Resource: 8 Advanced Writing Skills

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A lot of people on the forum ask to have their writing skills critiqued. Typically, their skills perfectly fine. But I decided to write this post to help those people take their writing to the next level.

Your ability to write well is a huge determining factor in your success online.

Of course, it's not always required. But if you're writing sales copy, headlines, blog posts, ebooks, products, etc., your success is hinged upon your marketing knowledge and your ability to transfer that knowledge into words.

These skills won't be "advanced" for everyone. But for the people who need them, they're gold.

Simply being aware of these skills will help you improve your writing. Your writing will become more effective, and you'll make a stronger impact on readers.

I haven't perfected them myself, but I work on them with every piece that I write and edit.

Here are the 8 skills we'll be discussing:
#1 - "In order to" and "start to"

#2 - How to work around "there are"

#3 - Watch out for "only"

#4 - How to turn abstract nouns into verbs (and boost the speed of your copy)

#5 - The common mistake writers make between "which" and "that"

#6 - Tautological words

#7 - Split infinitives

#8 - How to Write Epic Intros

Let's get started.


#1 - "In order to" and "start to"

Most people don't realize this, but these phrases can be replaced with something much simpler.

And it will make an immediate difference in their writing.

"In order to" can be replaced with "to".

"Start to" can be replaced with the next word in the sentence.

Don't believe me?

Check this out:

"In order to run the marathon, you have to pay $50."

"To run the marathon, you have to pay $50."


"When you start to lose focus in class, give yourself a quick slap in the face."

"When you lose focus in class, give yourself a quick slap in the face."


"They had been gone for 2 months, and started to feel homesick."

"They had been gone for 2 months, and felt homesick."

The second sentences have better flow, they're more powerful, and they feel more natural.

Take notice of these two phrases when you're editing and find a way to replace them.


#2 - How to work around "there are"

There are many ways to write a great sentence, but only a few ways to write an excellent one.

One of those ways is to rearrange "there are" whenever it pops up.

A sentence that starts with this phrase should send an immediate signal to your brain telling you there's a better way to start it.

Take a look:
"There are many ways to write a great sentence."

"Many ways exist to write a great sentence."

"You can write a great sentence in many ways."

"A great sentence can be written in many ways."
When you read "there are" in your copy, find a way to work around it.

Turn those great sentences into excellent ones.


#3 - Watch out for "only"

Depending on where you stick only, the meaning of your sentence changes.

The best way to explain this is through examples.

"Only I have enough money to buy three tickets."

(I am the sole person with enough money to buy three tickets)


"I have only enough money to buy three tickets."

(I have enough money to buy three tickets, and that's it)


"Chris wants to learn how to play the banjo, only."

(That's all Chris wants to learn how to play)


"Chris wants to be the only one learning how to play the banjo."

(He doesn't want anyone else to learn)


"Chris only wants to learn how to play the banjo."

(He just wants to learn. He's not actually trying - lazy bum)

You might think you're saying one thing by putting only in a certain position. But your reader could interpret it a different way.

As soon as you write a sentence with only in it, determine if your reader is going to perceive it the way you want them to.


#4 - How to turn abstract nouns into verbs (and boost the speed of your copy)

Words like speculation, communication, and redemption are abstract nouns.

Abstract nouns are nouns you can't physically touch and feel.

Here are some more examples.

They can be turned into verbs with a simple rearrangement, to boost the excitement and speed of your copy.

"Investors will begin the speculation of gold futures once Monday rolls around."

"Investors will speculate on gold futures once Monday rolls around."


"Communication could be better between them."

"They need to communicate better."


"The redemption of the team is their most important goal."

"Their most important goal is redeeming themselves."

Abstract nouns can be tricky to spot and modify. Look for certain endings, such as -tion, -ism, and -ness. These will tell you whether the word is an abstract noun.

Switch the word to its verb form, and rearrange the sentence so it flows nicely.


#5 - The common mistake writers make between "which" and "that"

Many people interchange which and that like they're the same word.

They're not.

Here's the basic rule:

A comma is placed before which whenever it introduces a separate bit of information. It also (usually) introduces an idea that isn't necessary to the meaning of the sentence.

We do not place a comma before that, and it usually introduces an idea that is necessary to the sentence.
"Our main car, which we drive, is a Toyota Corolla."

"Our main car that we drive is a Toyota Corolla."

We wouldn't say: "Our main car which we drive is a Toyota Corolla."
"The eggs over there, which are for Aunt Mary, are full of GMOs."

"The eggs over there that are for Aunt Mary are full of GMOs."

We wouldn't say: "The eggs over there which are for Aunt Mary are full of GMOs."

If you have tried both and can't decide, go with that.


#6 - Tautological words

Tautologies are redundant statements. They repeat the same meaning.

You'll be surprised how often you catch yourself once you're trained to spot them.

Examples:
"Cold ice" (ice is inherently cold)

"Rise up" (if you're rising, you're going up)

"Over-exaggerating" (if someone is exaggerating, it's already overly excessive)

"A dry desert" (all deserts are dry)

"8 P.M. at night" (P.M. is nighttime)
You can speed up your writing by taking out the extra details in redundant statements.

And if you want to be a smart-ass at a party, you can bust someone whenever they say a tautological statement.

You may not be the coolest cat around.

But hey.

At least you'll be right.


#7 - Split infinitives

The infinitive is the basic form of a verb.

To run, to jump, to fly, to eat, to sleep, to walk.


We split the infinitive by throwing an adverb in there.

To quickly run. To safely jump. To rapidly fly. To hungrily eat. To briskly walk.


Many see this as sacrilege, claiming that the adverb should be placed after the infinitive.

To run quickly. To jump safely. To fly rapidly. To eat hungrily. To walk briskly.


At first, I thought placing the adverb after the infinitive was obviously logical.

But after reading a few examples, I wasn't so stubborn.

"He had to quickly run up the stairs to get away."

"He had to run quickly up the stairs to get away."

"He had to run up the stairs to get away quickly."

The third example is typically claimed as grammatically correct. (Not splitting the infinitive.)

I think certain cases call for the split infinitive, and some work better by placing the adverb outside.

For you, it will depend on the specific sentence and the flow of your copy. Just know there is a difference.

Test out splitting and not splitting the infinitive, and choose which one sounds best.


#8 - How to Write Epic Intros

And we come to the final skill...

Epic intros.

I struggle with my intro paragraphs, because I know there is so much on the line.

The pressure is on.

Besides the headline, the introduction is the most important part of your piece.

If your intro sucks, people won't read the rest of your article, no matter how good it is.

It's that simple.

So you have a responsibility to your readers to keep them engaged.

If your intro isn't engaging enough, you're doing the rest of your writing a disservice.

Remember this: The whole point is for writing to be read.

So, how do we write an epic intro?


Step one: hit them with the most compelling idea early on

An epic intro sucks the reader in.

Do this by busting out the main purpose for the whole article. Spill the beans if you have to, but it must be interesting enough to spark the reader's curiosity.

If you have a killer headline that says, "Science Has Proven Money Does Grow on Trees" and you begin your article with "Scientists in New Hampshire have discovered how to turn leaves into money," that's some epic news. Don't bury it down in the depths of your article.

Hit them with it early on. Your reader will be dying to know how they figured it out.

That curiosity will drive them to read the rest of your article.

So, step one of an epic intro: hit them with the most intriguing idea or benefit the reader will gain from reading your article.


Step two: break your intro into tiny paragraphs.

Readers are more likely to read past the intro if it looks harmless.

Harmless intros are made of short paragraphs - sometimes broken up into one sentence per line break.

A block of 6-8 sentences will scare many readers off.

3-5 short lines of introduction will attract more readers.


Step three: lead your reader into the body copy.

Don't just introduce the most compelling idea, break it up into nice, easily-digestible chunks, and then leave them hanging.

Give your reader a little nudge into the rest of your content. Say something as simple as "Continue reading to find out how to turn leaves into money."

It just sounds nice. It prepares the reader for what's coming, and it reminds them why they're about to read this amazing article in the first place.

Steps to an epic intro:
1. Hit them with the most compelling idea early on.

2. Break it into tiny paragraphs.

3. Give them a simple yet decisive nudge into the rest of your content.
The rest is up to the brilliant writing skills you learned in the rest of this post.

If you're struggling with your writing, or you just want to polish your skills, I hope this helped you out.

Now, go forth.

And conquer your copy.
#copywriting #writing #writing skills #writing tips
  • Profile picture of the author italk
    ---> "Start to" is usually used by hpynotists... mainly for "leading."

    "As you start to experience those thoughts inside your..."

    ---> "There are" is better in #2:

    “There are many ways to write a great sentence.”
    “Many ways exist to write a great sentence.”

    Second point sounds unnatural. In fact, you can replace "there are"
    with "you." For example:

    “There are many ways to write a great sentence.”
    "You can write a great sentence in many ways."

    Simple and natural, don't you think?
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9782632].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Michael Karp
      Originally Posted by italk View Post

      Where did you find those?

      "Start to" is usually used by hpynotists. Why? Because it works.

      "As you start to experience..."
      Sorry I should have mentioned that I first read many of them in this book by Bruce Kaplan, Editing Made EasyEditing Made Easy . I highly recommend it.

      I've also read these tips in articles around the web, and I used to be newspaper columnist, so I learned a lot doing that as well.

      And sure, these skills shouldn't be set in stone. You've got to look at each piece of writing independently and judge the best way to word something (especially with copywriting, where every word needs to be selected carefully).

      But in terms of writing tighter copy that's easier to read, reducing the word count by removing words that aren't needed is a great way to do it.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9783064].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Michael Karp
      Originally Posted by italk View Post

      ---> "Start to" is usually used by hpynotists... mainly for "leading."

      "As you start to experience those thoughts inside your..."

      ---> "There are" is better in #2:

      "There are many ways to write a great sentence."
      "Many ways exist to write a great sentence."

      Second point sounds unnatural. In fact, you can replace "there are"
      with "you." For example:

      "There are many ways to write a great sentence."
      "You can write a great sentence in many ways."

      Simple and natural, don't you think?
      Yeah I totally agree. Thanks for your input.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9783072].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author RickDuris
      Originally Posted by italk View Post

      ---> "Start to" is usually used by hpynotists... mainly for "leading."

      "As you start to experience those thoughts inside your..."

      ---> "There are" is better in #2:

      "There are many ways to write a great sentence."
      "Many ways exist to write a great sentence."

      Second point sounds unnatural. In fact, you can replace "there are"
      with "you." For example:

      "There are many ways to write a great sentence."
      "You can write a great sentence in many ways."

      Simple and natural, don't you think?
      Yoda speak.

      "There are many ways to write a great sentence."

      "Many ways there are to write a great sentence."


      Signature
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9783172].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Alex Cohen
        Above all, writing
        • with clarity and simplicity,
        • what your prospect is thinking,
        • the words he uses daily, and
        • conversationally
        are the most important.

        Alex
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9785975].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author BudaBrit
          Originally Posted by Alex Cohen View Post

          Above all, writing
          • with clarity and simplicity,
          • what your prospect is thinking,
          • the words he uses daily, and
          • conversationally
          are the most important.

          Alex
          Indeed. And: don't be afraid to break the rules if it makes more impact.
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9789032].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author Michael Karp
            Originally Posted by BudaBrit View Post

            Indeed. And: don't be afraid to break the rules if it makes more impact.
            Writing Skill #9
            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[9789988].message }}

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