Reading journal: The Art and Business of Online Writing

Hey!

I’ve finished another book. It’s about writing, especially writing online. This doesn’t mean that my writing will get instantly better. I’m just interested in writing and the business of writing.

This was a useful read. It contained a lot of good ideas, and proven strategies about writing and it wasn’t overwritten in my opinion. It summarized the history of online writing pretty well. It also covered techniques and methods that worked in the past, but not working today because of the short attention span of today’s people. There were some suggestions which are specific to the English language, therefor weren’t that useful for me.

If you want to make money on the internet with your writing, or you’re interested in writing in general, this book is for you.

Now, let’s see the most interesting quotes from this book.

There are 2 types of writers today: those who use data to inform and improve their writing, and those who fail.

Categories are how we organize information in our minds. Know your category and you’ll know where readers “fit” you into their own minds.

Unless you can consciously name the category, you will never have a firm grasp as to whether your work is “Better” or “Worse” than the competition. It isn’t until you understand the category, and see “The Ladder” that exists within your category, that you can begin climbing your way to the top.

The secret to creating a unique writing style is by doing what would be considered “unexpected” in your chosen category.

“The Rate of Revelation.” This is the rate at which you reveal new information to the reader—and new information is what keeps people interested.

The inverse rule of “Specificity is the Secret,” is “The Broader You Are, The More Confusing You Are.”

The real question you should never stop asking yourself is, “Could this be more specific?” Because the more specific you can be, the more likely you are to resonate with your target reader MORE than your competition.

DIFFERENT always beats “Better.”

“The number of hours I spend consuming should never equal or exceed the number of hours I spend creating.”

We are afraid of sharing who we are today—because we believe who we’ll be tomorrow will be “better.”

Data doesn’t lie. But data is also a reflection of the external crowd, and not necessarily your internal compass.

Audience Hacking means collaborating with another writer who has a similar audience to you—introducing your audience to them and their audience to you.

You can publish anything you write in infinite social environments (Quora, Medium, LinkedIn, Wattpad, excerpts on Twitter and Facebook, etc.).

There are five types of writing on the internet. Form #1: Actionable Guide, Form #2: Opinion, Form #3: Curated List, Form #4: Story, Form #5: Credible Talking Head

What you’re aiming for is the most value you can possibly deliver WITHOUT 1) confusing the reader, or 2) wasting their time.

What makes a great headline is getting someone to understand three things at the exact same time: What this piece of writing is about. Who this piece of writing is for. The PROMISE: the problem that will be solved, and/or the solution being offered.

This is what’s known as The Curiosity Gap. The Curiosity Gap is what tells the reader what this piece of writing is about, who it’s for, and what it’s promising—all without revealing the answer.

Writers who don’t use subheads are significantly disadvantaged when it comes to writing online, because a reader’s eyes naturally “look” for subheads more than they do full paragraphs and blocks of text.

Lists, when combined with sub-par information, come off as weak, boring, and a waste of time. It’s not the listing of things that readers enjoy. What they enjoy is being given a ton of valuable and relevant information in a compressed amount of time.

Once you’ve written your introduction (or, even before you write your introduction), skeleton out your piece by listing your Main Points.

sweet spot of 800 to 1,200 words

You are not the main character in your story. The reader is.

The Golden Intersection of great writing is: Answering The Reader’s Question x Telling Them An Entertaining Story

The single most effective way to “promote” yourself without promoting yourself is to use you, your company, or your product as context to the thing you’re explaining to the reader.

In the game of online writing, it’s not just that volume wins. It’s that timeless volume wins.

Step 1: What “Type” Of Writing Is This? (Actionable Guide, Opinion, Curated List, Story, Credible Talking Head)

Step 2: What “Idea” Am I Communicating Within This Piece Of Writing?

Step 3: Why Me? (“I am an expert on this topic. Here’s what I think.”, “I went out and talked to all the trusted experts on this topic. Here are all their insights and opinions in one place.”, “I’m just sharing my opinion, but my opinion is the most articulate one of all.”)

The art of online writing is all about letting readers tell you what it is they want more of, and what they’re willing to pay for.

“1,000 True Fans” by Kevin Kelly, where he explains how you really don’t need millions of readers in order to make an amazing living as a writer.

most people in life don’t know the value of their own skills. We all exist in our own little bubble, and get so used to the things we do and know, that we don’t even stop to consider how these skills or insights could be valuable for someone else. Since it’s “common knowledge” to us, we assume it’s “common knowledge” to everyone else

The question is, do your habits reflect your desires?

I think I will reread some parts of this book and in time slowly start using the methods teached by this book. If you can recommend me useful books about writing, let me know in the comment section!