프로페셔널 글쓰기를 위한 19가지 규칙(3/3)

출처 : Bold and Determined​​
MAY 30, 2016 BY VICTOR PRIDE
From the desk of Victor Pride
원문 : 19 Tools and Rules for the Aspiring Professional ​

​​#11 – Start with an idea and add coffee (get high, man)

The great Stephen King was addicted to cocaine and alcohol. I don’t recommend that! But it’s all about getting out of your head and getting into the words on the page. You have to find what works for you.

I recommend coffee. Coffee is great for writers and is a cornerstone in every great writer’s arsenal. I tend to drink a lot of it when I’m deep in a writing session (sometimes with Modafinil).

The most prolific author I know drinks more coffee than anyone I have ever seen. Coffee may be the real secret to a prolific author’s output.

The best copywriter you don’t know about, Chris Deoudes, uses Kratom to write masterpiece after masterpiece (I edit great on Kratom).

Find what works for you. I recommend Red Coffee. Yes, it’s my brand and it’s fantastic.

​How to Actually Write Well: Editing Tips from the Mad Professor

​​#12 – Editing is the secret ingredient for writing well. You have to edit

Editing is a big part of writing professionally. Writing is only half of the project. You have to edit to be great. Editing is a must. The structure always needs work.

Writing IS NOT PERECT the first time you write. Nobody writes a masterpiece on the first draft. Pros know this. Pothead amateurs are too lazy to care, man.

The first draft is always called the rough draft – because it’s always a little rough until you fix it. You fix the rough draft with editing. That’s called your polished draft.

Professional writing is a 2-step process:

STEP #1 – You have to get the words down on paper.
STEP #2 – You have to arrange those words in the right way.

When you first write you are just writing to get the information out. You aren’t paying attention to structure, timing, flow etc. You write the gist of your piece first. Then you have to mold it into a masterpiece.

“If you don’t edit you don’t get it” – Victor Pride

I spend as much time (or more) editing as I spend writing. My beginning articles and my finished articles look nothing alike.

My articles start out as a series of notes and thoughts and journal entries. They’re then edited for HOURS to craft a masterpiece.

The structure of your finished piece only reveals itself to you after you have written the information down. The arrangement of words has to flow. Flow will only happen when you take the time to arrange your words properly.

Writing is a 2-step process not a one step process! This is your 2-step writing process: Write the words – arrange the words so that they flow.

​​#13 – Cut cut cut excess! (Cut and paste for maximum effect)

During your editing process you need to ruthlessly trim any words that don’t belong. Not every single word you write needs to be published in the final draft.

A lot of words can (and should) go bye-bye. Whatever you do don’t interrupt the flow with a word or phrase that doesn’t fit.

Too many words + Long, specific sentences = CLOSED / BYE BYE / GOODNIGHT AND GOODBYE / ZZZZZZZZ

You also need to edit the structure of your piece (using cut and paste). The way you write information down is not the always the same way that information needs to be read.

You are writing as a business now so make it easy and clean for the reader. You cannot be lazy with editing unless you’re an amateur.

​​#14 – Use the fewest words to get the biggest benefit

We’re giving the readers a feeling. We’re not boring them to death with dry and dull writing. We’re not dragging our readers down with specificity.

Say what you need to say in as few words as possible. We’re leaving our writing open to our readers experiences.

You’ll never find an impossible-to-say sentence in a hit pop song. You’ll only find catchy writing that everyone can relate to. That’s the beauty of a great song – the words only have the meaning that the listener gives to them.

What’s the meaning behind Stairway to Heaven by Led Zepplin? I have no idea (no one does). But I know the meaning and the feeling it gives me (and millions of other people).

That’s because the words in a great song are OPEN, they are not closed. They are open to interpretation. The words in a pop song allow the listener to input his own meaning. Great writing should be musical like Mamet.

Note: If you’re writing about a specific product you obviously want to be specific about the product. Never call the product “it”. Call the product by it’s name so people don’t have to read your mind and guess what you’re talking about.

​​#15 – Make it easy to read (No big paragraphs and no rambling!)

You have to make it as easy for your readers as possible. It is YOUR JOB to make your work easy to read.

A hard-to-read sentence or paragraph is a BIG PROBLEM. Pros fix problems – amateurs say whatever, man.

The less they read – the less money you make – the less influence you have. Get it? Good!

Get rid of big paragraphs. We have no attention span. You’re dumb if you think we do. Big paragraphs are like a dirty kitchen – we’ll never start!

easy-to-read-vs-hard-to-read-paragraph

Don’t ramble. Rambling sentences are too confusing for your readers. And if you do ramble, no problem, you can fix it with editing. Here’s an example of a rambling sentence:

As I want to give you guys an example of a full blown solid cutting diet in this article detailing everything from the scale measurements to the exact calorie totals of each food item, I will take the most universally applicable diet that will help EVERY SINGLE PERSON who uses it get ripped if they follow it correctly.

That sentence hurts my brain, eyes and heart. Here’s how I would fix it:

Below is a full blown solid cutting diet. Everything is detailed, from scale measurements to exact calorie totals of each food.

This is the most universally applicable diet that will help EVERY SINGLE PERSON who uses it get ripped (if they follow it correctly).

It went from impossible to read to completely easy to read with a few quick edits. Long sentences and paragraphs are a grind. Get rid of them. This is your #1 reason for editing: MAKE IT EASY TO READ.

​​#16 – Use words that people understand (Don’t use big words)

Ever read a paragraph full of big words and at the very end you have no idea what the author was trying to say? Don’t worry, the author wouldn’t know either.

I used to study the dictionary as a kid. No joke. I learned all kinds of words. But I learned even more about the people who use uncommonly large or complicated words…

I learned that people who have nothing to say hide their incompetence under a mess of big words. It’s an ego thing but we’re not in the ego business, we’re in the making money business.

Remember this sentence?

Self-righteous and blind, these profligates propagate barbarism in the heart of Rome.

This person was trying to sound smart. It didn’t work, they sound stupid. It’s not hard to understand big words but it is hard to understand a complete mess of words.

You do not sound smart if people cannot understand what you’re trying to say. If you cannot take a big idea and use small words to describe it then you do not understand the idea.

People who have something to say speak clearly. If you can’t explain it to a child – you can’t explain it to anyone.

Understand your message and simplify it so that everyone can understand it. It’s more important to be understood than it is to sound smart.

Think Donald Trump’s plain speak vs any other politician’s weasel speak. Donald Trump said Make America Great Again. Victor Pride said Make it EASY to Read.

​The Business of Writing
​​#17 – Writing as a business not a hobby

It takes a lot more than just being a “good writer” to turn writing into a career. You could be talented with words but it means nothing if a) No one reads you b) Your subject is boring c) You don’t have a professional plan to make money.

Remember the title of this article? You should remember it, every word I use has a meaning! The title is So You Want To Be a PROFESSIONAL Writer.

Professional: (of a person) engaged in a specified activity as one’s main paid occupation rather than as a pastime.

To be a professional you need to get paid. When it comes to the business of writing you need to remember 3 things.

Your writing has to be easy to read
Your writing has to be influential & persuasive
Your writing has to have a next step (the money step)
You don’t write just to write. People who do nothing but write are lazy bums. Your writing has to have a purpose. You need to lead your readers to the next step. Words don’t pay you without a next step.

​​#18 – Think bigger than writing (small details vs the big picture)

So you’re a great writer but “can’t catch a break”? No, you’re just a lazy pothead who isn’t willing to do the necessary work.

Writing in and of itself will get you nothing so don’t have dreams of being a “writer”. Writing is a means to an end – it isn’t everything. Writing as a business requires more than just writing.

In addition to being a writer you also have to be a mad professor businessman. Writing is only a portion of what you do. Your writing business STARTS with writing but it doesn’t end there.

You didn’t think think you were gonna make money just by writing words did you? Don’t be an idiot. Writing is just the beginning.

You have to be a salesman as well as a writer. You have to sell your writing. It’s easy. If you followed my writer’s blueprint to success you will already be influential and persuasive.

The hard part is thinking bigger than writing. You need impractically big dreams to be a big success as a writer.

You gotta think big to win big. I don’t know who first said that but he was a genius with words.

​​#19 – Always be in control of your destiny (Own your work instead of selling it)

You need to own your words. Where can I find work as a writer? Who will hire me? That’s the small picture. You gotta think big, remember? As long as you’re thinking you might as well think big.

Getting hired as a writer is small. Freelance writers give away ownership of their work for a few bucks. You only get paid ONE TIME if you sell your writing. If you do it right, like me, you get paid every damn day for your writing.

Selling your work to a publishing company is small. A publisher is a middle-man, getting in between you and your customers. That’s a dying business model filled with dinosaurs. Here’s 5 words that flow: Dying business model for dinosaurs.

Creating your own media outlet that pays you directly is the big picture. Self-Publishing is the future because we have the internet. You can go directly to your customers without giving a big percentage to a large publishing company.

More money is available to you on your own than by selling your soul to a publisher. You literally do not need anybody (other than customers) to make a great living as a writer. You can publish your own book and make more money than “best selling” authors make.

My man Cernovich makes an easy 6 figures yearly from his great book Gorilla Mindset. That book was written while we were in Vietnam livin’ free. How much money did he make? A lot. His book publisher? Don’t make me laugh. He self-published and all he got was a lot of money and influence.

It’s a new world and destiny is in your hands. In this new world you are the master and commander. You already know more about professional writing than any writing professor.

You could turn that knowledge into a You, Inc. business or you could do nothing. Up to you. But remember…

If you aren’t the owner, you’re the owned.

If you want to be the owner go here & start your new media empire at BADNET.

Until next time.

Your man,
-Victor Pride

PS – You thought I forgot about your next step didn’t you? Silly goose, I never forget.

Your next step — write 500 words seducing and teasing me (the reader). This is just an intro not a full article. Write this in the comments section below (feel free to critique others’ writing).

You have already learned the technique, all you need now is the intrigue. Write 500 words that make me want to click. Your goal — seduce me into wanting more.

Remember…….

If you bore me, I’m gone. But if you’re intriguing – well – how could I ever refuse?