This week I read an online Q & A interview with best selling author, Ann Handley.
Ann is the author of "Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content" which recently reached number 4 on the New York Times Best Seller list.
In her interview Ann talks covers many topics including how writing habits “practiced once a week aren’t habits at all. They’re obligations.”
She also discusses that there is no one way to write, just as their is no one way to parent a child. But she does believe that the following is a guaranteed formula for writing creative and engaging content:
Useful x Inspired x Enjoyable = Innovative Content
She also believes in writing a first draft "ugly" which means to give yourself permission to write badly, and then fix it up in the second draft.
She also discusses how “the creators of the best content contemplate not just what story is worth telling but also how to tell it.”
The interview is short yet extremely inspiring and informative and well worth a read.
You can read it at https://blog.aweber.com/articles-tips/author-ann-handley-on-everybody-writes-confidence-creativity-and-consistency.htm
You can also find out more about her new book "Everybody Writes" which includes:
How to Write Better (or How to Hate Writing Less, for the recovering or “adult onset” writer): offers some handy scaffolding and blueprints for better thinking and writing.
Writing Rules: offers easy grammar and usage rules tailored for business in a fun, memorable way. (Enough to keep you looking sharp, but not too much to overwhelm you.)
Story Rules (Part 3) and Publishing Rules (Part 4): give some guidelines on elements that infuse your content with heart and soul and integrity, and layer it with a warm blanket of trust. There’s a lot to learn here from the ground rules of journalism and publishing, so those are covered, too.
Things Marketers Write: gives you a super-tactical look at typical marketing tasks.
And, finally, Content Tools: delivers a reference list of resources and paraphernalia to help you produce your best work.
