This week, we're cracking down on your craft.

Writing.

For Thought Monetization to become a reality, we must win over the world with our words. And let's be real, you and I have been practicing for a while now.

But if I'm truly being honest, there's always more to learn.

With that said, enjoy these 10 tactics to help sharpen your skills.

1 → Read Good Writing

You wanna sound like the pros?

You gotta know what they themselves sound like. As you read their writing, the subconscious mind picks up on tonality. It downloads their "voice."

And after a while, you'll start to steal their skills.

You must keep it balanced though. Reading is great, but measuring improvement is impossible when you hit pause on the writing process entirely.

Make a habit of reading daily, but don't let it outweigh your writing.

2 → Simplify

Here's a big one.

As I cleaned out my computer the other day, I found some essays I wrote in community college. You shoulda seen my face as I read 'em.

I wanted to throw up.

It looked like a compilation of the dictionary's most difficult words. I don't even know what half of them meant! I was trying to be clever when I just... wasn't.

I sounded like an idiot.

Follow the golden rule of writing: Clear > Clever.

3 → Avoid Adverbs

The words that end in "-ly."

They aren't always bad, but in some cases, they're killing your writing. Here's the truth. There's always another way to say it.

I'll give you an example:

"I hate living in this house," he said angrily.

"Angrily" is the adverb and it conveys the emotion of what was said. If we wanted to improve that by eliminating the adverb we could show the emotion by adding:

He punched a hole straight through the wall. "I hate living in this house!"

See the difference?

Whenever you catch yourself writing "-ly," try to think of another way.

4 → Sleep on it

No, not literally.

Here's what I mean by "sleep on it." Give yourself some time between writing and publishing. It'll make a massive difference.

Why?

Because every time we spend an hour or two conjuring words from within, we naturally think it's an instant masterpiece.

And sure, it's probably good. But good isn't great.

You don't need to wait overnight, but as long as you step away and come back with a fresh mind, you're golden.

It's shocking to see what you initially thought was a "masterpiece."

5 → Vary Your Sentence Structure

I want to tell you something. But I also want to show you. It's when we write like this. One sentence after the other. It becomes as boring as can be. It sounds like a robot wrote it. We don't want robot writing.

Look at what happens when I vary the structure of my sentences. They sing. I use different lengths and sizes. It even begins to sound like a musical melody. And after I've used a few short to medium-sized sentences in a row, I know that you're paying attention and I can attempt to engage you in a sentence that has volume. A sentence of density.

Can you see the difference?

The first paragraph sounds like a broken record. But the second?

It dances in your ears. Satisfies the mind.

That's what we want.

6 → Read it Aloud

This is just as effective as "sleeping on it" (if not more).

Reading aloud is the oldest trick in the book. And for a good reason. Like I tell my Twitter friends, "if you can't say it smooth, it won't read well."

That's just a fact.

Whenever you get the chance, try reading your writing out loud. Even if it's just a whisper. It helps a lot.

7 → Break the rules

Here's the thing about rules.

There are none...

Who said you had to abide by the international handbook of writing? And to never deviate from its all-knowing knowledge?

Nobody did.

It doesn't exist.

So next time you go to write, make sure you aren't trying to fit into someone else's box. I know it might be ironic for me to tell you this as I'm giving you "the 10 tactics," but be your own rule setter.

Do what makes you happy.

8 → Be Aware of Habits

There are good ones, bad ones, and anywhere in-between ones.

I'm warning you to avoid the bad ones and manage them accordingly. I'll throw myself under the bus for you.

I have awful alliteration addiction.

See what I mean?

And I know that I have a habit of abusing it. So, I actively try to maintain a balance. This obsession isn't necessarily horrible, because it adds spice to my writing recipe.

At the end of the day, just stay on your toes.

9 → Write From the Heart

The mind wants to impress.

And when you try too hard to impress your reader, they can tell. The last thing you want is to come off as a know-it-all. No one likes a know-it-all.

What's more important, is passion.

Energy. Charisma. Writing that comes from the heart.

When you speak from your heart, the reader knows you really care. And that makes an impact. In the digital writing world, we call that resonance.

Resonance = Trust.

10 → Make a Moment Last a Lifetime

Study the storytellers.

They know how to pull you in. If you manage to hold the reader's attention with a solid story, they instantly become more suggestible.

Google "The Wall Street Sales Letter." That's a fantastic example of what I'm talking about. Storytelling sits at the core of quality writing.

And it'll improve your content without a doubt...

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