Read on Twitter
Nobody cares about that thinkpiece you just wrote.
That's the premise of ‘Nobody Wants to Read Your Shit' by @SPressfield, a book that teaches you how to write things that people will actually read.
Here's a thread on some of my favorite concepts within the text
//thread//
That's the premise of ‘Nobody Wants to Read Your Shit' by @SPressfield, a book that teaches you how to write things that people will actually read.
Here's a thread on some of my favorite concepts within the text
//thread//
SO! Why aren't people reading what you write?
The reality is, no one wants to read ANYTHING.
Because of this, take lessons from those in advertising. People DEFINITELY don’t want to read ads, and yet sometimes they do. How come? Here’s how marketers get their words read…
The reality is, no one wants to read ANYTHING.
Because of this, take lessons from those in advertising. People DEFINITELY don’t want to read ads, and yet sometimes they do. How come? Here’s how marketers get their words read…
People will pay attention to your writing when it hits these 3 targets:
1) It’s streamlined and focused
2) It’s given personality: funny, scary, informative, the choice is yours
3) It’s so compelling “that a person would have to be crazy NOT to read it”
1) It’s streamlined and focused
2) It’s given personality: funny, scary, informative, the choice is yours
3) It’s so compelling “that a person would have to be crazy NOT to read it”
People aren’t ignoring what you write because they’re cruel. They’re just busy and your writing isn’t hitting those targets.
You have to shift your thinking. As Pressfield says, “when you understand that nobody wants to read your shit, your mind becomes powerfully concentrated.”
You have to shift your thinking. As Pressfield says, “when you understand that nobody wants to read your shit, your mind becomes powerfully concentrated.”
Remember, the relationship between the writer and reader is TRANSACTIONAL and the reader is paying with two of the most valuable forms of currency in the WORLD: Time and Attention.
Value that transaction by putting yourself into the shoes of the reader as you write every word.
Value that transaction by putting yourself into the shoes of the reader as you write every word.
The best WRITING MODE is to switch into READING MODE. You have to develop empathy for your audience, imagining what it’s like to read your words and give up time.
Is the reader bored? Are they following closely?
Ask these questions as you write, again and again and again.
Is the reader bored? Are they following closely?
Ask these questions as you write, again and again and again.
So, to get SOMEBODY to read what you write, you have to think like a marketer.
BUT!
What if you want EVERYBODY to read what you write?
For that, you have to think like a filmmaker.
BUT!
What if you want EVERYBODY to read what you write?
For that, you have to think like a filmmaker.
All films use the same methods to get the audience’s time and attention.
1) A three-act structure
2) The hero’s journey
3) A climax worth sticking around for
They’re used over and over again because they WORK.
1) A three-act structure
2) The hero’s journey
3) A climax worth sticking around for
They’re used over and over again because they WORK.
Your writing should follow the same structure as the last great movie you watched:
A hook that gets the reader invested
Tension that keeps them reading
A conclusion that pays it all off
If you’re stuck, figure out where you want to finish and work backwards.
A hook that gets the reader invested
Tension that keeps them reading
A conclusion that pays it all off
If you’re stuck, figure out where you want to finish and work backwards.
When someone says a film bored them, what they mean is that the three-act structure didn’t work.
When someone bounces off what you’ve written, it means the same thing.
To grow your audience, figure out which of your three acts is lacking, and fix it.
When someone bounces off what you’ve written, it means the same thing.
To grow your audience, figure out which of your three acts is lacking, and fix it.
The hero’s journey isn’t just for fiction. Everything you write needs a hero. It could be you. It could be the reader. Whatever the case, follow the path.
Remember that you’re a storyteller.
The hero’s journey + a three-act structure = Story
Remember that you’re a storyteller.
The hero’s journey + a three-act structure = Story
Honoring these methods doesn't mean being a slave to them. Some of our best creatives are beloved because they subvert our expectations.
BUT!
“Be groundbreaking, be experimental if you want. But remember, the human psyche is deeply conservative and rigid as a rock.” https://twitter.com/philszostak/status/737893257854758912
BUT!
“Be groundbreaking, be experimental if you want. But remember, the human psyche is deeply conservative and rigid as a rock.” https://twitter.com/philszostak/status/737893257854758912
If you want your writing to be powerful and hold the reader’s attention, organize the material as if it’s a story.
Give it a theme. A narrative. A villain! A climax. A resolution.
If you do that, your audience will read to the end.
Give it a theme. A narrative. A villain! A climax. A resolution.
If you do that, your audience will read to the end.
And with that, the narrative of this thread is over.
Remember the universal structure of all stories: Hook, build, payoff.
Then, get to writing.
Remember the universal structure of all stories: Hook, build, payoff.
Then, get to writing.
