Finished 31/12/2023

Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide for Creating Ridiculously Good Content

Ann Handley

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Communication

Not a recommendation from anyone, but I wanted a solid book to improve my business writing and my writing in general, after reading How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big.

I have to say it is an excellent read, a handbook of small tips that also cites On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, so I did well to read them in that order. Many short chapters with nuggets, especially in marketing, plus very practical advice like which tools to use or how to structure a certain type of article. Even though I am not the target, since I am not a writer, this book proves to be a valuable resource for my posts.

Notes

• The main takeaway is to do a TUFD: The Ugly First Draft, dumping everything in. Then let it sit and come back to it, cutting and polishing where needed. Having an external checker can further improve the final result. Quality content = Utility x Inspiration x Empathy,
• Writing well requires writing (and reading) a lot. It is an activity to develop every day.

There are no shortcuts to becoming a better writer. So show up at your desk and get to it. Daily.

• Set a goal; writing is a process: what are you writing for? Who is reading? Why should they care?
• A reading is a pact with the reader. You have to write for them. What makes them turn the pages? Certainly not to do you a favor.
• Sources are essential. Always verify them and credit the people you take data from.
• Back to TUFD, since it is the core of the book. Do not overthink it, get everything down, write badly, write something, you will refine it later. Just. Write.
• 🌲 After the first draft, you need to clean up the TUFD. The first check, broadly, is “editing by a chainsaw.” Cut the big parts that do not fit or do not explain your idea clearly. Your idea should be presented right away at the start, without preambles.
• Then look at the paragraphs: does each one have an idea that was not in the one before or after? Then keep it. Otherwise, cut. “Think of sentences in a paragraph as a conversation between an elderly, companionable couple. They don’t talk over each other; they expand or elucidate what the other said before them.”
• 🔪 Then check line by line, the “surgical” approach. Trim the fat, remove adverbs, use active forms, remove phrases like “In regards to,” check the flow and make it musical. There are many specific details on this. Lines should also be interconnected.
• Other minor details, especially for marketing. Show, don’t tell; use short paragraphs and bullets.
• Compelling stories are true, human (specific but universal), original, and serve the reader.
• Other interesting tips for writing in marketing like newsjacking, and choosing the right content based on objectives. Not my cup of tea, but they seem very useful.
• Ideal lengths for different pieces of content:
  • Blog posts: 1500 words, but don’t pad to hit targets
  • Email subject lines: 50 characters
  • Text lines on websites: 12 words wide, easier to keep place
  • Paragraphs: 4 lines on average
  • Podcasts: 22 minutes, attention span length