Great idea to read aloud. If you have Word for Windows Office - the latest version under the Review tab along the left there is an option for "Read Aloud" - it's not the most human voice obvi, but hearing a voice read it back to me I find super helpful. Hope it helps you!
Thank you. What do you mean "improve curation"? You mean sharing links or different topics? I'm not sure I understand. Please clarify I'll try to help!
I love writing as short as possible and cramming the prose with dense meaning. To help, I use the Hemingway App. http://www.hemingwayapp.com/ . Hemingway's style was very concise, and while I don't always accept the decisions the app makes, it has helped me be much less verbose. Hope it helps you!
I do this with the blog. I usually save lots of drafts. For the newsletter, I use to open a draft to include the topics I will write about during the week, and then I develop them.
This is a great tip! I let my drafts sit and check in on them routinely, making significant edits each them I do so. The process seems to allow the writing to acquire a life of its own, really.
The only problem for me, though, is that it slows things down, and I don't know where to draw the (finish) line in the absence of accountability i.e. a deadline.
My newsletter goes out every second Thursday, and I made a commitment to that. So if I haven't done it by Wedneday then I stay up till 5 am if I have to to get it done. And if I'm not sure if what I've done is good enough? Too bad, it's Thursday, I have to send it out.
Maybe it needs updating to the modern language, context or circumstances.
By writing it yourself, you add your own spin on it, potentially making it better - whatever that means concretely (more relatable, updated with science, easier to read or understand etc.).
Maybe others don't want to read the original. Maybe they want your spin on it or your interpretation of it.
Also, "more precisely" isn't equivalent with "better". ;)
I used to believe so too but then I realised that yes, it’s possible that almost everything has been thought, said or written better than I ever will.. but what an individual brings through writing is their unique perspective born out of the experiences, conditioning (or not) they have had in life and a product of their personality.
It's a manual process, but when I edit to make things shorter + more intense I set up a key point per section - and cut everything that doesn't directly support that point. No anecdotes or mental winding roads
Oh yeah. I got this piece of feedback from an editor. We'd been working together for a year, and one day he sat me down and said "you ramble. Set up a key point per section and only write to support that. Don't say anything else"
Best advice I ever got as a content marketer / journo
I start with a brain dump. Then I restructure the lines to make them shorter. Then I ruthlessly delete lines and see if my central theme still remains intact. I go on doing that until I can delete no more. Voila! The essay/post/article/whatever-you-call-it is complete!
Usually for me, I take multiple passes at revising it and keep an eye out for ways I can be more concise and condense my writing. Having a second eye helps as well. Also, avoiding to be verbs helps make your writing more concise and to-the-point.
I've been experimenting with leaving a few days between edits to see it with fresh eyes & see places I can cut down after the initial word vomit. Or recording myself reading it aloud then listening back to it -- always gives me new places to tweak! If you have a trusted friend/reader, can ask them to read aloud to you and articulate places you've lost their attention - that always helps me with cuts.
I'll keep everything I cut into a separate draft on Substack called "cutting room floor" and that always gives me ideas for the next piece as well :) Good luck!
<3 I feel you on this. I don't actually think it would be so tone deaf; people are fatigued by the content, too. It needs to exist, but there's always room for more diversity.
It's difficult because all the subjects you mentioned are at the forefront of many people's minds. On the other hand, we are burned out by bad news. Maybe writing about yourself, relationship, love, feel-good stuff.
Writing more relatably, and making it more interactive! I think writing, especially for a newsletter, is all the more valuable when readers comment and reply. The community is essential. Otherwise it feels like I'm just sending words into a void 😬
And that's the honest truth. Since I'll be published next year, I'm working hard on "collecting" fellow writers to share my writing and to read their material. It's a lot of hard work, but necessary.
My favorite G.K. Chesterton quote: "The opposite of funny is not serious. The opposite of funny is not funny and nothing else." Being deadly serious with a deft and humorous touch is one my writing goals.
Fresh eyes, either from someone else, or, you...given enough time to forget being the writer and to become the reader. I think of it like Jekyll and Hyde. You have to be both, and switch between the roles. Jekyll writes, Hyde edits.
I want to get better with imperfection. A combination of self-doubt, hyper-critique and imposter syndrome have crystallized to a point where writing feels painful and it's been a struggle. I'm trying to overcome this.
I feel the same. Therefore I write for myself. Just to overcome feeling like an imposter. I treat writing more like an activity to think, and to organize my thoughts. This helps!
I feel you on that Adilah, the same thing stopped me writing for over a year. One idea that's been helping me a lot is the Japanese concept of "wabi-sabi" (hence my pseudonym). The idea that things are supposed to be incomplete and imperfect and that's what makes them beautiful - that nothing you write is an absolute, timeless statement, just an expression of what you think and feel at one given moment before you change forever.
Figuring out how to condense my experience into pithy essays. Like, my topics are, being #altac or #postac after dropping out of a PhD, living in Eastern Europe, uprooted millennial life, post-Communist cities/architecture, and food! I need to organise all this into focused posts. Basically, I want to get better at being Alicia Kennedy or Jia Tolentino :)
Yep... cutting, the real hard work of writing. It's like putting a cake in the oven after you've carefully mixed everything in. It can make it or break it!
I was speaking to one person who has a sizeable base on substack today and he told me that you need to experiment on various topics in the category that you write and deep dive into a topic that no one else has that is either "trending" or "great search results" and weave your perspective around it. Over a period of time, people do land up there because that will be become the source of reference for all the other writings in future. And you will be cited as the expert of the topic
Try many different things. Find what sparks your interest. Write about that. Repeat until you find something that you stick with. Produce a lot of content consistently. Become an expert.
I strongly believe that with newsletters - as with podcasts - readers come for your voice, personality, perspective, not your topic. If they want to know about a topic, they can google. But you are the *only* person who can bring your voice, and you can bring it to thousands of topics. (My newsletter is super eclectic but people often comment on it having a strong voice, and a sense that I'm in the room, getting excited about the topic with them)
Write more and edit less. i have a tendency to continually edit while I write. While it is helpful in the end, I am trying to be more freeform to start and intentionally wait until the next day to go back and edit.
Perhaps you should try dictation software. Ironically, I used "Dragon Naturally Speaking" for several years, and eventually gave it up, ironically because it made mid-writing editing very difficult. On the plus side, it sped up writing dramatically by getting content on the page, but for the kind of writing I was doing at the time, I had to abandon too much. For your purposes, however, it seems like it might be ideal.
Carve out more time in life to wiggle in writing! I have such a busy life, yet prioritize exercise and meditation over writing because those actions will guarantee optimum health and longevity, whereas writing is a bonus for self-actualization. I appreciate y'all's recommendations for the habit of writing regularly :) THANK YOU.
I just shared this on another comment, but think it would be useful for you, too: A writer friend of mine recommended a notebook with dots rather than lines for outlining. Lines tend to drive our brains toward finality, whereas dots allow more free flow. It has been *super* helpful for me!
1. Cut long winded sentences. Use more full stops. Ration your commas. Vary your sentence length to vary the rhythm, but keep ideas separated.
2. Cut long words. Don’t overcomplicate. Don’t try to sound professional. Use efficient language to deliver your message.
e.g.
Assistance = Help
Numerous = Lots
Remainder = Rest
Implement = Do
Attempt = Try
Utilise = Use
Additionally = And
However = But
3. Cut wooly phrases. Your sentences should be shorn of their fluff, leaving the lean cut for your reader to devour.
e.g.
He totally lacked the ability to = He couldn't
With the possible exception of = Except
Until such time as = Until
For the purpose of = For
4. Use contractions
e.g.
You will = You'll
It is = It's
Readers hear words, so do it to mirror the slippery flow of natural, spoken language.It's not unprofessional to write like we speak. It's efficient.
5. Cut little qualifiers. Don’t blunt your point with meek qualifiers. They dilute your message and wash out the meaning. Don’t say quite, or sort of, or a bit, or pretty much, or in a sense.
There's a book called The 10% Solution that's a very practical guide for cutting 10% off your wordcount - leading to more clarity, punchier sentences, etc
I agree. It’s easier to review after a break to see where things can be more concise. Although, I need to make a habit of doing that more often. I somehow always notice mistakes only after I hit publish.
Been writing regularly (once a week) and I've gotten to 175 subs! I'd love to get up to 500 ppl and figure out how to get more ppl to respond in the comments! Any advice?
Only a tiny subset of people will ever comment, so you'll probably see more comments as your number of subs increases.
At the beginning, I asked friends to leave comments with their thoughts, to 'seed' a conversation. It's asking a favour, but it might be one your friends are willing to do
When non-friends see the comments section is active, they're way more likely to comment themselves (no one wants to be first)
Hey Gabi! I have 200 subscribers right now and am also looking to increase to 500. I’ve been messaging people directly through relevant FB groups and also promoting on social media. Once you really nail a niche message and target reader, I feel like the subscribers will come afterwards. I’m currently working on that.
What I have started doing is speak to people who are writing in the same domain and take their advice and learn from how they grew their base. I have learnt that not only do they tell you how to grow but they would also put a leg out for you to talk about your blog if they really like it!
makes a ton of sense. I've been doing a fair amount of direct messages on LinkedIn to anyone who connects with me - my presumption is that my content has a broad readership base. However, it's clear that the "champions" will be ppl who are self motivated to learn about personal finance... I think i should try that FB idea. How do you find relevant FB groups?
Hey Kristi! Mostly via social posts and direct messages on LinkedIn to ppl who connect with me. Not much beyond that. Do you have other suggestions of good places to promote?
I would love to be better at simply sitting down and focusing. I love getting "in the zone" when I write, but it doesn't happen as often as I would like. I have learned that meditating before I do legal work helps me, so I am going to start meditating for a bit before I sit down to write. Would love to hear other's experiences with pre-writing meditation!!!
I haven't meditated. But I do play with an idea in my head the whole week—while in shower, while working out or running, while cooking—before I sit down and start writing. Writing becomes a challenge of organizing my thoughts. It takes about 3-4 hours to write a 500 word essay. I enjoy every bit of it.
Revision!! It's never usually been a problem for me to bang out a first draft of something, see a wacky new idea to its first conclusion, but the ability to go in and tinker, repair, fix, and focus with intentionality is difficult for me; mostly because I have trouble tapping into that fervent well of energy and excitement that comes with a first draft.
My main goal with writing is to help people get through some of the stuff I've had to get through. I feel like a lot of advice is given from the top of the mountain, and I want my writing to say 'I'm in the middle of this too. Here's what seems to work for me'.
Unfortunately, years and years of college has made my writing style kinda stuffy, so my task at the moment is writing more the way I talk. Hitting that sweet spot between academia and everyday slang.
My writing models are Michael Gerber (Hey Dullblog) and Scott Aaronson (Slate Star Codex). Both very smart, highly knowledgeable, compulsively readable.
Thanks John, that first one is great, haha. Yes I keep catching myself writing "you will" and have to force myself to go informal. A lot of my posts are highly abstract so the more personal examples (even hypothetical ones) the better.
Balancing research with writing — sometimes I over invest in the research side and struggle to produce content, while other times I feel like I can’t deliver value to readers without having gone deep enough in a topic
It might help to remember writing is never done. So give yourself a deadline and ship the work. You can always come back to it. But your great ideas will languish in your drafts if you delay publishing. Go for connection first, then perfection.
I want to get better at finding the purpose of each piece, and making sure every sentence and paragraph aims at that core thing. Then being able to write inspiring, long-form articles. I always seem to write short pieces. Longer articles are too daunting/elusive.
You could begin using RoamResaerch which might be a good tool to build a foundation of short articles that you can combine into longer articles later by connecting different ideas.
Thank you, and I totally agree! Writing short also just feels more natural to me. Intuition and following my strengths - who woulda thought trusting those would be a good thing!?
Why aim for length? It should be as long as it needs to be, to get the idea in your mind—as exactly as possible—to the mind of another. If you can do it in 100 words do that. If you need 10,000 words do that.
The other side of the coin is that people really do read what interests them. They scan to validate whether they want to continue. So, your first sentence is absolutely crucial.
I believe that vulnerability is key here. The more vulnerable you are, the more relatable you seem. In the age of filters and perfectionism, it's a superpower.
I would really like to publish a piece every fortnight, if not every week. I'm brimming with ideas, but these are my concerns:
a) My writing explores the eventfulness of my everyday--I'm not sure if this qualifies as an effective writing niche that will draw people to my newsletter.
b) I write the first draft, and I let it sit for a long while, revisiting it routinely and making edits every time I do so. It takes me quite some time to eventually bring the piece to a close. The process needs to move faster for me to be able to publish more often.
c) I'm terribly social media shy. What's another way to announce my newsletter to the world?
I hear you on that. I'm not good at being concise. But my parents are both retired and so I get them to review my work before posting. Turns out they are both excellent editors.
Well, writing, to a large degree, is simply harnessing one's 'gift of the gab'- and so we have a contradiction in terms, so to speak - to 'gab', but succinctly - must confess,
I'm always stuck word-wrestling.......the words usually win
I struggle with balancing between "getting it done" and "getting it done well." Seems whenever I follow a strict schedule, it means letting things go on the quality side. But if I spend longer or have a longer term publishing schedule, I almost never end up publishing out of tweaking a thing to death. Does anyone else struggle with this?
I struggle with this problem more often than I'd like to admit, invariably falling into the trap of perfectionism. Sometimes, it helps to let the draft sit for a long period of time, revisiting it routinely and making edits as I go along. But the lack of accountability i.e. a deadline can really prolong the process. A few things that could help:
a) Based on how long you typically take to write a piece to your satisfaction, say 15 days, you can give yourself a reasonable deadline to work with.
b) Announce the deadline to a friend or two, or maybe even to your subscribers, to keep you accountable.
I want to be in a place where i just write for my own satisfaction. Doesn't have to think about even someone is reading or not. Sometimes its hard to push every week when hardly any new readers are coming. Here i'm talking about publishing them over public, else i'm fine at writing for my own learning's and have plenty staying put in my writings folders private.
I would say "wrapping it up". My blank page syndrome is not as bad as the hard time I have closing a piece. Writing that last paragraph/page/chapter. It always feels incomplete and not as powerful as I would like it to be. Does this happen to you as well? I'd love to read your tips!
I empathize! Wrapping up is more difficult for me too usually. I find that I do better if I’m not rushing to finish. Having the time to write out bullet points for what i want my conclusion to accomplish, then stepping away for a day (or a few hours), THEN returning to write a coherent ending works better for me.
Mr Ken McGonigal do you have a relative relative that pratices the Martial Arts if so he taught a relative of mine named Jerry Reaves and if so would you happen to have his number because i would like to train under him and when i was younger i trained with Gracie jujitsu school before i was incarcerated so could you possibly give me number thank you
I think it's a good thing you're publishing. Pressing send or publish is hard. But you've shipped something—that's brave. You can ALWAYS go back and edit the sloppiness later and editing is the work of making writing good.
I want to get better at avoiding distractions when I'm having a hard time. When I'm struggling to articulate a concept, it's waaaay too easy for me to get frustrated and reach for Instagram instead of doing the work to flesh it out.
Turn off your internet. Shut yourself inside a room. Struggle to write. Keep on struggling. On the other side of the struggle, you’ve got a beautiful creation that wasn’t there before the struggle.
My main goal is to become better at self-editing. As far as rejection goes, I'm not sure that you necessarily get used to it as it keeps coming. That probably depends on the person. I agree with John Harrison's advice but also think that if rejection gets you down, you need to acknowledge that with letting it tow you under. There's a difference. If you can acknowledge that it's difficult, that might help you to understand why and to better surmont the problem. If you don't acknowledge, and it continues to discourage you to the place where you don't write, there could be a danger of suppression. What I'm suggesting is balancing action with some self-understanding.
Actually writing more even if I’m not feeling inspired to.
Getting out of my own head that I’m not a good writer. Silencing that inner dialogue that a piece isn’t good enough to share with my readers or anyone. I write mostly personal essays and about feelings so my writing is vulnerable which I love but it can be scary.
My goal's pretty simple. Answer the questions people have affecting their daily lives. But don't tell them what to think. Let the reader draw his or her own conclusion.
...Being more confident and consistent in my writing.
I mostly write personal essays and poem/short stories based on my real life experiences with people and things so it can be hard to be so vulnerable and transparent.
I also like many of us I’m sure lack the confidence at times that I actually am a good writer Lol or that what I’m writing makes sense or matters so I’m trying to gain more confidence in my writing style.
Also trying to not pigeon hole myself into only writing about this or that- gotta broaden my writing horizons. Want to explore writing fiction maybe
Focus on writing vs. writing-revising-editing all at the same time. Purchased a Freewrite which helped me realize how much I question what I just wrote. Just need to get words down on "paper".
Definitely consistency. Both in style/regularity. I have been blogging on & off since 2000 or thereabouts (more off recently than on). Thanks to COVID unlocking my desire to overshare and Substack coming along, I'm getting back into the swing of it but definitely finding the time and the inclination can be hard.
I need to get better at writing when I feel the urge and not putting it off. Or at least jotting down some bullet points when I get an idea. Often I will have a great idea, but I am "busy" scrolling Instagram or something. When I finally get around to writing, I can't remember what that great idea was!
Sounds like you need to read 'Indistractable' by Nir Eyal. You need to schedule time to write. This quote I came across encapsulates the idea nicely:
"Someone once asked Somerset Maugham if he wrote on a schedule or only when struck by inspiration. “I write only when inspiration strikes”, he replied. “Fortunately, it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp."
Find something where you do not have to think too long about the content. If you feel strongly or have opinions and insights about something that you engage with regularly the topics will arrive and you will deliver. Often we start to write and pick an area where do not have a lot of content to offer in the first place. You end up detesting the idea of writing because it seems like so much work. And it’s all downhill from there.
I am looking to make technical articles (https://softwaretipsandtricks.substack.com ) more attractive and easier to understand. I know it's a matter of writing style. And I try to improve it.
Isn't it great to know we all struggle with the same issues to varying degrees? No failures, just everyone on their own continuum toward their definition of success.
Long ago, in a blogging seminar at NPR, we were taught "the river of news." The idea wasn't to put everything in one big heave. It was to write blog posts that could flow into each other, like rafts down a river. The last paragraph of your previous post could be the first paragraph in the next one. We're all so anxious to give readers value, and yet, there's also value in readers coming back again and again.
I want to write shorter and more intense blogs! Would love to get tips for this!
I read drafts on my phone after writing them on my computer. Nothing like scrolling on a tiny screen to make you realize what's least essential.
Great idea to read aloud. If you have Word for Windows Office - the latest version under the Review tab along the left there is an option for "Read Aloud" - it's not the most human voice obvi, but hearing a voice read it back to me I find super helpful. Hope it helps you!
You have some great advice Larry! Any suggestions on how to improve curation?
Thank you. What do you mean "improve curation"? You mean sharing links or different topics? I'm not sure I understand. Please clarify I'll try to help!
I do the same!
What a cool idea.
I have to try it out.
That’s interesting! I will try it out :)
I love writing as short as possible and cramming the prose with dense meaning. To help, I use the Hemingway App. http://www.hemingwayapp.com/ . Hemingway's style was very concise, and while I don't always accept the decisions the app makes, it has helped me be much less verbose. Hope it helps you!
The Hemingway app is genius!
I like that app. Short and meaningful sounds like what I tend to do.
Totally going to try this.
This is fantastic!
Edit more. Rewrite often. Let your drafts sit and return to them after a few days of not looking at them.
Read more, so that you may find someone who articulated the idea you had more precisely.
I do this with the blog. I usually save lots of drafts. For the newsletter, I use to open a draft to include the topics I will write about during the week, and then I develop them.
This is a great tip! I let my drafts sit and check in on them routinely, making significant edits each them I do so. The process seems to allow the writing to acquire a life of its own, really.
The only problem for me, though, is that it slows things down, and I don't know where to draw the (finish) line in the absence of accountability i.e. a deadline.
Set a deadline then!
My newsletter goes out every second Thursday, and I made a commitment to that. So if I haven't done it by Wedneday then I stay up till 5 am if I have to to get it done. And if I'm not sure if what I've done is good enough? Too bad, it's Thursday, I have to send it out.
That's what I call commitment.
Ha but if you find that... why write it yourself? Why not just point readers to the information that's already been presented in a better way?
I have three thoughts about that:
Maybe it needs updating to the modern language, context or circumstances.
By writing it yourself, you add your own spin on it, potentially making it better - whatever that means concretely (more relatable, updated with science, easier to read or understand etc.).
Maybe others don't want to read the original. Maybe they want your spin on it or your interpretation of it.
Also, "more precisely" isn't equivalent with "better". ;)
I used to believe so too but then I realised that yes, it’s possible that almost everything has been thought, said or written better than I ever will.. but what an individual brings through writing is their unique perspective born out of the experiences, conditioning (or not) they have had in life and a product of their personality.
It's a manual process, but when I edit to make things shorter + more intense I set up a key point per section - and cut everything that doesn't directly support that point. No anecdotes or mental winding roads
Whoa, eureka. This made me realize how often my writing meanders in my own newsletter. Good advice!
Oh yeah. I got this piece of feedback from an editor. We'd been working together for a year, and one day he sat me down and said "you ramble. Set up a key point per section and only write to support that. Don't say anything else"
Best advice I ever got as a content marketer / journo
You can read Stephen king's book on writing
It's great.
I start with a brain dump. Then I restructure the lines to make them shorter. Then I ruthlessly delete lines and see if my central theme still remains intact. I go on doing that until I can delete no more. Voila! The essay/post/article/whatever-you-call-it is complete!
Definitely second this! I just word vomit everything out and then go through and proofread/edit. Usually works pretty well!
I like to do this on paper and then clean it up on grammarly and then type it out on substack!
Usually for me, I take multiple passes at revising it and keep an eye out for ways I can be more concise and condense my writing. Having a second eye helps as well. Also, avoiding to be verbs helps make your writing more concise and to-the-point.
Great tips that I swear by! Having a second eye would be great, but I often have to be my own second eye. Ultimately, diligence is key.
Here is my advice on what to cut out of writing https://twitter.com/johnharrison_io/status/1274287636123975681?s=20
Can you practice fitting in your content into 500 words? As a challenge! :)
I give myself a 750 word limit and a limited amount of time to work in. I choose topics I really care about.
Great goal.
I've been experimenting with leaving a few days between edits to see it with fresh eyes & see places I can cut down after the initial word vomit. Or recording myself reading it aloud then listening back to it -- always gives me new places to tweak! If you have a trusted friend/reader, can ask them to read aloud to you and articulate places you've lost their attention - that always helps me with cuts.
I'll keep everything I cut into a separate draft on Substack called "cutting room floor" and that always gives me ideas for the next piece as well :) Good luck!
I'm planning to break a lot of my longer essays into separate parts, haha. Shorter posts and you automatically get more of them ;)
Love this! I’m in the same boat
Trying to get back to covering topics that are not all about COVID, school, or politics, if that's possible to do in a non-tone-deaf way.
<3 I feel you on this. I don't actually think it would be so tone deaf; people are fatigued by the content, too. It needs to exist, but there's always room for more diversity.
I think an authentic tone would help that.
Something like "I stumbled upon this little nugget..."
It's difficult because all the subjects you mentioned are at the forefront of many people's minds. On the other hand, we are burned out by bad news. Maybe writing about yourself, relationship, love, feel-good stuff.
Writing more relatably, and making it more interactive! I think writing, especially for a newsletter, is all the more valuable when readers comment and reply. The community is essential. Otherwise it feels like I'm just sending words into a void 😬
And that's the honest truth. Since I'll be published next year, I'm working hard on "collecting" fellow writers to share my writing and to read their material. It's a lot of hard work, but necessary.
Get to 5k subscribers by year end!
I think one of the biggest contributors to growth is consistency and trust. Fortunately, Consistency generates trust. So, work on the former :)
I want to start injecting more humor into my writing. Not everything needs to be too serious :)
The best advice I read on this is so simple. If YOU find it funny, put it in.
So... a bunch of dad jokes then. Got it 😂
I would probably find them funny though!
My favorite G.K. Chesterton quote: "The opposite of funny is not serious. The opposite of funny is not funny and nothing else." Being deadly serious with a deft and humorous touch is one my writing goals.
I do a lot of humor with one of my characters in my novel. But only one, because my other characters are too damaged to think about being funny.
That's interesting. That character covers the humor quotient for the others.
Couldn't agree more!
Bringing the reader along with you! It’s so easy to think you’ve articulated something better than you actually have 🤣
Always checking myself for this over on the Anthro newsletter!
Fresh eyes, either from someone else, or, you...given enough time to forget being the writer and to become the reader. I think of it like Jekyll and Hyde. You have to be both, and switch between the roles. Jekyll writes, Hyde edits.
Something that really helps is having someone different read your newsletter before you send it out :)
I want to get better with imperfection. A combination of self-doubt, hyper-critique and imposter syndrome have crystallized to a point where writing feels painful and it's been a struggle. I'm trying to overcome this.
I feel the same. Therefore I write for myself. Just to overcome feeling like an imposter. I treat writing more like an activity to think, and to organize my thoughts. This helps!
I wrote myself a pep talk specifically for this feeling. It might help. https://patrickemclean.substack.com/p/the-five-minute-writing-pep-talk
I feel you on that Adilah, the same thing stopped me writing for over a year. One idea that's been helping me a lot is the Japanese concept of "wabi-sabi" (hence my pseudonym). The idea that things are supposed to be incomplete and imperfect and that's what makes them beautiful - that nothing you write is an absolute, timeless statement, just an expression of what you think and feel at one given moment before you change forever.
If you like the idea you might like the video that introduced me to it: https://youtu.be/QmHLYhxYVjA
Best of luck.
Figuring out how to condense my experience into pithy essays. Like, my topics are, being #altac or #postac after dropping out of a PhD, living in Eastern Europe, uprooted millennial life, post-Communist cities/architecture, and food! I need to organise all this into focused posts. Basically, I want to get better at being Alicia Kennedy or Jia Tolentino :)
It can help to focus your writing on the one thing you want to say. That might mean cutting really good ideas to leave only the best ideas.
Yep... cutting, the real hard work of writing. It's like putting a cake in the oven after you've carefully mixed everything in. It can make it or break it!
Honestly, we shouldn't call it writing. We should call it editing. Because that's the skill. That's the work.
Finding my niche topic where I can be the expert.
I was speaking to one person who has a sizeable base on substack today and he told me that you need to experiment on various topics in the category that you write and deep dive into a topic that no one else has that is either "trending" or "great search results" and weave your perspective around it. Over a period of time, people do land up there because that will be become the source of reference for all the other writings in future. And you will be cited as the expert of the topic
Try many different things. Find what sparks your interest. Write about that. Repeat until you find something that you stick with. Produce a lot of content consistently. Become an expert.
I strongly believe that with newsletters - as with podcasts - readers come for your voice, personality, perspective, not your topic. If they want to know about a topic, they can google. But you are the *only* person who can bring your voice, and you can bring it to thousands of topics. (My newsletter is super eclectic but people often comment on it having a strong voice, and a sense that I'm in the room, getting excited about the topic with them)
Yes! That also definitely ties into my Impostor Syndrome and feeling like I'm not a "real expert."
Write more and edit less. i have a tendency to continually edit while I write. While it is helpful in the end, I am trying to be more freeform to start and intentionally wait until the next day to go back and edit.
I know. Most of us do that.
Perhaps you should try dictation software. Ironically, I used "Dragon Naturally Speaking" for several years, and eventually gave it up, ironically because it made mid-writing editing very difficult. On the plus side, it sped up writing dramatically by getting content on the page, but for the kind of writing I was doing at the time, I had to abandon too much. For your purposes, however, it seems like it might be ideal.
Carve out more time in life to wiggle in writing! I have such a busy life, yet prioritize exercise and meditation over writing because those actions will guarantee optimum health and longevity, whereas writing is a bonus for self-actualization. I appreciate y'all's recommendations for the habit of writing regularly :) THANK YOU.
I just shared this on another comment, but think it would be useful for you, too: A writer friend of mine recommended a notebook with dots rather than lines for outlining. Lines tend to drive our brains toward finality, whereas dots allow more free flow. It has been *super* helpful for me!
Saying more with less without losing the impact of the words.
Start by cutting these things:
1. Cut long winded sentences. Use more full stops. Ration your commas. Vary your sentence length to vary the rhythm, but keep ideas separated.
2. Cut long words. Don’t overcomplicate. Don’t try to sound professional. Use efficient language to deliver your message.
e.g.
Assistance = Help
Numerous = Lots
Remainder = Rest
Implement = Do
Attempt = Try
Utilise = Use
Additionally = And
However = But
3. Cut wooly phrases. Your sentences should be shorn of their fluff, leaving the lean cut for your reader to devour.
e.g.
He totally lacked the ability to = He couldn't
With the possible exception of = Except
Until such time as = Until
For the purpose of = For
4. Use contractions
e.g.
You will = You'll
It is = It's
Readers hear words, so do it to mirror the slippery flow of natural, spoken language.It's not unprofessional to write like we speak. It's efficient.
5. Cut little qualifiers. Don’t blunt your point with meek qualifiers. They dilute your message and wash out the meaning. Don’t say quite, or sort of, or a bit, or pretty much, or in a sense.
Have conviction. Be persuasive.
Wow. Thank you, John. This is amazing advice.
Pleasure! If you like, send me some writing in a shared doc where I can comment (Google docs?) and I'll give you some pointers. hello@johnharrison.io
That goes for anyone else who stumbles across this comment. I genuinely would like to help.
That’s very kind of you, John. I’ll definitely keep it in mind. Much appreciated!
Befriend Thesaurus. Look up synonyms often. You'll know when you have the right word at the right time.
Over time these words will enter your vocabulary.
There's a book called The 10% Solution that's a very practical guide for cutting 10% off your wordcount - leading to more clarity, punchier sentences, etc
I think that's the hardest. Once accomplished, the most satisfying as well!
Sleeping over it always helps :)
I agree. It’s easier to review after a break to see where things can be more concise. Although, I need to make a habit of doing that more often. I somehow always notice mistakes only after I hit publish.
Been writing regularly (once a week) and I've gotten to 175 subs! I'd love to get up to 500 ppl and figure out how to get more ppl to respond in the comments! Any advice?
Only a tiny subset of people will ever comment, so you'll probably see more comments as your number of subs increases.
At the beginning, I asked friends to leave comments with their thoughts, to 'seed' a conversation. It's asking a favour, but it might be one your friends are willing to do
When non-friends see the comments section is active, they're way more likely to comment themselves (no one wants to be first)
Hey Gabi! I have 200 subscribers right now and am also looking to increase to 500. I’ve been messaging people directly through relevant FB groups and also promoting on social media. Once you really nail a niche message and target reader, I feel like the subscribers will come afterwards. I’m currently working on that.
What I have started doing is speak to people who are writing in the same domain and take their advice and learn from how they grew their base. I have learnt that not only do they tell you how to grow but they would also put a leg out for you to talk about your blog if they really like it!
Ha. That's smart. Just asking them to make a plug. Smart!
makes a ton of sense. I've been doing a fair amount of direct messages on LinkedIn to anyone who connects with me - my presumption is that my content has a broad readership base. However, it's clear that the "champions" will be ppl who are self motivated to learn about personal finance... I think i should try that FB idea. How do you find relevant FB groups?
How / where are you promoting your newsletter?
Hey Kristi! Mostly via social posts and direct messages on LinkedIn to ppl who connect with me. Not much beyond that. Do you have other suggestions of good places to promote?
Finding ways to connect and collaborate with other writers. I've created a Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/substackwriters), but am open to suggestions/other ideas :)
I want to inspire a generation to build a better life through writing
Wow! Amazing.
I would love to be better at simply sitting down and focusing. I love getting "in the zone" when I write, but it doesn't happen as often as I would like. I have learned that meditating before I do legal work helps me, so I am going to start meditating for a bit before I sit down to write. Would love to hear other's experiences with pre-writing meditation!!!
I haven't meditated. But I do play with an idea in my head the whole week—while in shower, while working out or running, while cooking—before I sit down and start writing. Writing becomes a challenge of organizing my thoughts. It takes about 3-4 hours to write a 500 word essay. I enjoy every bit of it.
Suzan, I meditate daily and often get inspired to write afterward though the meditation is not what it's about. I actually wrote about one way I get inspired on Medium: https://medium.com/@npeden/receive-inspiration-anytime-you-desire-from-your-subconscious-4c1f38640f4b
Revision!! It's never usually been a problem for me to bang out a first draft of something, see a wacky new idea to its first conclusion, but the ability to go in and tinker, repair, fix, and focus with intentionality is difficult for me; mostly because I have trouble tapping into that fervent well of energy and excitement that comes with a first draft.
I love to edit and revise. Not so much the writing part. Being a neat freak helps.
Revision is the work. That's what makes writing good. Even professional writers' first drafts are crappy.
My main goal with writing is to help people get through some of the stuff I've had to get through. I feel like a lot of advice is given from the top of the mountain, and I want my writing to say 'I'm in the middle of this too. Here's what seems to work for me'.
Unfortunately, years and years of college has made my writing style kinda stuffy, so my task at the moment is writing more the way I talk. Hitting that sweet spot between academia and everyday slang.
My writing models are Michael Gerber (Hey Dullblog) and Scott Aaronson (Slate Star Codex). Both very smart, highly knowledgeable, compulsively readable.
I'm hoping to upload my first post this week :)
Here are some ideas:
1. Write like you're emailing your mate but you've cc'd your mum
2. Use contractions. Say 'you'll' instead of 'you will'
3. Use short words. Say 'use' instead of 'utilise'. 'lots' instead of 'numerous'
4. Use people in your writing. People bring things to life and make things less conceptual.
5. Write active sentences. "We will fight them in the beaches" not passive sentences "they will be fought on the beaches"
6. Cut anything that feels like "therefore", "henceforth", "thus"
Thanks John, that first one is great, haha. Yes I keep catching myself writing "you will" and have to force myself to go informal. A lot of my posts are highly abstract so the more personal examples (even hypothetical ones) the better.
I have more ideas in this tweet which all end up moving you away from stuffy towards warm. Good luck! https://twitter.com/johnharrison_io/status/1274287636123975681
Thanks John, solid stuff there!
That should be Scott Alexander, sorry.
Balancing research with writing — sometimes I over invest in the research side and struggle to produce content, while other times I feel like I can’t deliver value to readers without having gone deep enough in a topic
It might help to remember writing is never done. So give yourself a deadline and ship the work. You can always come back to it. But your great ideas will languish in your drafts if you delay publishing. Go for connection first, then perfection.
Keeping a regular schedule helps. It can be every 2 weeks, 4 weeks – whatever you decide
I want to get better at finding the purpose of each piece, and making sure every sentence and paragraph aims at that core thing. Then being able to write inspiring, long-form articles. I always seem to write short pieces. Longer articles are too daunting/elusive.
You could begin using RoamResaerch which might be a good tool to build a foundation of short articles that you can combine into longer articles later by connecting different ideas.
I think brevity is more challenging. If you are writing shorter articles, and still conveying what you want to say, you are doing a fine job.
Thank you, and I totally agree! Writing short also just feels more natural to me. Intuition and following my strengths - who woulda thought trusting those would be a good thing!?
Why aim for length? It should be as long as it needs to be, to get the idea in your mind—as exactly as possible—to the mind of another. If you can do it in 100 words do that. If you need 10,000 words do that.
Thanks for the input, John! I agree with you on this.
Pleasure my man!
Besides regularity, I want clarity.
People have shorter attention spans. As do I when I read. I want to get better at getting to the point.
Rewrite often :)
The other side of the coin is that people really do read what interests them. They scan to validate whether they want to continue. So, your first sentence is absolutely crucial.
I want to be able to communicate to my subscribers in a relatable manner.
I believe that vulnerability is key here. The more vulnerable you are, the more relatable you seem. In the age of filters and perfectionism, it's a superpower.
Spelling.
Grammarly (free + premium) + Hemingway app are good for that :)
I would really like to publish a piece every fortnight, if not every week. I'm brimming with ideas, but these are my concerns:
a) My writing explores the eventfulness of my everyday--I'm not sure if this qualifies as an effective writing niche that will draw people to my newsletter.
b) I write the first draft, and I let it sit for a long while, revisiting it routinely and making edits every time I do so. It takes me quite some time to eventually bring the piece to a close. The process needs to move faster for me to be able to publish more often.
c) I'm terribly social media shy. What's another way to announce my newsletter to the world?
Saying more with less : : that is the true power of words
I hear you on that. I'm not good at being concise. But my parents are both retired and so I get them to review my work before posting. Turns out they are both excellent editors.
Well, writing, to a large degree, is simply harnessing one's 'gift of the gab'- and so we have a contradiction in terms, so to speak - to 'gab', but succinctly - must confess,
I'm always stuck word-wrestling.......the words usually win
My writing goal is to travel within and discover myself
I struggle with balancing between "getting it done" and "getting it done well." Seems whenever I follow a strict schedule, it means letting things go on the quality side. But if I spend longer or have a longer term publishing schedule, I almost never end up publishing out of tweaking a thing to death. Does anyone else struggle with this?
I struggle with this problem more often than I'd like to admit, invariably falling into the trap of perfectionism. Sometimes, it helps to let the draft sit for a long period of time, revisiting it routinely and making edits as I go along. But the lack of accountability i.e. a deadline can really prolong the process. A few things that could help:
a) Based on how long you typically take to write a piece to your satisfaction, say 15 days, you can give yourself a reasonable deadline to work with.
b) Announce the deadline to a friend or two, or maybe even to your subscribers, to keep you accountable.
Thanks for sharing, I really like these ideas :)
Your question is helpful. Thank you, azbaby.vn
I want to be in a place where i just write for my own satisfaction. Doesn't have to think about even someone is reading or not. Sometimes its hard to push every week when hardly any new readers are coming. Here i'm talking about publishing them over public, else i'm fine at writing for my own learning's and have plenty staying put in my writings folders private.
I would say "wrapping it up". My blank page syndrome is not as bad as the hard time I have closing a piece. Writing that last paragraph/page/chapter. It always feels incomplete and not as powerful as I would like it to be. Does this happen to you as well? I'd love to read your tips!
I empathize! Wrapping up is more difficult for me too usually. I find that I do better if I’m not rushing to finish. Having the time to write out bullet points for what i want my conclusion to accomplish, then stepping away for a day (or a few hours), THEN returning to write a coherent ending works better for me.
Thanks! the bullet points for the final sprint make sense as a way to condense the ideas still floating around. Will try it!
I want to tell more engaging stories.
Mr Ken McGonigal do you have a relative relative that pratices the Martial Arts if so he taught a relative of mine named Jerry Reaves and if so would you happen to have his number because i would like to train under him and when i was younger i trained with Gracie jujitsu school before i was incarcerated so could you possibly give me number thank you
Simply to write something that I can look back on without feeling a pang of annoyance at my sloppiness.
If you aren’t embarrassed by your previous writings then you haven’t progressed. Better be embarrassed than proud!
I think it's a good thing you're publishing. Pressing send or publish is hard. But you've shipped something—that's brave. You can ALWAYS go back and edit the sloppiness later and editing is the work of making writing good.
I want to get better at avoiding distractions when I'm having a hard time. When I'm struggling to articulate a concept, it's waaaay too easy for me to get frustrated and reach for Instagram instead of doing the work to flesh it out.
Turn off your internet. Shut yourself inside a room. Struggle to write. Keep on struggling. On the other side of the struggle, you’ve got a beautiful creation that wasn’t there before the struggle.
Ohh, feel you, Dia. I uninstalled twitter from my phone a week ago and put controls for Instagram -- found I was doing the same.
My main goal is to become better at self-editing. As far as rejection goes, I'm not sure that you necessarily get used to it as it keeps coming. That probably depends on the person. I agree with John Harrison's advice but also think that if rejection gets you down, you need to acknowledge that with letting it tow you under. There's a difference. If you can acknowledge that it's difficult, that might help you to understand why and to better surmont the problem. If you don't acknowledge, and it continues to discourage you to the place where you don't write, there could be a danger of suppression. What I'm suggesting is balancing action with some self-understanding.
It starts with acceptance, followed by letting go. Then you get back to creating things. The rejection was temporary. But your creation is permanent.
I agree. You express that very well.
Actually writing more even if I’m not feeling inspired to.
Getting out of my own head that I’m not a good writer. Silencing that inner dialogue that a piece isn’t good enough to share with my readers or anyone. I write mostly personal essays and about feelings so my writing is vulnerable which I love but it can be scary.
I want to explore writing fiction as well.
Nobody is good enough. Sharing our imperfect creations make them authentic. Fully polished opinions are more like marketing gimmicks.
We need more authentic vulnerability and less polished perfection. Our imperfections make us different.
Write more. Share often. Not for an audience. Write and share for yourself.
I wrote a pep talk for myself for this exact situation. Maybe it will help. https://patrickemclean.substack.com/p/the-five-minute-writing-pep-talk
My goal's pretty simple. Answer the questions people have affecting their daily lives. But don't tell them what to think. Let the reader draw his or her own conclusion.
...Being more confident and consistent in my writing.
I mostly write personal essays and poem/short stories based on my real life experiences with people and things so it can be hard to be so vulnerable and transparent.
I also like many of us I’m sure lack the confidence at times that I actually am a good writer Lol or that what I’m writing makes sense or matters so I’m trying to gain more confidence in my writing style.
Also trying to not pigeon hole myself into only writing about this or that- gotta broaden my writing horizons. Want to explore writing fiction maybe
Marketing and getting things out in the world/ published.
Yesss! I had a writing piece published in a magazine and it felt great. I need to focus more on marketing and getting things out in the world too
Focus on writing vs. writing-revising-editing all at the same time. Purchased a Freewrite which helped me realize how much I question what I just wrote. Just need to get words down on "paper".
Writing compelling content consistently that helps my readers.
A goal your readers will appreciate! How do you go about learning what your readers find helpful?
Definitely consistency. Both in style/regularity. I have been blogging on & off since 2000 or thereabouts (more off recently than on). Thanks to COVID unlocking my desire to overshare and Substack coming along, I'm getting back into the swing of it but definitely finding the time and the inclination can be hard.
I need to get better at writing when I feel the urge and not putting it off. Or at least jotting down some bullet points when I get an idea. Often I will have a great idea, but I am "busy" scrolling Instagram or something. When I finally get around to writing, I can't remember what that great idea was!
Sounds like you need to read 'Indistractable' by Nir Eyal. You need to schedule time to write. This quote I came across encapsulates the idea nicely:
"Someone once asked Somerset Maugham if he wrote on a schedule or only when struck by inspiration. “I write only when inspiration strikes”, he replied. “Fortunately, it strikes every morning at nine o’clock sharp."
Write content that people will enjoy, like, and subscribe to.
Start with what you enjoy, like, and would subscribe to. Then find people like you.
Getting the ability to write at any time, without thinking about what to write. And that, while exuding some good craft.
Find something where you do not have to think too long about the content. If you feel strongly or have opinions and insights about something that you engage with regularly the topics will arrive and you will deliver. Often we start to write and pick an area where do not have a lot of content to offer in the first place. You end up detesting the idea of writing because it seems like so much work. And it’s all downhill from there.
I agree. Write about things you're interested in. Develop your thoughts by capturing them on paper. Leave forced writing to schools...
I am looking to make technical articles (https://softwaretipsandtricks.substack.com ) more attractive and easier to understand. I know it's a matter of writing style. And I try to improve it.
Isn't it great to know we all struggle with the same issues to varying degrees? No failures, just everyone on their own continuum toward their definition of success.
The compelling, steady growth of https://whitenoise.substack.com/ ! Slow is smooth and smooth is fast :)
Take writing to heart
Long ago, in a blogging seminar at NPR, we were taught "the river of news." The idea wasn't to put everything in one big heave. It was to write blog posts that could flow into each other, like rafts down a river. The last paragraph of your previous post could be the first paragraph in the next one. We're all so anxious to give readers value, and yet, there's also value in readers coming back again and again.