Twenty-one simple tricks to instantly make your writing more impactful

What I learned from sixteen years of sharing my writing online

I’ve written over 100,000 tweets, 100s of articles and blogs, and over 6 books.

I read back over some of it and smile at how far I’ve come.

A lot of my stuff flopped.

Many now write to me each week, thanking me for helping them with my words. It’s a feeling like nothing else.

Here are 21 tips that helped me write better sentences:

Speak to your mate.

Write like you’re writing to a best friend. The reader will feel your authenticity, sincerity, and warmth.

Simple words.

Don’t use long words when short or more exact words will do. Comprehension > Impressive words.

Conversational but not lazy.

Be lively and loose in your writing, but don’t skip or misspell words. And don’t abuse your grammar, even in writing tweets. To me, lazy writing is like turning up to a date with dirty fingernails. Have some respect, and so will the reader.

Cut vagueness.

Your reader will connect with specificity. Give clear examples. Be vivid with your words, so the reader can see what you’re saying in their mind’s eye.

Write ‘bad’ first.

Don’t worry about making mistakes, or your writing will ultimately be boring. Writing that crackles with life is written fearlessly. Get it all down first. Edit later.

Subject and verb early.

Strong writing reveals the active participant and what they are doing early in a sentence. It brings the reader right in. E.g. ‘They ate a range of smelly cheeses…’

Quit being long-winded.

This reflects indecisiveness. Avoid using additional words when a shorter version of the sentence is enough.

Vary the word.

Avoid repeating the same words too close to one another. It adds a monotonous weight to a passage…