Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2: Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Speaker 2: Today's tip is that most writing is better when you
Speaker 2: have a simple and strong opinion. Ideally, you can sum
Speaker 2: up your point in a sentence, So try asking yourself
Speaker 2: do you come out for it or against it? You
Speaker 2: will probably make your writing better as a result. This
Speaker 2: week I will be sharing some of my favorite writing tips.
Speaker 2: Even if you don't write for a living, you likely
Speaker 2: have to write from time to time, whether it's emails, reports,
Speaker 2: or articles for an industry publication. Years ago, when I
Speaker 2: was trying to figure out how to structure an opinion essay,
Speaker 2: and I had talked myself into all sorts of nos,
Speaker 2: a wise person asked me do you come out for
Speaker 2: it or against it? With the particular matter, It was
Speaker 2: somewhat of a funny question, but overall I realize that
Speaker 2: it is a great question to ask. The point of
Speaker 2: writing is to communicate something. You want people to take away,
Speaker 2: a simple idea that they will remember. Yet, too many
Speaker 2: times we start writing without a clear idea or a
Speaker 2: strong opinion. We meander all over the place, and at
Speaker 2: the end of the day readers can't sum up what
Speaker 2: we were saying in a few sentences. When people can't
Speaker 2: sum things up, they are likely going to forget them.
Speaker 2: So when I am writing essays or blog posts or
Speaker 2: anything like that, I start with the thesis, what am
Speaker 2: I trying to convey in one sentence? If this is
Speaker 2: persuasive writing, do I come out for it or against it?
Speaker 2: When I help other people edit their essays and op
Speaker 2: eds and posts, I ask similar questions, what exactly are
Speaker 2: you trying to say? Maybe it's that something is bad
Speaker 2: you come out against it, or it is good and
Speaker 2: you come out for it. And if you can say
Speaker 2: why in the same sentence or two, then you will
Speaker 2: have a more memorable, succinct piece of writing. I am
Speaker 2: sure you can imagine all sorts of theses that can
Speaker 2: be structured this way, like don't go to law school
Speaker 2: after college if you're unsure what to do. You'll learn
Speaker 2: more and it will be cheaper to travel the world instead.
Speaker 2: Or women spend less time on housework now than in
Speaker 2: the nineteen sixties, and that's a good thing because they
Speaker 2: are spending more time with their kids even as they
Speaker 2: are working more hours for pay as well. Or the
Speaker 2: thesis of this episode that writing is better when you
Speaker 2: have a strong opinion and that you can sum up
Speaker 2: in a sentence or two. So the next time you
Speaker 2: start writing anything that you hope will be read, start
Speaker 2: by writing down your main idea. What are you trying
Speaker 2: to convey? Then you can build your writing around that thesis.
Speaker 2: Lead into it in an engaging way, show your evidence. Afterwards,
Speaker 2: acknowledge other opinions and why people might think them, and
Speaker 2: then show why they are wrong. When you have something
Speaker 2: to say, writing is a lot easier. The words just
Speaker 2: come quicker, and of course it's easier on the reader.
Speaker 2: There is no question of what you are saying. You
Speaker 2: are clear, and the reader can engage with your arguments
Speaker 2: rather than getting bored or distracted. In the meantime, this
Speaker 2: is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making.
Speaker 1: The most of our time. Hey everybody, I'd love to
Speaker 1: hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
Speaker 1: or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook
Speaker 1: and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod that's b E the
Speaker 1: number four then breakfast Pod. You can also shoot me
Speaker 1: an email at Before Breakfast Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com
Speaker 1: that Before breakfast is spelled out with all the letters
Speaker 1: thanks so much. Should I look forward to staying in
Speaker 1: touch Before Breakfast is a production of iHeartRadio. For more
Speaker 1: podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or
Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Speaker 2: Gay