3 Simple Rules I Learned From Everybody Writes By Ann Handley

The title hooked me in.

Everybody. Does. Write.

I can’t even remember when I started writing — Kinder? Grade 1? (only mom knows)

But the point is, everybody has been writing ever since.

Why not make it better?

I thought of improving the way I write. And this book certainly did it!

Like most books, you won’t remember everything you read. You’d find yourself going back to the book, again and again, searching for something that suddenly popped in your mind.

It happened to me. While writing, I remember certain points I have read from the book. So I searched it up to refresh my memory about it.

Out of everything I have learned, there are three simple rules that have stayed on my mind.

1. Rule 21: Keep It Simple — But Not Simplistic.

“No one will ever complain that you’ve made things too simple to understand.”

When I was young, I had the impression that he who writes with complex words is a great writer.

I was wrong.

“Less is more.”

I can’t count the number of time that sentence above was repeated throughout the book. Less is actually cool!

Why do we complicate things? Why do we use words too hard to understand?

We write to be understood (unless you’re into cryptographic writing).

This rule made me understand what “concise” means. I learned to write clearly.

2. Rule 37: Break Some Grammar Rules

I was taught in school that a paragraph is consist of 2 to 3 sentences.

But I just broke it.

I was also told not to start a sentence with “But”.

You get my point.

Just remember what Ann Handley wrote:

“I encourage you to safely and fearlessly break those rules and to make those mistakes in writing — but only when doing so lends greater clarity and readability.”

3. Rule 9: Embrace The Ugly First Draft (TUFD)

This rule intrigued me. I didn’t really understand the whole point of it until I wrote my first article (after reading the book).

I don’t know about you. But I used to write, edit, and publish an article in one go. Not that it’s bad or something, but let your first draft sit in before editing could have a huge impact.

When I wrote this article a few weeks ago, I was hesitating whether I should publish it.

When I read the draft, I flinched. It was terrible.

After letting it sit for a week, I went back to it. And voila!

We may not have weeks, or even days to take our time. But what’s important is we give space after writing the first draft. Let it cool. When you get back to it, you’ll gain a better perspective on how to write it better.

“Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content”

Ann Handley wasn’t kidding.

If you’re searching for books to help you write better, put Everybody Writes on the top of your list. You won’t regret it.

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