to go.” “Check your tone” is one of four tips to cut through the clutter, from Ann Wylie.
- Guess what – you can learn about writing from Taylor Swift, like make sure you have a good story to tell and be generous with details, via EduAdvisor.
- How to avoid three common mistakes in headlines and ledes, like “double stuffing” the lede, by Tom Corfman via Ragan Communications.
- Use specific calls to action with verbs like schedule, chat, check, download and watch, says Andy Crestodina. Forget generic ones like contact, read, learn and click. This and more smart advice to improve any webpage.
- 18 tips to make you a better writer, including “make your words burst to life” and “edit like crazy,” by Kevin J. Duncan from the SmartBlogger blog vault.
- How to create drama in your writing without shouting – exclamation points, all caps, bold, Capitalized Words and more, by Josh Bernoff.
- Squeeze the angle of a story into one sentence, six words, a tweet, an elevator pitch — maybe on a sticky note, says Ann Wylie (with an example of IABC’s brand promise, taken from 60 words to just two – Be Heard).
- How to say less and be clear. Although maybe don’t aim for “brutally direct” and “scraped clean.” YES to “Look for pompous words like utilize and write like you speak (use).” by Steve McGrath via PRDaily.
- Hit return more often (although please, not every single sentence, in my opinion) to make your writing look easier to read. Ann Wylie says for The New York Times, that means 1.3 to 9 sentences per paragraph, average 36 words. Hit return when you need to pause, elaborate, change topic, make an aside, emphasize a key point, change the rhythm and more.
Bonus: Here’s a writing tip that made me laugh:
- “Hike in groups. Bears like to have options.” Using humour to make bear facts interesting and keep park visitors safe is all part of the job for Matt Turner; Elliott Almond shares the details with Nieman Storyboard.
What other helpful, interesting or funny posts have you found online? Please share in the comments or drop me a note.
Related reading:
Links from November, all about writing better emails
Links from October, again all to do with writing (“Thing 1” is my fave)
Links from August, including tips for better storytelling, headlines and business copy