June Morrow blog post image fallback

The #1 Secret to Compelling Writing

Dear name,

I am writing to inform you that I’m going to be giving a workshop on…

BLECH!

No, I’m not giving a workshop on blech – that introductory sentence is blech. 

Why? The entire first part of it is redundant.

Why not just say I’m giving a workshop and save your readers from tripping over the other 11 words?

The secret to compelling writing isn’t writing – it’s editing.

The next time you write a post, email, or web page, review every sentence and phrase and ask yourself:

  1. Does my reader need to know this?
  2. Can I say this in fewer words?
  3. Could I use a better verb? 

Here’s a pro tip:

Search for any verbs ending in ing. If any version of to be, to do, or to have precedes that verb, you can likely tighten things up.

For example:

I am going to be giving becomes I am giving.

I have been sharing becomes I shared.

If you want to be buying becomes If you want to buy.

The magic of masterful writing is in what you put in but what you leave out.

Share This Post

Get Consistent with Your Content

Get three months of social media posts, emails, and blogs planned in one day
(with the template for how to write them)

Connect. Communicate. Convert