Fact: many people are bad at writing. They’re clear thinkers, but when it comes to putting pen to paper (or fingers to a keyboard), they’re all thumbs. Even among those who should know better, good writers are hard to find. In this highly interactive workshop, we’ll help you hone your thoughts into writing that’s accessible, fluid, and energetic. To make things easy and memorable, we’ll walk through 11 myths (for example: “by writing densely, I’ll impress everyone”) and 11 rules (for example: “write the way you speak”). We conclude with a group exercise.

2. C

6. 1

7. 2

8. 2

9. 2

13. ✓
✓
✓
✓
✓

49. •
•
•
•
•
•

107. LET’S RECAP
THE MYTHS

108. LET’S RECAP
THE MYTHS

110. MAXIM 1
Surprise
your readers.

117. MAXIM 2
Make every
verb count.

127. MAXIM 3
Kill
zombie nouns.

131. MAXIM 4
Embrace
analogies.

136. MAXIM 5
Humanize
big numbers.

142. MAXIM 6
Write the way
you speak.

145. MAXIM 7
Embrace
.

147. MAXIM 7
Embrace
personal
pronouns.

151. MAXIM 8
Avoid
blocks of text.

159. MAXIM 9
Use
wide margins.

162. MAXIM 10
Incorporate
visual aids.

163. Style
SUBSTANCE

164. Style
SUBSTANCE

165. Style
SUBSTANCE

172. MAXIM 11
Vary the lengths
of your sentences.

174. 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

176. 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

177. AND NOW,
THE MAXIMS

178. AND NOW,
THE MAXIMS

179. BONUS

180. MAXIM 12
Create a
crescendo.

185. MAXIM 13
Accentuate
your adverbs.

190. MAXIM 14
Think,
don’t feel.

193. MAXIM 15
Revise
relentlessly.

204. MAXIM 16
Employ
an editor.

206. MAXIM 17
Cite
specifics.

210. MAXIM 18
Favor the
active voice.

218. MAXIM 19
Frame the
conversation.

224. MAXIM 20
Couch the negative
as a positive.

228. MAXIM 22
Favor
the singular.

230. MAXIM 23
Jettison
the jargon.

235. MAXIM 24
Break up
noun clusters.

239. MAXIM 25
Avoid the
“this” blob.

242. MAXIM 26
Write for an
audience of one.

247. MAXIM 27
Favor
abbreviations.

250. MAXIM 28
Apply
anaphoras.

285. APPENDIX
Trim the fat.