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