Want your content to stand out? Think about making it parasocial in 2023 in beyond. Moving forward, freelance writers can expect to see more content not driven by topics, but by online personalities and their various personal interests.
Read moreHow to Build a Style Guide
If you're wondering how to build a style guide for writers, look no further. This post covers tips, resources, and suggestions for helping you complete yours.
Read moreBlog Content Strategy for 2022
If you own a company and are interested in starting a blog, what should you know?
Content creation (see also: blogging) can be overwhelming if you’ve never done it before. As an experienced content marketer with more than eight years under my belt in this space, here's what I’d recommend.
Read moreDoes Your Writing Take a Stance?
There’s a lot of writing out there in the world, but the stuff that stands out in our modern, noisy world seems to follow one approach: It takes a stance. It puts a stake in the ground and says, “This is what I think and believe to be true. Here’s why.”
Here's how you can do the same.
Read moreHow to Become a Better Writer in 30 Days
You won’t transform into a masterful writer overnight, but you can become a better writer in just 30 days—as long as you have the right approach.
Here’s what you need to consider going into this.
Read moreHow to Get Readers to Like You in 10 seconds
What if I told you it was possible to make readers like you within 10 seconds of reading?
You’d want to know how to do that, right?
It’s actually pretty easy to do. Here are four ways you can make this happen.
Read moreWriting Practice: Focus on Tiny Wins
A few weeks ago, I decided to alter my diet a bit.
Quarantine has me stress-eating (and loading up on sugar, alcohol, and comfort foods.)
The result = feeling like garbage.
How to Get People to Read Your Posts
We all know that attention spans are shorter than ever (about 7-8 seconds on average, in fact.) Compound this with the distractions that crop up every minute of the day in the modern world, and you’ve got a major challenge on your hands when it comes to getting someone to sit still and actually read something you’ve written.
Read moreCommon Writing Questions Answered
I pulled together a FAQ that puts answers to common writing-related questions all in one place. Here are my quick, short-form answers and links to longer-form reads that answer these questions in depth.
Read moreHow 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.
How to Write a Good Outline
Do I *really* have to put together an outline before I start writing? Is it entirely necessary?
I say the answer is yes.
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.
Embracing Your Unique Writing Voice
I want you to picture me wearing a black turtleneck for this newsletter, 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.
How to Write in the Voice That's in Your Head
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.
Guess what? You can do that, too.
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.
How to Write for Fidgety Skeptics
The title of today’s writing lesson is inspired by the book 10% Happier, which I’ve been listening to lately on audiobook.
Dan Harris (the author) talks about being a fidgety skeptic in regard to meditation...and that got me thinking:
That’s how I feel about a lot of sales-oriented writing.
Fidgety. Skeptical. It just doesn't work for me.
Write when you have something to share
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about quality vs. quantity when it comes to writing.
The reason: I did some math recently.
If I’ve been averaging 3,600 words per week for almost four years now, that means I’ve written more than 691,000 words.
Um…that’s a lot of words. It’s kind of hard to wrap my mind around.
Messaging Strategy Document: What It Is and Why You Need One
Writing anything is difficult when you don’t have clear direction.
If you don’t know whom you’re writing for (or how the writing voice should sound, what your goals are, etc.) you’re kind of just winging it every time.
But successful writing doesn't ever "wing it." It's strategic, clear, and powerful.
That’s where a messaging strategy document comes in handy. I recently put one of these together, which is why it’s fresh in my mind.
Writing Email Subject Lines That Stand Out From the Holiday Deluge
Right now, I’m getting about 50% more emails than I usually do.
Holiday promo after holiday promo is rolling into my inbox.
And honestly, I’ve only actually clicked on 2-3 of these emails to see what’s inside.
Know why?
How to Write More Efficiently (And Earn More $$ as a Freelance Writer)
Most weeks, I write anywhere from 8,000-10,000 words for various projects. That’s some pretty serious writing, I think.
Remember in school when a 500-word paper seemed daunting? Yeah. Welcome to my life. I do that 20x a week sometimes.
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