How to Write Descriptively

Let's talk about writing descriptively today.

I've got three examples we're going to dive into from really varied sources: Ernest Hemingway, Brandon Boyd of Incubus, and Sylvia Plath.

Who needs a metaphor? Not Hemingway.

Hemingway said: "A writer's style should be direct and personal, his imagery rich and earthy, and his words simple and vigorous." 

Let’s see how he executes this, shall we? Here's an excerpt from The Sun Also Rises. We'll dissect what’s happening here.

“In the morning I walked down the Boulevard to the rue Soufflot for coffee and brioche. It was a fine morning. The horse-chestnut trees in the Luxembourg gardens were in bloom. There was the pleasant early-morning feeling of a hot day. I read the papers with the coffee and then smoked a cigarette. The flower-women were coming up from the market and arranging their daily stock. Students went by going up to the law school, or down to the Sorbonne. The Boulevard was busy with trams and people going to work.” 

Pretty vivid mental picture, right? 

It’s enjoyable to read because the scene he’s created for us is rich with detail, but it’s done simply. He’s not being overly flowery: In fact, his sentences are declarative, fact-based, and direct.

The vocabulary he writes with is basic, but he’s painting a visual picture here (without a single metaphor, mind you.) He’s letting you see through his eyes, observing a scene as it unfolds around him.

Sure, he could’ve just wrote: In the morning I got coffee and breakfast. It was warm. People were walking around.

But he didn’t. He filled out the scene with more detail, engaging the senses along the way: The feeling of the sun’s warmth on his skin, the smell of coffee and cigarette smoke in the air, the noise of trams and people making their way to work or school.

You can do that, too. Paint pictures for your readers with details. Think about speaking to the different senses. Take readers along with you on a trip back into your memory and put them in the scene as the action unfolds.

Be like Brandon Boyd: Don’t come right out and say it.

I was re-listening to Incubus’s Morning View album a few weeks ago and the lyrics from the song 11 am jumped out at me as another great example of descriptive writing. 

Rather than coming right out and saying what’s happening during a scene, Boyd describes a setting to conjure up a vision in the listener’s mind. Take a read of some of my favorite verses from the song:

7 am
The garbage truck beeps as it backs up
And I start my day thinking about what I've thrown away

Let’s start with this first verse. 

I liked that the onomatopoeia he used (beeps) isn’t the sound of an alarm clock, as that’s what you’d expect in a morning-centered verse. Instead, he uses the sound of the garbage truck, which then tees up a metaphor related to how he’s thinking of something discarded and thrown away, which plays at the undercurrent of a deeper emotional loss. 

Three lines guys...he did all this in three lines.

But it doesn’t stop there. At the bookend of the song, we get another strong mental picture from the end of the day. (Now, remember this is from 2001, mmmkay? The phone he’s talking about is a landline.)

12 pm and my dusty telephone rings
Heavy head up from my pillow, who could it be?
I hope it’s you

He didn’t just write: The phone rang late at night and I didn’t know who it was.

• He tells us the phone is dusty (because it hasn’t been used in a while.) There’s an implied loneliness and isolation.

• He tells us he’s waking up from a deep sleep.

• He tells us what thought ran through his mind at the sound of the ringing phone.

We’re getting all of these clues about the emotional undertone of the person within the scene in just a few words. 

The next time you want to do the same, ask yourself: What emotional context can I provide? How can I set the tone of the scene? What clues should I give the reader about what the character is thinking and feeling? 

You don’t have to come right out and say it, but be sure to drop some clues.

Lean on the fig tree like Sylvia Plath.

Plath is verrrrry into the metaphor, and while sometimes writers have a tendency to get in the weeds and carried away with them, she does a great job of keeping things focused to take full advantage of this writing device.

Take a look at this fig tree metaphor from The Bell Jar:

“I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story. From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked. One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another fig was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South America...I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose. I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet.” 

Plath isn’t talking about actually sitting under a fig tree that’s dropping expired fruit. She’s using the tree as a metaphor for the opportunities she has to choose from in her life and how her indecision (and inability to choose from and act on them) is resulting missed moments and possibilities gone by. 

It’s far more interesting to read her describe it with the fig metaphor than just having her come right out and lament about things in plain language. The metaphor here lends some artistic flair and some depth you wouldn’t fully get if it were laid out differently and metaphor-free.

Plus: She uses some interesting word choices throughout that kind of smack you in the face and make you pay attention:

• She’s not sitting against the tree, she’s sitting in the crotch of it.

• The figs plop (again: onomatopoeia!) on the ground, turn black, and shrivel (very visual.)

Metaphors can be tricky: If not well-executed, they can come across as cheesy, or overdone, or downright trite. 

If you want to employ a metaphor, try to use your creative brain muscles and come up with comparisons that are fresh, unique, and maybe even a little off-beat. Your readers will appreciate the originality.

***

These were just a few examples that have been floating around in my brain recently, but my hope is that by sharing them and breaking down what’s working within them, you’ll become more aware and do the same as you read/listen to words from different writers and artists.

Make note of what sticks with you, then break down why. 

It’ll make you a more observant reader/listener and definitely a better writer.

This article originally appeared in my newsletter, A Cup of Copy. Sign up and get these free tips sent right to your inbox every other Wednesday.

How to Develop Your Own Writing Voice

I have a thing for writers with a very signature writing voice.

You know what I’m talking about. There are certain writers that you can hear in your head as you read. It’s as if they were right in front of you, telling a story or entertaining a small crowd.

There’s definitely an element of showmanship to stylized writing: It performs for the reader/listener. It pauses. It has asides with the audience. It builds anticipation and delivers solid punchlines.

How can you develop your own writing voice?

Part of it comes with practice and developing your writing style/voice over time. But some if it happens as a result of leveraging smart shortcuts in your writing. Let’s look at what they are and how you can use them.

1. The colon

Colons are great for two key things: Emphasis and reinforcement.

If you’re introducing a quote, you can use a colon instead of a comma to emphasize the message inside the quotes.

Example: My mom always told me: “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

You can also use colons to restate or clarify an independent clause (just be sure to capitalize the first letter after the colon as if they’re separate sentences.)

Example: I failed the test because of one thing: I hadn’t done a minute of studying.

2. The em dash

This one’s my personal favorite. An em dash is the punctuation to use when you’re interrupting yourself with an interjection or something you want to draw further attention to. I think of these as an aside with the reader and a simple way to make your writing sound more like your natural speaking voice.

Example: I like to go on vacation — I mean, who doesn’t, really — but I have a hard time giving myself permission to take one.

3. The semicolon

This one’s a bit more tricky, but here’s the best explanation I have for when to use them: Semicolons can be used to link together two related independent clauses. They can also go before a word like additionally, otherwise, however, etc. to link two similar sentences together.

Example: I love reading her books; she’s my favorite expert on psychology.

4. Text formatting

I’m a big fan of putting text types to work in my writing. Here’s what to remember as you leverage your formatting options:

Bold = emphasis, importance
Italic = punchlines, words you want the reader to slow down on or reinforce
Underlining = importance, drama
Alternating uppercase and lowercase letters = The SpOnGeBoB meme (aka I am frustrated and saying this with major emphasis!)

5. Onomatopoeias

That $10 word for words that are sounds. These would be words like ‘Shhh!’ or ‘Whoosh!’ that add an interesting sensory element to your writing (also a great tool for building mental imagery.)

Want more how-to lessons like this one? Check out my book Write Better Right Now (that comes with a workbook section!)

In-Depth Writing Lessons on Empathy, Scarcity, and Conversion-Driving

I feel like it’s been a bit since I’ve given you a really valuable, tactical, science-backed writing lesson.

So today, I want you to pick your own adventure.

Below, you'll find my three best, most in-depth posts on writing.

Choose the one that best lines up with whatever you need help with this week (or could use a little refresher on.) Here are your options:

1. Writing with empathy and activating readers’ emotional brains

This post takes a look at the science of mirror neurons and explains why people buy based on emotion. It also gets into how you can leverage those emotions with the right approach. I love this post because it’s filled with contextual examples and is great for anyone getting ready to create holiday-focused or year-end campaigns. Read this one here.

2. Writing to leverage scarcity

This is another deep dive I put together on the psychology of scarcity mindset and how it can be used (specifically in the ecommerce environment) to drive sales. I feel like the general idea of promoting scarcity is conversion optimization 101, but this gives a lot of practical ways you can use it in various ways to make it ultra-effective. Read it here.

3. Psychology-based copywriting tactics that drive sales

This is the more general post for anyone who just wants a crash course on copywriting tactics that drive action. It’s the more versatile option that’s going to be a good read for almost anyone. Plus, there are lots of funny examples included (and memes!) that will make you lol. Win-win. Read that one here.

This article originally appeared in my newsletter, A Cup of Copy. Sign up and get these free tips sent right to your inbox every other Wednesday.

How to Make Your Writing Less Boring

Do you ever feel like your writing voice is a little...droning?

As you read back something you've written, maybe you hear something reminiscent of Ben Stein’s nasally voice saying, “Bueller?...Bueller?”

Sometimes when we forget to vary our sentence structure, the end result feels a little stiff and boring. The flow just isn’t there.

As a result, reading what we’ve written feels like hopping from stone to stone rather than skiing seamlessly on the surface of the water.

So how do you fix that without taking a high school English class again and learning about sentence structure variation via prepositions, clauses, em dashes and the like?'

How to Fix Boring Writing

You could start by reading this from author Gary Provost:

Now, I could spend the rest of this post breaking down the technicalities behind syntax, but let’s be honest here: That would be, well, boring.

The example above, however, illustrates the concept in a really easy to understand way. And I’m always up for showing rather than telling.

Quick Ways to Make Your Writing More Interesting

Vary your sentence length.

If all your sentences are short, add a comma and join a few together into one longer sentence. If all your sentences are long, sprinkle in a few short ones. Words are art, and keystrokes are your paintbrushes. Don’t paint with just a few colors when you’ve got a full palette.

Stylize.

You can start sentences with ‘and’ or ‘because’ (even though your English teacher said not to!) If that’s part of your writing style, embrace it.

Reinforce important ideas with single word sentences.

Is there an important word at the end of the sentence you really want to stick with the reader? Reinforce it by stating it again as its own sentence (just as you would while speaking.)

Embrace the em dash.

When speaking, we all use pauses to communicate inflection, drama, etc. Em dashes (—) help you do that on the page. Use them when you want the reader to slow down or when you’re shifting ideas within a single sentence. I think of them as a mental hand on the arm of the reader that communicates, “Okay, but really listen to this part.”

Implementing a few of these small tweaks can do wonders for your writing voice and can get you out of the “drone zone.”

You don’t even have to know what a dependent clause is.

This article originally appeared in my newsletter, A Cup of Copy. Sign up and get these free tips sent right to your inbox every other Wednesday.

Why You Should Let Your Writing Ideas Marinate

In the past couple weeks, I’ve written a bit about the why and how when it comes to transforming your ideas into words.

I’ve also encouraged you to take the plunge and dive in and just start writing.

But...what if your post idea isn’t quite ready yet?

What if you feel like you’re on the edge of something good...but you need to sit with it for a bit longer to get a good grasp on what you’re trying to communicate?

Making a Case For Letting Your Writing Ideas Marinate

It occurred to me the other day that sometimes, it’s good to let ideas marinate a little longer before you dive in.

(This is hard for me, because I am GO-GO-GO most of the time. A pre-crastinator, if anything. The concept of “marinating” is not one I accept easily. Maybe you can relate.)

However, my husband was recently telling me about a story on the Danish concept of niksen, which is intentionally doing nothing. You let your mind wander freely, without purpose.

The truth is: For me, that’s sometimes when I get my best, most well-formulated ideas.

This is especially true when it comes to creative storylines, but it sometimes even works when I’m wrestling with a technical topic that I can’t quite nail down.

Now, on the surface level, I know you get the gist of this concept.

However, I always like to share some specific ways you can be deliberate about doing this to take the theory and put it into practice.

Here are a few of my favorite ways to practice niksen:

Go for a walk. Better yet, go for a walk in a green area that you’re not used to walking in. Studies show that “forest bathing” is a great way to spur creativity when you’re feeling stuck or tired. It’s a sort of mental reset button.

Find your flow music and go for a drive. For me, I can put on Radiohead’s In Rainbows album and drive for hours, just thinking about things and letting ideas bounce off the walls of my mind. I sometimes even keep a single song on repeat because it puts me into a more creative mood, eventually phasing into the background as pretty noise. This is your “flow.” Find your soundtrack that does that for you and go for an aimless cruise.

Sit outside (preferably in a hammock or rocking chair.) I’m sure there’s some sort of when-you-were-a-baby psychology behind the fact that rocking or swaying is good for creative thinking, but man, it works. Especially at sunset, sitting and soaking up the outdoors without an agenda allows your mind some time to work in the background.

The big idea

The way your concept of niksen manifests itself might look different than these ideas--and that’s fine.

The big idea here, however, is to give yourself permission to let the idea sit until you feel like you’re in the right mental space to really dive in.

Now, this doesn’t mean putting off writing indefinitely. But it does mean you don’t have to go straight from idea to keyboard in the same day.

A good rule of thumb: Give it a week.

Talk about the idea with other people. Create some time for awake, deliberate nothingness when your brain can absorb things but not be overly taxed with a task.

When you come back to sit down and write, you’ll likely have a fresh take on what you want to say.

This article originally appeared in my newsletter, A Cup of Copy. Sign up and get these free tips sent right to your inbox every other Wednesday.

How to Get Your Ideas Out of Your Head and Onto the Page

“I have so many ideas, but I don’t know how to get them out of my brain and onto the page!”

I’ve heard some version of this lament about 35,346 times.

It’s usually accompanied with some hand-wringing, brow-rubbing, or face-palming...occasionally the banging of a head on a hard surface, as if the problem can be physically knocked loose like water stuck in the middle-ear after swimming. (It can’t, by the way.)

In most cases, here’s the general rub: You have a few general ideas you’d love to dive into in writing...but translating them into actual sentences (that flow well, use proper grammar, tell a story, etc.)...that’s hard.

The bad news is there’s no quick fix. I can’t snap my fingers or wiggle my nose and solve this for you. C’est la vie.

However, you can start chipping away at the roadblocks that go along with this issue.

You do that by working through some of the things that can trip you up along the way to getting your butt in a chair and writing the thing you wanna write.

What are those things?

1. Identifying your motivation.

First, ask yourself: Why do you want to write this thing in the first place? What’s going to drive you forward as you sit down to tackle the task?

There are lots of options here: Maybe it’s to teach something you know. Maybe it’s to share an interesting perspective or point of view you have. Maybe it’s to share more of your private, internal thinking with the world (or even just with a small group of friends.)

Maybe it’s just to leave something behind in the world that’s uniquely yours. Remember, no one thinks the exact same way you do, nor can they write in the voice that’s all yours. Writing offers up a chance to own, document, and share this signature piece of your personality.

Bottom line: Whatever your motivation is, define it. Know your WHY and let it guide you ahead as you write.

2. Being okay with sharing writing that isn’t quite perfect.

Lots of people won’t take the time to write (or worse, will write something but never hit publish!) because they’re worried what they’ve written isn’t perfect...and it needs to be before anyone else lays eyes on it.

Perfection is the enemy of done—isn’t that how the saying goes? Something like that.

If I waited until my writing was perfect, I’d probably never send this newsletter or submit a client blog post. However, I set some rules for myself to get over the hurdle. I only allow two rounds of edits before hitting publish for the things I write for myself. For client posts, that number goes up the three (two internal rounds for me, one for them), but on the fourth I charge extra because then we’re just getting nit-picky and in our own way, in my opinion.

You can self-edit until the end of time if you really want to, but there has to be a point in time at which you say, “Okay, I’m finished with this.”

Just remember: Perfection is elusive when it comes to writing. Be confident enough to share your writing before you feel like it’s 100% there. It’s probably close enough.

3. Getting over the “Why bother?” mentality.

If you’re stuck on the idea of “Why even bother writing this?”...you just gotta get over it.

Defining your motivation for writing something in the first place can help you get halfway over this particular hurdle, but the other half is about just doing it.

Writing can be difficult and stressful and uncomfortable, but it’s good practice. It molds the way you think and communicate with others even outside your writing practice. It’s a great mental challenge and, again, is a way for you to leave your fingerprint on the world—even if only a few people end up reading what you’ve written.

Think of all the things we would’ve missed out on if people got stuck on the ‘why bother’ mentality! Incredible inventions, art, films, books—it all started with a display of effort that the creator fully embraced could result in something 100% useless or unfruitful.

Sit down and just *do the work.* Don’t get in your own way by over-thinking things.

Time to Execute

Once you’ve worked through the above items, it’s time to get to work.

Step 1: Set aside a block of time to write.

Put time for writing on your calendar. Literally, schedule it. Make it a regular thing and devote a set time each day or each week where you can focus on writing for at least 20-30 minutes at a time. And yes, you do have 20 minutes you can spare. Be honest with yourself.

Step 2: Outline.

Not sure how to tackle an outline? I shared my practice right here.

If that’s not your thing, try writing an ugly first draft that gives you something to work with rather than a blank page. It’s sort of the same concept, but with less structure. You can also record some basic voice notes about your idea and work from those.

If you sit down and stare at a blank screen, you’re probably going to psych yourself out. Give yourself some bullet points to start with to get the ball rolling.

Step 3: Build, Polish, Publish.

Like lather, rinse, repeat, but with words rather than shampoo. Write the thing, give it a round or two of edits, and then share it. Then do it again.

• You’re going to get better the more you practice.

• You’ll find your voice along the way.

• You’ll get feedback from readers on what they like/don’t like (especially if you’re proactive and ask for people to share their thoughts.)

“Practice makes perfect” isn’t just a cutesy saying. When it comes to writing, it’s the truth. It’s the only thing that’s going to help you become a better, more prolific writer.

So start writing. Share your ideas. The world deserves to hear from you.

This article originally appeared in my newsletter, A Cup of Copy. Sign up and get these free tips sent right to your inbox every other Wednesday.

How to Write a Good Outline

Today I want to get into my outlining process, as I saw a tweet from my pal Kat Boogaard earlier this week about how important a good outline is.

This triggered my memory and reminded me that while I’ve talked about writing more efficiently, I’ve never really shared a deep dive into the nuts and bolts of my outlining process.

But first, let’s address the elephant in the room. Let’s answer the question that might be hovering in your brain: Do I *really* have to put together an outline before I start writing?

Is it entirely necessary?

I say the answer is yes.

Why writing an outline matters

At least for me, outlining has been a tactic that’s helped me manage writing articles and blog posts both large and small in a way that’s both logical and piecemealed so it's more manageable.

Bonus: It helps me get past the blank page with ease.

Now, I wasn’t always an outliner. When I started freelance writing full time about six years ago, I dove into every piece starting at the beginning and just worked my way through as I went. I quickly learned, however, that this approach had some major drawbacks:

• I missed things. Because I didn’t know the main points I was going to cover beforehand, I’d get to the end of a writing project and find major holes or missing elements in what I’d put together. Then I had to go back and restructure everything to accommodate the new additions. (This was also frustrating for my editors who could’ve spotted these flaws if they’d had an outline to approve before I started writing.)

• It took longer. Lack of direction meant I was constantly grabbing at straws as I tried to pull together each individual section for a piece. It also meant I spent more time researching, as I was working one section at a time rather than thinking of the larger, overarching story I was trying to tell and how the dots connected big-picture.  

• It was more daunting. Every new writing assignment felt like a mountain to climb, and the word counts stressed me out. 3,000 words seemed nearly impossible when starting from zero, and it felt like pulling teeth to even get started. It was a huge source of anxiety for me.

Then, I got smart. I started making outlines.

I'm going to talk about my approach from a client work perspective, but keep in mind you can use this for any type of writing.

Getting started with your outline

When I sit down to put together an outline, the process always starts with a writing brief right at the top of the document.

This includes a short summary of the post’s objective, important client notes about tone/style/formatting, internal posts or research they want to be referenced in the post, due dates, post length, and any other important info I might need as I work on the assignment.

From there, I start building out my framework (ahem, my outline.)

Pssst! Want a secret freebie? Click here.

Step one: Skip the intro, start at section one

The first thing I do when building an outline is to skip past the intro section completely and go right into the first section of the article, which most often begins with a zoomed out/big picture view of the topic I’m writing about.

Sometimes this is a basic definition of a key term and some historical context, sometimes it’s a sort of analyst perspective on the idea that gives a high-level view of the article’s theme.

I add some basic bullet points to this section with that info, along with links to any key stats or news articles I want to reference within this section.

Step two: Explore top-ranking articles + Google’s ‘People also ask’ results

The next step I take is to explore some of the sections within the top-ranking organic search results on the topic I’m writing about. From that research, I make a short list of potential sections to cover, and then further sort that based on what I think is most relevant, helpful, or interesting to include in the piece.

I’ve added an additional step to this stage recently as well, which I just learned about from one of my favorite writers and editors, Tracey Wallace. I do a Google search around the article topic and see which questions come up in the ‘People also ask’ section.

Tracey recommended adding in these questions as section headers or sub-heads, as this is good for SEO and tackles some of the most common questions related to the topic (which Google has so nicely aggregated for you.)

This stage of the outlining process helps me determine some basic direction for the rest of the piece and allows me to put in some generic headers for the sections I’ll research and build out next.

Step three: Research and build out sections

Building out the rest of the outline from this point is fairly easy. With the generic headers and sub-heads for direction, I can dive into creating bullet points for each section with basic points to cover, relevant/new research to cite, and examples to spotlight. Sometimes I do a general brain dump of potential things to include in a section and then sort through that info, leaving behind only the good stuff.

I also use this phase to reach out to my network of expert sources for quotes to include in different sections where it’s relevant. It’s good to have a decent amount of lead time for these efforts because people sometimes need a few days to get back to me with a solid quote.

Step four: Intro and closing

Once I know what I’m going to be talking about in the body of the article, I can more accurately put together a summary for the intro and closing of the piece that brings everything together.

Sometimes by this point, I’ve realized an underlying theme, connected some dots to make a new point about the topic, or discovered a super-relevant story/example that serves as a nice backdrop for the article. Other times I’m just reinforcing the key points.

Either way, I add in a few bullet points for the intro and closing based on the main idea of the article. For the closing, I make sure to include a call to action, asking the reader to do something next.

Step five: Title ideas

Now that I have a really good idea of what I’m going to write about, I put together 2-3 potential headline or title ideas that summarize the article and speak to an interesting, often curiosity-producing theme.

When I can, I try to tie in things like:

• Hard numbers tied to results

• Questions

• Recognizable brand names (when relevant)

• Outcome-related teasers (Ex: How X did Y)

Getting approval

Once the outline is done, I send it over to the client for review. This step helps ensure we’re both on the same page before I start writing, gives them a chance to add in any important notes, and offers an opportunity for a SEO expert to step in and make any needed adjustments.

This approach saves us both time in the editing phase, which makes both parties very happy. I’d always rather talk through changes in the outline phase rather than re-work (or worse, have to remove!) a whole section that I’ve spent time researching and writing.

Other notes on outlining

One of the important things to note is that the outlining stage is not about perfection or polishing.

I don’t work on writing compelling headers during this phase.
I don’t include full sentences that will go into the finished piece.
I don’t invest time into figuring out how the writing voice will fit in.

Instead, outlining is all about getting a clear direction on where you’re headed with a story so that you’re not staring at a blank page with a huge task staring back at you.

Once you’re done with an outline, you have a clear roadmap and all of the pieces you need to put together an article quickly, with clarity, and in a logical format. Basically, all you have to do is build and polish. The legwork is done, and the rest is a downhill slope.

I hope this has been helpful and gave you some ideas that help speed up your writing process (or at least make it a little less anxiety-producing.)

Judd Apatow's Lessons on Writing

Interesting subject line, eh?

I’ll be honest...it was a little clickbait-y.

BUT — it’s also true.

See, I’ve been taking some MasterClass courses to get me through the cruel, cold winter.

I started with the classes on comedy (because there’s nothing funnier than having someone break down the nuts and bolts of a joke to you, right? Hehe...heh...no.)

The first class I took was the Steve Martin one, as his name was what caught my eye around this course collection in the first place. His lessons were pretty good, but overall it felt a little fluffy. The advice was a bit generic and stuff you could glean on your own by watching people do stand-up.

I’ll give him some credit: I think it’s hard to teach a skill like comedy when:

1) It comes naturally to you, so it’s difficult to reverse engineer for other people
2) You have a very specific type of humor that works for you as an individual (which Steve Martin definitely does)

So, next I moved on to the comedy class taught by Judd Apatow, which was more writing-focused. I liked his Netflix special and thought it’d be interesting to compare the two courses and teaching styles.

When I dove into Judd’s class (yes, we’re on a first name basis now), right away it felt different. Rather than approaching things from a high level, he dove right into practical, actionable tips.

What I noticed right off the bat: These weren't just good tips for writing comedy. This was good advice for writing in general.

So I started taking notes. Today, I want to share them with you (you know, in case you don’t have access to MasterClass...or the time to sit through 10+ lessons.)

Here’s what Judd Apatow taught me about writing.

1. Find the people who’re doing what you wanna do and ask them a lot of questions.

As a young guy, Judd’s mom worked at a comedy club, which got him insider access to the visiting comedians. He often interviewed them before or after their shows, asking questions about how they learned to write comedy, what tips and tricks they’d found worked well, and secrets to performing.

This was a great way for him to network and build relationships with established comedians and helped him figure out how they got from point A to point B in their careers.

This is a smart thing for any writer to do, too. (I even tweeted about this.) Reaching out to people who’ve found success and learning from them is a brilliant way to figure out how you can do the same. This might happen via:

• Hosting a podcast where you interview guests

• Putting together a newsletter or blog that includes a Q&A with different authority figures

• Doing a video series where you chat with established experts

All of these things help you get insider knowledge, while offering the guest the perk of some exposure as well. The best part: It doesn’t even matter if you have a huge audience for it. It’s an A+ learning experience for you and a doorway to access you might not otherwise have.

2. Have a “take.”

Most iconic comedians have a very signature style or approach. Think of Chris Rock. Think of Jerry Seinfield. You know those delivery styles. You know their cadence. You know their voices.

In line with that, it's important for you to figure out the WHY behind your own writing. You have to be able to answer fundamental questions such as:

• What do you think about [topic you’re writing about]? Have you thought long enough to form an opinion around what you’re writing about? If not, push pause and do that. You might find your perspective goes against common consensus and gives you something interesting to say. Opposition is fine--just be able to back up your position.

• Why do you like what you like? Defining your taste as a writer means knowing what works and what doesn’t for you (and why.) For example: Do you like something because it’s similar to you? Or because it’s wildly different? Nail that down, then play it up.

• What’s your angle? Your writing voice should be uniquely yours. That means you need an angle and a signature style. Are you sarcastic? Sardonic? Quirky? Take the voice in your head and translate that into your writing.

As you add clarity around who you are as a writer, your audience will be better able to identify your unique “take” and/or writing voice and pick it out of a crowd.

3. Look at writing like it’s a job.

Judd said that the best performers he watched and talked to were ones who approached writing as if it were a job, just like anything else. They didn’t ‘wing it’ on stage; they sat down for a few hours every day and worked on writing their material.

Some even followed a mathematic-like formula where they’d start with a piece that worked and then plug in different variables until they found the best (and funniest) end result.

For example:My wife says I am lazy on the weekends, so I __________. The blank would then be filled with 50+ variations on a punchline. From there, he/she could whittle things down to the punchiest end result.

So, see? Even comedians have to practice and look at writing as if it were a job. Practice makes perfect (and devotion to your craft pays off.)

These were the biggest takeaways I got from the first few lessons of the Judd Apatow course, but there are lots of other good nuggets in there too.

If, like a standup comedian, you’re looking for an audience to give you some feedback on how your writing is performing, I’ve been offering up critiques and would be happy to give you some notes.

All I ask is that you send me a screenshot showing you donated $10 or more to my local no-kill animal shelter, PAWS. They save hundreds of pets every year and help them find new homes (which is amazing!) but are always just scraping by.

You get some honest feedback, cute cats and dogs get food and blankies. Win-win, right? Right.

This article originally appeared in my newsletter, A Cup of Copy. Sign up and get these free tips sent right to your inbox every other Wednesday.

The Shortcut to Writing Well

If you saw this subject line and were mentally rubbing your hands together like, "YESSSS, finally the magical shortcut I've been looking for!"

Then I'm sorry. 'Cuz spoiler alert: There isn’t one.

Writing takes practice.
It takes an openness to critique.
It takes a desire to improve.

The trouble is: Most of the people I know want that quick shortcut that’ll instantly make their writing better.

I wish there was one. It would’ve saved me a lot of time and energy. I'd probably have a Ferrari by now. My hair would be shinier.

(Okay, maybe not those last two things.)

But I can tell you this: There is one thing I’ve done that helps me speed up the process.

Take Notes

Marketers would call it building a swipe file. I don’t like that. Calling it a swipe file feels really formal and marketer-y. Bleck. 😝 I just call it a Google Doc with links and notes. 'Cause that’s what it is. If I find an article or blog post or email that I think is written especially well, I save the link to it in said Google Doc.

Then I pull up the article up in a separate window and try to reverse engineer it, making notes as I read about:

• The style of the intro (Anecdote? Quote? Rhetorical question?)

• Interesting quirks/turns of phrase used in the writing voice

• Examples or images that make the piece stronger or easier to understand

• Direct quotes (what are they about and how do they add to the piece?)

• The overall structure/format (and where I lost interest while reading)

See, my theory is that if I can dissect other people’s writing and pin down what makes it interesting, readable, and memorable, then I can better execute those same tactics when I sit down to write something of my own.

Make it a Habit, Keep Learning

This is not actually a shortcut. It takes some work, as most things worth doing do. It requires some careful observation and the ability to pick apart what you're reading. It means you've gotta suck it up and realize that writing well is an evolutionary process.

The reality is: You don't just get a certification or stamp of approval and then stop learning. When it comes to writing well, you have to work on getting better....always. Forever.

But there's beauty in this process. It keeps you a student (rather than feeling like, “Nah, I got this now. No more learning for me, HAHAHAAAA!)

So you should give it a whirl, too.

You’ve got access to the internet, right? And Google Docs are free, so...if you’ve got a spare 10-15 minutes once a week (or even once a month!) you can do this too.

Keep learning. That's the lesson today.

This article originally appeared in my newsletter, A Cup of Copy. Sign up and get these free tips sent right to your inbox every other Wednesday.

How to Write with Humble Confidence

I love it when I get questions from readers of this newsletter in my inbox. LOVE. IT.

Laura Bosco sent me a question last week.

She asked: How can I help one of my clients sound humble and confident when we write for his brand?

On one hand we want to be confident in what we know, but on the other hand, we don't want to come across as arrogant. A lot of advice is situational, there are many gray areas, and plenty of folks are smarter than we are. So how do you strike a good balance between the two?

Such a great question. An important one, too.

Let's start with the humble part of this equation (since we all know too much confidence is a bad thing.)

Humble is a characteristic that's near and dear to me—a signature facet of Midwestern charm.

But can you be too humble? I think so.

When we’re too humble, we:

• Play down our skills, intelligence, and/or accomplishments to the point where other people also discount our abilities

• Discredit the hard work we do, thus making it look like everything is easy/doesn’t require much knowledge or effort

• Cut away at our ethos as experts and are overlooked for new opportunities

Just the other day, this happened when I was trying to explain to someone what I do for a living.

I said something like, “Oh yeah, I write for software companies and basically just sit around in my PJs all day.”

NOT GOOD. Too humble.

From that description, it sounds like I just loaf around in sweatpants all day and occassionally do some sort of mystery work for tech companies. (This is basically accurate, but in reality I do have to work hard five days a week and I do occasionally get dressed for video calls!)

But you get my point.

The other end of the spectrum, however, is overconfidence.

Those are the people you meet at a party that go on for 10 minutes about all of the big name clients they work with, the exhauuuuusting work trips they’ve taken, how in demand they are for client work, etc. ad infinitum.

BLECK. Gross. This side of the spectrum is also where we get things like ‘mansplaining’ from. No thank you.

So how do you find that sweet spot between “Okayyy, WE GET IT, stahhhhpppp” and “Oh, you’re too modest”?

Look to Primility

My pal Jerod Morris talks about the idea of Primility—a blend of pride and humility.

There’s a major mindfulness component to this philosophy: Primility is all about being proud of what you know and what you have, but being humble enough to know how and when to share it.

Sounds pretty ideal, right?

The tough part is: It’s a bit of an abstract idea, and can be hard to study out in the wild. There are so many elements that make up this characteristic—and it looks different on different people.

So here are a few things I’m trying to keep in mind while writing and speaking to come across as both humble and confident—that exudes primility.

Show, don’t tell

Anyone can spew statements, but those with humble confidence take the time to illustrate the ‘why’ behind the points they make. It takes longer and requires more work, but going the extra mile to say, “Hey, I know X thing and here’s how” is far better than “THIS IS A FACT. End of story. Mic drop.”

Remember your opinions are just that. Opinions.

Leaving room for other POVs means that you recognize you’re just one person with one opinion. Remember your opinion isn’t the be-all end-all. If you respond to opposition to your opinions by firing back in a negative or angry way, you’ll probably just end up looking like a small-minded a**hole.

Resist the urge to flex.

Our animal brains tell us to flex our muscles and to tell everyone when we’re the smartest person in the room, right? We have to resist that peacock-like urge, though. No one likes the person who hogs the spotlight...and it doesn’t add ethos. It just makes you look like a jerk.

Let other people validate you.

Lean on elements of social proof like testimonials and results produced that can speak volumes for your abilities. You don’t need to toot your own horn too much. Let other people do it for you. It’ll look and feel a lot more authentic anyway.

***

Personally, I’m working on getting better at this all the time. My problem is that sometimes I think I’m too quiet, and could speak up a little more to share what I know. It’s a balance, just like anything else.

I will say that listening to podcasts with interviews has helped. It’s interesting to see how different people tackle questions and what makes certain people sound like know-it-alls versus those that sound self-aware and confidently intelligent.

As I listen, I try to make notes on what turns of phrase come across as humble yet confident, as well as what sounds the alarm on the alternate end of the spectrum. It’s helpful to get some outside perspective.

This article originally appeared in my newsletter, A Cup of Copy. Sign up and get these free tips sent right to your inbox every other Wednesday.

A Case for Being More Explicit In Your Writing

When you hear the world explicit, your mind might go straight to that parental advisory sticker you see on CDs sometimes.

(Or if you’re young, you’re like, OMG OLD PERSON ALERT...she just referenced CDs.)

Today, I’m not talking about being explicit in that context.

I’m talking about being explicit in the sense of communicating clearly, as in: “She was explicitly clear about her directions.”

Why?

Because so often a major failure of communication (written or otherwise) happens when we aren’t explicit.

There are times when less just is not more—contrary to the saying.

Gray area leaves room for ambiguity, and in moments when that might lead to negative outcomes, it’s better to say more and to be explicitly clear than to hope the other person(s) just “gets it.”

Here’s some context for why I’m saying all of this.

A couple of weeks ago I overheard a conversation between a man and a woman (not my fault, they were loud talking!) on the topic of depression.

The woman was explaining how she was frustrated—she was trying hard to be positive and do things for her mental health (like meditation, yoga classes, getting outside), but she always kept bumping into days where she just couldn’t get “out of the hole,” metaphorically speaking.

The guy said to her between bites of sandwich: “You just have to change your thoughts.”

She paused for a moment and then said, “What? Did you say I should just change my thoughts? If I could do that so easily, I would. I don’t enjoy feeling this way.” She was mad. I couldn’t even see her face, but I could hear the rage boiling in her voice.

The guy immediately started backpedaling. “No, no--sorry,” he said. “I think I oversimplified that a little too much. What I meant was: You know that once you start feeling that way, the only way to get out of it is to distract yourself with something else. You have to manually switch your line of thinking onto something else so you can break the cycle of endless negative rumination.”

Her voice softened. “Oh, okay. That makes more sense.”

Let’s zoom out and look at this for a minute, shall we?

V1: Just change your thoughts.

V2: You know that once you start feeling that way, the only way to get out of it is to distract yourself with something else. You have to manually switch your line of thinking onto something else so you can break the cycle of endless negative rumination.

Same message, but major difference between versions one and two here, folks.

One comes across as callous and oversimplified, while the other is clear, compassionate, and helpful.

Now think about how this relates to your own life. How many conflicts or sticky situations could you have avoided if you thought about all conversations this way? Probably a lot. I know it’s true for me.

The lesson here is this: So often when we communicate either in writing or speaking, we use the simplest version of what we’re trying to say. It’s the fewest words to text back to someone. It’s the fastest to get out of our mouths.

In general, it saves time to distill things down. And there’s certainly a case to be made for simplicity in writing—being succinct is an important skill to have.

HOWEVER...there are moments when you should be more explicit.

Go into more detail when:

• There’s room for interpretation around what you’re saying that could be misunderstood

• You’re talking about a sensitive subject

• The point you’re making doesn’t fit nicely into a single sentence

If you can keep ‘being explicit’ top-of-mind as you communicate (both in writing and in speaking), I think you’ll find that it does wonders.

For one thing, you’ll have fewer conflicts and less people with hurt feelings in your life.

I’m on board for that, aren’t you?

This article originally appeared in my newsletter, A Cup of Copy. Sign up and get these free tips sent right to your inbox every other Wednesday.

Embracing Your Unique Writing Voice

I want you to picture me wearing a black turtleneck for this, k? Channeling all the Sinead O’Connor vibes.

Ugh. Sorry. I’m old. That joke probably landed for about 15% of you.

Whatevs, let’s move on!

Today, I wanna talk about the problem with comparing ourselves to other writers. Because it is, indeed, a problem. And there are things you can do about it.

You’d be surprised at the number of emails I get from people that say:

• “Hey there. I’m not a great writer, but I want to write more like X person. Can you help?”

• “I want to submit a guest post to X site, but I don’t think my writing is good enough. What do I do?”

• “I can write 100 blog posts a month, but the quality of writing sucks on all of them. HALP.”

All valid concerns. All fixable.

Here’s what I’d recommend to any person facing these feelings:

1. Don’t compare yourself to another writer.

You’re you, and that’s all you can be. Sorry ‘bout it. Embrace your you-ness and accept that you can’t magically replicate the writing voice or style of someone else.

Plus: The writers you admire probably have years of experience and practice that have helped them write the way they do. And they’ve worked hard to hone that craft. To get to that level, you have to put in the work.

2. Start doin’ the work.

Good writers practice writing. A LOT. They read a lot. They make notes on what they like in the things they read. They ask for feedback from other writers they respect (and openly accept/act on the edits they’re given.) They never settle on a first draft of anything. They write for the love of writing (even when they’re not getting paid for it.) Just like anything else, diligent focus and a deliberate effort toward improvement are the only ways to get better.

Do you think anyone ever learned to play the piano just by reading sheet music and listening to great piano players? I really doubt it. They had to put fingers to keys and clunk away. The same thing happens when your fingers hit your keyboard and you practice writing. It might be choppy and slow at first, but after a while, your fingers will fly and words will flow more freely, like music.

3. Follow the formula.

Your favorite writers probably have a certain writing cadence or flair that you can recognize anywhere. Reverse engineer that ‘ish. Break down what makes it so signature and what works well about it.

• How do they structure their writing? What makes it reader-friendly?

• What’s their lexicon like? What words do they use that are outside the norm?

• How do they work in personality? Pop culture references? GIFs? Sarcasm?

Really sit down and pick apart the writing that you like best and get to the bottom of what makes it great. Then institute similar practices in your own writing. You can’t BE another writer, but you can certainly emulate the characteristics you admire (without totally ripping another person off.)

Confidence in your writing takes time. It’s not easy. But it’s doable.

Do you still have questions about how to be a better writer (and how to stop comparing yourself to others?) Tweet me @Kaleighf.

This article originally appeared in my newsletter, A Cup of Copy. Sign up and get these free tips sent right to your inbox every other Wednesday.

How to Write in the Voice That's in Your Head

During an interview, I was recently asked how I’ve been able to make my writing voice sound so unique.

I’d never really paused to think about that before, but the answer came pretty quickly.

“It’s the voice in my head!” I said.

It sounded a little crazy when it came out of my mouth…but it was true.

The first draft of anything I write (when I’m writing as me, not a client) is pure stream of consciousness onto the page.

And by putting my inner dialogue onto the page (unfiltered), the writing voice is a reflection of my personality, my quirks, and how I sound in my most natural state.

And guess what? You can do that, too.

Your voice needs to shine. Maybe it needs to work in "that's what she said" jokes or say things like "YAS QUEEN!"

If that's how you sound in your head, that's how you should sound on the page.

How to write in the voice that’s in your head

Step One: Remove Filter

The first major obstacle to overcome is getting rid of that pesky lil’ thing that gets in between you and the page: Your internal filter.

If you’re editing your inner voice as you write, you’re essentially diluting yourself. You’re taking out your cute quirks, your speaking cadence, and the language you’d really use.

Stop that. Let it flow. Don’t worry about editing until later. Instead, write like you’d speak. 

Better yet: Write like you were telling a story to a group of friends. Don’t be afraid to give your writing voice a little performance element.

Step Two: Embellish with Humor

You have a sense of humor, right? Of course you do.

Maybe it’s sarcastic, or punny, or pop-culture based. Whatever it is: It should come through in your writing. 

Look back at your first draft and ask yourself: Where would a dash of humor make sense? 

Other questions to consider as you sprinkle in the comedy:

• Is there a joke naturally prompted here?

• Would some humor add to what I’m saying, or be distracting?

• Would people get the joke?

Bottom line: Look for places to punch up what you’ve written with your inner comedian. 

Step Three: Be Brave (and open to feedback)

Sharing your true inner voice can feel scary and exposing. 

Maybe you’re thinking, “If people know the real me, will they still like me?”

I’m sure the answer is yes. In fact, maybe more so for keepin’ it real. 

Anyone can churn out another boring article. But if you can write with a voice that sparkles with charming personality, you’re doing something that truly only YOU can do. 

Does that mean you should never be open to tweaking said voice? Nah. Feedback is a good thing. If you get some constructive feedback on how to make your writing voice better, run with it. It’s only going to help make you better.

Your inner voice is one people should hear. Let it out (and onto the page.)

This article originally appeared in my newsletter, A Cup of Copy. Sign up and get these free tips sent right to your inbox every other Wednesday.

How to Build Better Writing Briefs

Ever tried writing something without clear direction before?

It’s a freakin’ nightmare.

You don’t know who you’re writing for. Or why. Or really what you’re writing about.

I’ve been there, and I’ve learned that it just doesn’t work...even if you’re just writing an ugly first draft.

That’s why now, I start every writing assignment with a creative brief (which I plop right into the top of the Google Doc for reference as I write.)

It helps keep me on track, cuts WAY down on the time I spend editing, and makes my first drafts look like a final draft.

Whether you’re assigning a writing project to a team member/freelancer or you’re the writer in need of clear direction, you have to know what to ask for (and what to include) in a brief.

But there’s no one-size-fits-all guidance on this. I’ve looked. I eventually realized I’d just have to make up my own template.

A few things I always include in all my writing briefs:

• Post summary/objective: 3-5 sentences summarizing the topic of the post and what the reader should learn after reading it

• Style notes: Any words/phrases to avoid, important notes on grammar/style, preferences around formatting and layout

• Relevant articles to source: Inspiration articles, relevant articles from the company I’m writing for, research to cite, etc.

When I have all of this information, I put it right up top within the Google Doc I’m using and then insert a page break with a line. Everything below the line is the draft itself.

If there are pieces I don’t have (but need) before I can get to work, this helps me put together a shortlist of things to ask my client for and keeps the project moving forward at a good pace.

Get this template with info you can grab and use right away. 

I hope it’ll add some clarity and efficiency to your writing, as it has for me.

P.S. I was recently on the Hot Copy podcast with Belinda Weaver (and her extremely charming Aussie accent)

What I'm Teaching My Freelance Writing Intern

This fall, I’ll have my first *ever* freelance writing intern through one of the local colleges.

Working alongside me, said intern will get some hands-on experience with writing, running a business, and working in the online/freelance environment (mostly with software and eCommerce companies.)

Now, I realize that getting an intern up to speed is going to be a big undertaking. That’s why I’ve been working hard to create some solid onboarding materials to get that person up to speed as efficiently as possible.

Call me Patti Planner, but ya girl loves to have a process and NEEDS a plan. I've tried to chill on this and am only just now becoming someone kind of fun to vacation with.

ANYWAY. During the development process for the intern onboarding materials, I’ve come to realize: Many of the first few weeks are going to be a lot about learning and reading.

What I’m teaching my freelance writing intern

Below, you’ll find a few sections from the actual onboarding document I've been working on.

My hope in sharing this is that it will help offer a look inside my brain at a few things I’d tell myself to learn if I were starting at day one again. Let's dive in...

Getting Started: Learning the Basics of Good Blog Content

Before you start writing, it’s important to get familiar with how effective blog content looks, sounds, and reads. Unlike a research paper or an article for a newspaper, blog content is aimed at educating a very specific audience to accomplish business goals—which means you have to write in a way that does that.

Read these articles (and take notes!) for a crash course on high-quality content creation:

1. Storyhacking how-to

2. Supporting copy with images

3. Enhance your blog content

4. How to write an irresistible blog post

5. Writing well, fast

What do all of these blog posts do well besides teach valuable writing lessons? They have a very “readable” quality. The writing voice is engaging, there’s personality entwined, and it doesn’t feel like a boring, one-sided lecture. This is what we’re going for in our own blog posts.

Best Practices for Writing Blog Content

1. Always thoroughly read and review any creative briefs, style guide documents, and getting started notes before you begin writing. It’s also a good idea to look at past posts from the client to get familiar with the look and sound of their content. Your goal is to make your writing consistent with all other content, rather than to stand out with a unique/signature writing voice.

2. You’ll work from an outline in the beginning, so it’s best to start in the middle section and do the intro and closing last (once you know what all you’ve covered within the post.) More on this here.

3. When formatting a piece of blog content, be sure to mirror the structure and layout of past blog posts to maintain consistency. That means replicating the way past posts use:

• Titles: Do they ask for 2-3 potential titles that can be tested to see which performs best, or just one?

• Headings: The larger-font headlines that break the post into different sections (think of them as titles for each new section)

• Pull quotes: Quotes from sources or clients, often indented and in italics

• Link text anchoring: The highlighted text of a hyperlink to an external piece of content

  • Example: This post on content marketing shows how we define this marketing activity. (Notice that ‘content marketing’ is highlighted rather than ‘this post’)

• Images: Do you need to include a link to the image source below the screenshot or image within the post?

• Closing Call to Action (CTA): What action should the reader take at the end of the post, and how do they do it?

4. Before submitting a first draft, be sure to copy/paste your draft into Grammarly to check for grammar/spelling errors that were missed and make any necessary changes. Other free tools that may help the writing process:

• HemingwayApp: Helps shorten long sentences and improve readability

• ClicheFinder: To spot and replace cliches

• Airstory: To organize thoughts/research before/during the writing process

5. Stay consistent with our brand writing quirks:

• When you need to pause a thought mid-sentence, use an em dash (—).

• If you need an aside with the reader, use parenthesis. Punctuation goes outside, unless it ends the thought.

• Rhetorical questions (that get you and the reader on the same page) are your friend. See what we did there?

Things to do when writing:

• Always answer the questions that pop up as you’re writing. If you have to pause and think, “What is that?” or “Why?” a reader probably will too. Answer those questions within the post.

• Use images to illustrate ideas. Screenshots often work well for this when referencing good or bad examples.

• Link to high-quality research, stats, and case studies. Wikipedia is not link-worthy. We always want reliable research from the past three years if possible so it’s current. Google Scholar is a great starting place.

Things to avoid when writing:

• Referencing/linking to competitors of the brand you’re writing for.

• Talking down to the reader. Most of the time, audience members are pretty well-versed in what they’re reading, so we always assume they’re at a novice level rather than beginner.

• Staying at the surface level. We want to take a deep dive and answer all of the ‘whys’ around a topic when we write rather than writing a fluffy piece that the reader doesn’t learn anything new from.

As you can imagine, there's a lot more to this document—but what I've included here is what I'd tell myself if I were starting from scratch with content creation.

If you also have an intern/new team member on your freelance content writing team, feel free to borrow/tweak these notes as a starting point.

This article originally appeared in my newsletter, A Cup of Copy. Sign up and get these free tips sent right to your inbox every other Wednesday.

Quick Grammar Refresher for Freelance Writers

We all make mistakes from time to time.

We all have those words that we ~never~ spell right on the first try.

But even in the modern world of spell check and tools like Grammarly, it’s always best to know how to get things right on the first go-around.

Know why? Because then, when we’re speaking--and not writing with the help of a tool--we sound smarter. And, let's be honest: Those handy tools don't always catch everything anyway.

Some of the more common grammar/usage mistakes that crop up in freelance writing

1. The apostrophe situation around ‘its’

Remember that you only use the apostrophe within ‘its’ when you want to say ‘it is’ or ‘it has’. Otherwise, you’re saying something belongs to the ‘it’.

Incorrect: I can’t believe its finally summer.
Correct: I can’t believe it’s (it is) finally summer.

2. More on apostrophes...

People really struggle with where to put these pesky little punctuation marks. Remember:

• Use the apostrophe after the s (as in s’) when referring to something that’s owned by a collective/multiple people. Ex: After the storm, the west siders’ homes were destroyed.

• Use apostrophe s (as in ‘s) when you want to express an individual's ownership. Ex: Katie’s books got soaked in the rain.

Write Better Right Now

3. Irregardless

Not a word. You mean ‘regardless’.

4. “I could care less”

By writing this, you’re actually telling someone you don’t care much, but you could care a little less than you do in that moment. You mean to write: “I couldn’t care less.”

5. Per say vs. per se

Close, but no cigar. You mean to write ‘per se’, which means ‘in itself’ in Latin.

6. Piece of mind

While you can always give someone a piece of your mind, in this instance, you mean peace of mind to indicate serenity.

7. Segway vs. segue

Segway is the stand up scooter. When you’re talking about transitioning from point A to B, you mean to write segue.

8. Dangling modifier

That’s one of those English class references that probably makes your eyes glaze over. Here’s what it means: When a describing word (an adjective, usually) gets separated from the word it describes, it makes the sentence sound awkward and confusing. Make sure your modifier always references the noun it describes.

Incorrect: While walking on the beach, Kelly found a glittery woman’s dress.
Correct: While walking on the beach, Kelly found a woman’s glittery dress.

(Sidebar: If anyone knows how to make ME a glittery woman, please let me know--very into that idea.)

9. Free reign vs. free rein

Tricky, this one is. Reign is what royalty does (so it kind of makes sense), but you probably mean rein, which is what one does to restrain a horse. When you’re talking about giving someone the ability to roam free, that’s the horse reference--so use rein.

10. Throws vs. throes

If you’re in the throws of passion, you’re probably in a physical fight. But if you’re in the throes of passion, you’re having an all-consuming emotional experience.

BONUS: Quick and easy ways to remember how to spell things right on the first try

• Dessert vs. desert: Which one do you want more of? That’s the one with a double ‘s’.

• Accommodate: This word can accommodate a double 'c' and a double 'm'

• Misspell: Miss Pell never misspells

Need more? This post outlines a few other common writing mistakes to avoid.

Hope this quick list of reminders is just what you needed today.

This article originally appeared in my newsletter, A Cup of Copy. Sign up and get these free tips sent right to your inbox every other Wednesday.

How to Become a More Confident Writer

There’s one thing I hear from writers more than anything else.

Know what it is?

It’s that they don’t feel confident in their writing abilities.

When they do write something:

• They second guess every sentence and spend hours on what should take minutes.

• They run it through every writing optimization tool known to man but still aren’t happy with the end result.

• They hover over the ‘Publish’ button but don’t end up sharing what they’ve written.

The reason? “It’s just not good enough,” they say.

I get it. I really do.

In fact, here’s a post I wrote and published over on Medium back on January 14, 2014 (six years ago). I cringe a little when I read this today. It feels...glib. Flowery. Naive.

But you know what? I’m glad I shared it.

It allows me to see how my writing has evolved, and it gives me a benchmark to reference around the improvement of my writing skills. It’s also a snapshot of my internal dialogue at that point in my life--and if it weren’t documented, I’d probably have forgotten that I ever even had this thought by now. Even though it’s not on par with the writing I share today, it was good practice.

It’s easy to become a better writer if you put in the work.

No one gets a permanent “bad writer” stamp on the forehead. I know that if you’ve been told you’re not a great writer (or even that your writing could use some work)--it doesn’t always feel that way.

But the good news is: I’ve seen firsthand how a few new habits can make a world of difference in the writing department.

Growing Your Writing Confidence

What can you do to become a more confident writer (and shirk Imposter Syndrome?)

1. Commit to a 30-day challenge.

Practice makes perfect, so challenging yourself to practice writing every day for 30 days (even if it’s just for five minutes!) can be a good way to introduce a new habit that sticks.

This can be journaling, writing a short story every day, recalling a memory, free writing--just get words onto a page. You don’t even have to share the finished product--just put it on your daily to-do list and commit to making it a priority.

2. Read more: Try a book per month minimum.

In this post, you may have seen that one of the pieces of writing advice from Stephen King was to have a solid reading habit. Reading gets you more familiar with words, different syntax ideas for sentence structure, unique metaphors--you name it.

That’s why having a healthy reading habit (of at least a book per month, I’d say) can help you become a better writer. If you have 15-20 spare minutes a day (you know you do), devote that to reading.

3. Keep a swipe file.

Sometimes you see writing that just really “does it” for you. Maybe the writing voice connects with you on a personal level or there’s a turn of phrase that makes you pause and think, “Wow, what a great way to describe that.”

Make notes on what you like about those pieces of writing and keep a running list of reference material (a swipe file, of sorts) that you can refer back to on days when you need writing inspiration. This will help you better understand what makes certain pieces of writing better than others--and can inform your own writing moving forward.

4. Be open to feedback (and ask for it).

It’s easy to be sensitive about your writing--I know I am. It’s so personal, right?

The thing is: Closing yourself off to constructive criticism only holds you back from improving your writing skills.

I’ve turned in what I thought were excellent first drafts to editors, only to have them sent back with lots of notes and suggestions for edits. My first reaction is to take it personally...but when I get into their comments, I often realize they’ve spotted holes I missed, they have suggestions for better reading comprehension, etc.

We both want the same thing: To produce the best possible piece of writing we can. Being open to that feedback helps us accomplish that goal.

Accepting feedback--and asking for it from writers you trust and respect--is an easy way to get external perspective on where/how/what you can improve in your writing.

Write Better Right Now

Writing Confidence Comes With Practice

Are you going to become a better writer overnight? Nope, definitely not.

There’s a lot of work to be done, but if you can dedicate yourself to improving, I think you’ll be surprised at how quickly you can make strides.

This article originally appeared in my newsletter, A Cup of Copy. Sign up and get these free tips sent right to your inbox every other Wednesday.

The 6 BEST Pieces of Writing Advice

Today, I gathered six of the best pieces of writing advice from writers and authors who are ~way~ smarter than me. So you can get some insight from someone other than me.

My hope is that these bite-sized pieces of writing wisdom will help you with whatever type of writing it is you’re working on this week.

Let's get to it, shall we?

Writing Advice from Professional Writers

1. Get through a draft as quickly as possible. Hard to know the shape of the thing until you have a draft. Have the courage to write badly. – Joshua Wolf Shenk

See? I told you that writing ugly was the secret to great writing. If you can get something down (even if it's bad), you've got something to work with. A blank page, however, stays a blank page.

2. Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. -Mark Twain

The same is true for ‘really’. Keep this trick in mind as you do your own self-editing. I'm always tempted to use 'very' and 'pretty' and 'really' and...(really)...they're just fluff.

3. Start telling the stories that only you can tell, because there’ll always be better writers than you and there’ll always be smarter writers than you. There will always be people who are much better at doing this or doing that — but you are the only you. -Neil Gaiman

Tell stories that leverage your personal experiences. I said so; Neil said so! We all say so! You're a human, writing for other humans. Humans love stories--and you probably have some good ones to tell. Share them.

4. If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time — or the tools — to write. Simple as that. -Stephen King

Reading and writing go hand in hand. Period. You don't even have to read about how to be a better writer--just the mere practice of reading will get you more comfortable with words, phrasing, voice, and cadence. Reading is your writing apprenticeship.

5. Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. -Anton Chekhov

Visual storytelling makes your writing un-boring. Paint pictures with your words and make your readers imagine what you see in your mind's eye when you're telling a story. Show rather than tell.

6. If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it. -Elmore Leonard

Write like you speak. People have good senses about BS--they see right through it. Write as if you were telling a story out loud to another person and it will be much more authentic.

This article originally appeared in my newsletter, A Cup of Copy. Sign up and get these free tips sent right to your inbox every other Wednesday.

How to Be a Better Self-Editor

Is there anything worse than submitting a piece of writing somewhere and getting it sent back with endless edits?

Opening a document filled with notes is like an instant gut-punch.
 
It says, “You didn’t nail this one.”

And while not nailing it on the first try is definitely okay--wouldn’t it be great if you could cut down on the edits required by, say, 50 percent? 30 percent, even? I’d sign up for that.
 
The good news is: It’s pretty easy to achieve this goal.
 
In working with some truly talented editors over the past several years who manage high traffic blogs and top-ranked publications, I’ve noticed four common themes within their editing processes.
 
Today, I use these approaches on my own writing before sending over a first draft. As a result, both parties spend significantly less time editing.
 
Sounds nice, right? Here's what you need to know.

1. Punch up your title and headings

The first time I turned in a post for CopyHackers, I noticed that when the edits came back, my title and all of the headings had been changed...and they were WAY BETTER.
 
As I was reading, I went, “Ohhhhhhhhhh...I get it now...”
 
The edited versions were more interesting, funnier, and did a better job of leading the reader further down into the post. Overall, these punched up elements made the whole piece more valuable.
 
Here’s an example...
 
My heading: Why emotion in advertising works
CH heading: You know we buy based on emotion and justify with logic. But do you know why?
 
Clearly, the CopyHackers version is much more interesting--and it’s formulated in a natural way that entices the reader to keep reading.
 
Today, I take this approach with all of my long-form writing.

In editing headings, I make sure that I’m posing questions, teasing out pain points, or setting up an interesting story that leverages a curiosity gap. You should do it, too.

2. Always ask, “But, why?”

The best editors I’ve worked with are great at spotting holes and asking, “But why?” to every point being made.
 
In order for your writing to be thorough and logical, it needs to answer any questions that naturally arise. If as you’re reading, you think, “Will my reader already know the backstory here?”--it’s safe to assume the answer is no.
 
That means: If there’s something left unexplained, take the time to spell it out for the reader.
 
Often times research and case studies are a good way to do this. Illustrate everything you can, add clarity around complex ideas, and back up every point with details.
 
It’s kind of like writing a college research paper. You should be adding to your annotated bibliography (man, I hated those…) all the way through the piece.

3. Break down long sentences

I have a tendency to ramble a bit with my sentences. I just like it, okay?
 
But most of the time, shorter, less complex sentences are much better for general reading comprehension. Plus, the shorter your sentences, the easier it is to break up big chunks of on-screen text. That means easier reading.
 
Free tools like Hemingway App can help you spot your overly complex sentences, but keep in mind that you don’t need to super-simplify, either. It’s a good rule of thumb to strive for a 10th grade reading level.

4. Reorganize the non-sequiturs

Especially if you’re writing anything long-form, it can be easy to get ahead of yourself and to introduce new ideas or points that don’t flow naturally within the piece. But that’s non-sequitur (and not so good).
 
Your goal as a writer is to put together points that build upon one another--so when there’s information introduced that falls out of line with what you’re building, it makes the whole structure...kinda shaky.
 
That’s why you need to make sure you’re building a pyramid shape with your writing, not an asterisk.
 
Now, if you’re too “inside” the piece to accurately judge the flow, then you should get a second set of eyes to read it for you.
 
This doesn’t need to be someone who intimately knows the subject matter, either. It can actually be a benefit to have an outsider review what you’ve written, as they can more easily spot areas where greater clarity or explanation is needed.
 
And remember…
 
While these are the big four as far as most helpful takeaways I’ve gleaned from working with various editors, you should also keep a few things top-of-mind while you edit:

Write Better Right Now

The better you get at self-editing, the more editors will appreciate working with you (and the more readers will enjoy reading your stuff).

This article originally appeared in my newsletter, A Cup of Copy. Sign up and get these free tips sent right to your inbox every other Wednesday.

How to Overcome the Blank Page

When it comes to writing, sometimes getting started is the hardest part.

It can result in hours of procrastination, sweaty palms, and a last-minute scramble as a deadline approaches.

So what’s behind the first draft intimidation — and how can writers overcome it?

The Confidence Issue

If you don't have a lot of confidence in your writing, it's probably not something you look forward to. In fact, you probably put it off as long as possible.

The bright side is: You're not alone in that feeling.

• Research shows that only 1 in 4 high school seniors write at a proficient level.

• At the college level, fewer than 50% of college seniors feel their writing has improved over the course of their secondary education.

• At the professional level, the National Commission on Writing discovered companies spend more than $3.1 billion each year on remedial writing courses.

WHOA. That's a lotta dollars.

But that doesn't mean all hope is lost.

The good news is: People in the "writing sucks!" boat can overcome the self-doubt that keeps them from putting their thoughts into writing. Here's how.

Writing Ugly

Getting an ugly first draft written down creates a starting place for improvement. It doesn’t have to be pretty, make sense, or go into detail yet—it just needs to be on the page.

I’ve seen lots of great posts before that talk about the idea of “writing ugly” at a high level, but not many that really spell out how to go about doing it.

That’s why I wanted to share the strategy I use when writing thousands of words for different clients and publications.

First things first: Create a framework.

1. Framework

Before you try to get too in-depth, create an ugly framework. It should look something like this:

• Intro

• Background

• Specific Points/Ideas/Tips (one per paragraph)

• Conclusion

This step will help you get rid of the empty page and allows you to visualize what elements you need to build upon. It’s your roadmap.

2. Middle First

Next, you’ll want to focus on the middle section of your outline. Start here with fresh attention. Nail down the basic examples or points you want to walk through, and leave the rest (including the title, intro, and closing) for later.

Then, start filling out each paragraph one at a time. Dump it all into your draft, but try to keep it organized. Remember: This doesn’t have to be pretty. Just get the basic information down.

3. Background

Once you have the middle section complete, look at it as a whole to determine what kind of background information you need to share at the beginning so that the reader has relevant context before diving into the bulk of what you’ve written.

This could be a fictional scenario, a story, a quote — just something that explains why in the world you’re writing what you’re writing.

4. Intro & Conclusion

These two parts come last. They should be similar, but not identical. Like what they say about eyebrows! "They're sisters, not twins."

Your introduction welcomes the reader with a conversational tone, while the conclusion goes over what you explained and reminds him or her of the one main takeaway.

5. Editing

When your ugly first draft is complete, you can then go back in to polish things up and perfect your work — but not before then. Self-editing while you write is the enemy of completion.

If you need an extra set of eyes to look it over and give suggestions, ask for help. They might catch things you missed or have a different perspective that spots the holes or confusing elements within your piece.

And finally, give yourself enough time to go back after a day or two to check and re-edit with fresh eyes. As the idea rolls around in your mind over the course of a few days, you might have new thoughts on additions for your piece or arguments that could be made against a point you’re making.

The bottom line: By embracing the ugly first draft, you can write more efficiently — and over time, you’ll notice that the process becomes simpler until you never worry about the blank page again.

P.S. Yeah Write Club has officially launched! Sign up and become part of the club.

This article originally appeared in my newsletter, A Cup of Copy. Sign up and get these free tips sent right to your inbox every other Wednesday.