Have you ever dreamed of crafting so beautiful and moving sentences that could make even a rusty nail shed a tear? I confess I have, too! But between juggling commitments and that pesky inner voice whispering doubts, who has the time to hone their writing skills truly? Fear not, fellow word warriors! This post is your secret weapon with 11 tips on how to become a better writer under 60 minutes.
So, grab your favorite beverage, settle in, and prepare to uncover your William Shakespeare within. Even if your current prose resembles a kindergarten finger-painting masterpiece, these easy-to-digest writing tips will take your writing go from ‘meh’ to ‘wow’.
Okay, now, without further ado…LETS DIVE RIGHT IN!
11 Simple Tips to Become a Better Writer Under 60 Minutes
Aesthetics
First impressions are EVERYTHING. You don’t want to scare your readers away with giant walls of text that scream high-school history.
How to avoid that red flag?
Air out the words. Let them breathe.
Hit ‘enter’ after every 1-2 sentences. Paragraphs should be no longer than that.
Sort out information using bullet points/lists.
Don’t forget that people are naturally attracted to beauty.
Hit ‘em with Loss!
For some weird reason, the fear of loss hits readers 10X harder than the joy of gaining.
Verify your password to help protect your account.
Verify your password or risk losing all your money from your account.
The first one gets a yawn, “Yeah, sure, after this video, maybe…”
The last one sets your butt on fire. You rush to do whatever is told.
80% Benefits, 20% Features – Non-negotiable to Become a Better Writer
News flash! No one gives a penny about how great your product is, if there is nothing in it for THEM. So, to keep them from scrolling past, the 80-20 method is a no-brainer.
This shampoo is free from sulfur compounds, artificial coloring, and other harmful additives to protect your hair.
Protect your precious hair from split ends, damaged roots, and falling off to get smooth, shiny, silky hair with our new organic shampoo.
Which one will you scroll past, and which one will you buy? I am sure we are both thinking the same thing. Right?
Clarity
It’s time to let go of your high school English lessons, where you show off your stack of fancy vocab. Ditch hard-to-digest words to become a better writer.
This is the new age where clarity troops clever.
Do NOT risk burying your actual message under a pile of complex words and technical jargon.
If your intriguing phrases make your feeble-minded readers with the attention span of a humble goldfish have to squint their eyes and strain their neurons more than their expectations, it is highly plausible they will depart, never to return.
Making your readers’ eyes glaze over is a surefire way to lose them permanently.
See? So cut the fluff and keep it simple and convey better.
Current-Moment Bias
In a world where time is money, you must build up the value of your product/service by emphasizing HOW much they are getting while spending HOW less time, effort, and resources.
It took me 100 days to learn this. Take it away in less than 10 minutes.
(Oh, that’s a great deal! 10 mins? I can spare that)
Highlight the contrast, agitate the offer, and sweeten the deal. They will not resist.
Ditch Adverbs, Get Strong Verbs
I mean EXACTLY what I said.
Throw away your sack of adverbs and hire some verbs on steroids. Yeah, not just ANY verbs, the ones with CRUSHING IMPACT.
She closed the door loudly.
She slammed the door.
Read it aloud in your mind. Which one has a stronger impact? The red or green?
Verbs of Achievement
Listen, unless it’s a tragic tale or an eulogy, you want to constantly shift your readers’ mindset towards success, accomplishments, Nutella… good stuff.
You need to create that mood, that clear breeze that seems to blow away all the doubts and fills them with warm confidence.
How? By literally saying they can DO it. (Get it, verbs = action words = do)
Succeed Achieve Advance Master
The list is much bigger than that.
Just remember, the way to the pocket is through the mind.
Challenge Common Beliefs
“Pollution is amazing.
That is if you fancy living on Mars.”
See, the 1st line makes you think, “Hey, have you lost your mind?” Which makes you automatically read the next lines out of sheer curiosity.
The easiest way to stand out in a crowd of millions, to become a better writer, and to go against convention. Stand against the tide.
It sticks out like a sore thumb.
Stick out a Scarecrow. They are outstanding. (OK, sorry. Lets move on)
Simple Language
This one is similar to Point 4.
TALK with your audience the same way you talk with your best friend for maximum engagement.
Keep things simple, conversational, and easy to understand. Readers WILL be hooked.
Optimize Bullet-Points
You already covered bullet points for aesthetics, right? But this might just backfire if you don’t know how to do it right.
So how do you do it right?
By keeping things as short and concise as possible. Take this for an example.
How to
-make money by writing online
-make money by freelancing
-make money by dancing in public
How to make money by
-writing online
-freelancing
-dancing in public
Avoid repeating the same words at every point, and just say it once to sound like a better writer.
The lighter your bullets, the faster and more effectively they can penetrate minds.
Customer-Centric Copy
Hey, you want to make more sales, right? You want your words to convert casual onlookers into paid customers, right?
Then, target your copy FOR your potential clients. Make them FEEL SPECIAL.
Copywriting can make you rich.
You can get rich with copywriting.
Put your audience to the forefront. On the subject.
Wrap Up
By some miracle, you actually ENJOYED the read. And you actually realize how much value you gained with a simple 5-minute read. And maybe only if you are one of the rarest and most special species are you craving for MORE to become a better writer?
Well, if that was a yes, then CONGRATULATIONS!
You have successfully passed Level 1, where 97% of people fail. So, start implementing the above and stand out as the best writer in your circle.
