17 tweets that’ll make you more money than a $155,088 English degree:

Hook your reader with these 5 tips:

1. Create curiosity
2. Hint at a benefit
3. Use simple words
4. Use words “you” and “your”
5. Keep the opening sentence short

That’s why you clicked on this thread ;)
Write below a 5th grade level.

Don’t say: “Utilize”
Say: “Use"

Don't say: "Affirmative"
Say: “Yes”

Don’t say: “Idiosyncratic”
Say: “Distinct”

The smarter you try to sound, the dumber you look.
Abolish your adverbs.

She didn’t “Yell loudly.”
She “Screamed.”

The man wasn’t “Really big.”
The man was “Gigantic.”

The boy didn’t “Run quickly ahead.”
The boy “Raced ahead.”

Use the right words and you won't waste them.
Terminate the word “very” from your vocabulary.
Create an avatar of your reader:

• What’s their job?
• How old are they?
• Where do they live?
• What are their goals?
• What are their hobbies?
• Are they a man or woman?
• What keeps them up at night?

This will make your writing engaging.
Use short sentences.

Readers can easily follow them.

But don’t overdo it.

Notice my writing sounding robotic?

Majority of sentences should be short, but get comfortable using longer sentences to make your writing flow.
Quantify your timeframes.

Don't say "Fast."
Say "In less than 24 hours."

Don't say "Quickly."
Say "In 30 minutes or less.”

Specificity sells.
Use contractions.

“Proper” writing is stiff.

Contractions give your writing a personal feel.

It is → It’s
Do not → Don’t
You are → You’re

Read your writing out loud and replace clunky-sounding words.
Create a folder on your computer.

Every time:

• An email makes you buy
• A headline makes you read
• A tweet makes you retweet

Place it in the folder.

This will give you killer material to emulate in your writing.
Use the website, PowerThesaurus. com, to find powerful replacements for boring words.
You destroy your flow when you edit while you write.

When you write, you engage the creative part of your brain.

When you edit, you engage the analytical part of your brain.

Doing both is like stepping on the gas and hitting reverse.

Write first, edit after.
Avoid empty words like "Really."

Don't say: "Really hot.”
Say: “Scorching.”

Don't say: "Really mad."
Say: "Furious."

Don't say: "Really good."
Say: “Fantastic.”

You’ll say more with less words.
Read to get improve your writing.

3 of the best books I’ve read on writing:

1. Writing Tools - Roy Peter Clark
2. On Writing Well - William Zinsser
3. 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing - Gary Provost

Use the principles in these books and you’ll be ahead of 99% of writers.
Show, don’t tell

Don’t say “She was mad.”

Say “Her fists clenched tight as she stared the man down.”

Longer? Yup.

But the words make it easy to visualize and 10x more engaging.
If you can’t write 1000 words, write 500.

If you can’t write 500 words, write 100.

If you can’t write 100 words... well…stop being a bitch and write 100.

Get in the habit of starting.

You’ll build momentum and it’ll get easier over time.
Avoid passive voice.

It’s sounds weak and is hard to understand.

“The apple was eaten by the girl.”

Turns into:

“The girl ate the apple.”

Now the sentence is less cluttered and more clear.
Write to one person.

Your readers want to be talked to, not talked at.

Load up your writing with pronouns “You” and “Your”.

It'll give your writing a personal feeling.

Like how I’ve been talking to you this whole thread ;)
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