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Here are a few writing rules that'll make your 2022 writing journey much better
Welcome to today’s issue of Efikó, a weekly newsletter by me, Dozie Anyaegbunam, with a focus on content marketing, writing, social strategy, and living your best life. THANK YOU for being here! I appreciate you.
Hello 👋
How’s the week been and broken any of your New Year resolutions yet?
Those things rarely last past January.
These days, I plan my life in multi-year cycles. We overestimate what we can achieve in 12 months. And underestimate what we can become with 2 -3 years of focused execution.
But if New Year resolutions get you fired up, 👍🏿
Today, it’s all about writing rules that can make a difference in your writing if you practice them in the coming months.
Here goes…
Write how you talk
No one talks “professionally.”
And even if you are unfortunate enough to work in an office where your colleagues love to throw corporate lingo around, your readers don’t want to read that in your articles.
To find your voice:
Record yourself speaking about a topic you understand well enough
Transcribe the recording
Notice the rhythm of your sentences and mimic that in your writing.
Shorter sentences over long sentences
Fewer commas. More periods.
Long sentences have your writing looking long-winded. Few writers have the nous to pull off a well-written long sentence. It takes some skill.
Also, remember, most readers skim. So, if your sentences are too long, they won’t read.
But shorter sentences doesn’t mean you drop long sentences
Alternate between short and long sentences.
A good rule of thumb is a long sentence should follow a short sentence. A short sentence should follow a long sentence. A short section should follow a long section. A long section should follow a short section.
But remember, rules are made to be broken.
Use declarative language
Take a stance when writing.
Readers can sense when you are vague and unsure. If you find yourself struggling to make a point, you don’t understand what you are writing about.
Or you need to do more research.
Here’s to better writing!
If you read one thing
This article on a model for creating successful, viral content by Rand Fishkin is a must-read.
The Content Marketing AltMBA
Want a copy of The Content Marketing AltMBA?
Hit the reply button.
Not Enough Writers
Our “30 days of writing” challenge starts on January 23rd. It’ll be 30 days of writing:
250 - 400 words
Every day
That you’ll publish and share on any social network of your choice.
We have also set up a NEWville Medium page to share the best Atomic Essays by members. The criteria for publishing will be:
Grammatical and structural correctness
Logical flow
Lack of fluff
You in?
Know someone who might find this challenge helpful? Please get them to sign up here!
Content writing jobs
And here’s a Google Docs link that also includes high-paying pitching opportunities
All the best, folks. Could you please share with any of your friends/colleagues who might find this helpful?
My biggest takeaway this week 🚀
The more you dabble, the less you accomplish that's meaningful. Mastery demands commitment and dedication.
Shane Parrish
What I’m thinking about
Meditation is like hitting the reboot button on your day. And you have the luxury of doing it anytime.
If you would love me to review your writing and give you feedback, you can book a time here. Or just hit the reply button.
Thanks for reading this far. I am grateful!
Be good out there. If you can’t be good, be careful.
I’ll be back on 1/21.
Dozie
P.S: If you enjoyed this, please consider sharing it on LinkedIn or with a friend! If this was sent to you by a friend, get the following email by signing up here.
