Top 7 Articles For Writers To Read In June 2022
Build your writing skills with these articles
As a writer, I always look for ways to improve my writing.
Each month I create a list of articles by fellow storytellers that help me shift the needle when it comes to my skills as a writer.
Five of these top seven articles were published in May 2022.
#1. 8 Hooks From Famous Novels That Teach You How to Grab Your Reader’s Attention
Lyuba Golovina has a small following, but her writing is somewhat masterful.
She unpacks the brilliant opening lines that draw in audiences delivering us a portal into the minds of genius authors.
As the best-selling book series of all time, J.K. Rowling’s opening line for Harry Potter is worth studying.
For one, the language she uses is simple, straightforward, and even playful.
You get a sense of her unique voice.
Plus, she captures the reader’s interest and creates curiosity by begging the question why does this couple insist on being seen as normal?
#2. I’m Ashamed Of Being An American
I was ashamed as a writer when falling deep into Felicia C. Sullivan’s colored paintbrush of her reality. How dare I ever restrict readers from the color of emotions that lie beneath us all.
Brave writing is an understatement.
Brilliantly articulated with a chasm of emotion jumping off your screen. Felicia’s writing hand grabbed me with the brutal honesty of someone’s own home.
Because the American Dream, it seems, only works if so many people suffer.
I’m well-educated and privileged, but I’m frightened. I’m subsumed by student loan debt and a culture that propagated consumerism. I’m overwhelmed by the choices I made as a result of the two. I’m nervous because I don’t have a retirement, a safety net, a mommy and daddy to run home to. I’m scared because one long stretch without client work or a few months of clothes not getting sold could make me a statistic.
#3. Weapons of Mass Distraction
I’ve written about Scott Galloway’s economic predictions. I love to prove his thoughts wrong by analyzing markets, doing thorough research, and pointing out his errors.
So Galloway makes me a better writer.
His latest article is unflawed, peppered with harsh truths to deliver creative spins on acronyms like WMD “Weapons of Mass Distraction.”
There is an ounce of truth in every sentence to highlight our use of technology in our deteriorating society.
Not for the faint-hearted.
It also appears we are headed into a recession. Inflation in the U.S. is at 8.5%, the highest it’s been in 40 years. The price of an average home is up 15%. We’re in the midst of the perfect inflationary storm: A money-printing orgy, supply chains seizing, and the leading producers of energy and goods, Russia and China, fighting wars with neighbors and a virus, respectively. European inflation hit an all-time high of 7.5% last month.
#4. 15 Brief Tips to Instantly Improve Your Writing
Darius Foroux is one of my favorite writers. As a self-proclaimed stoic, Darius offers writers concise tips that every novice writer should apply to their storytelling.
If you look at Amazon reviews of those types of books, the #1 criticism is the lack of personal perspective. While it’s cool to say, “no one cares about you,” the truth is that people actually do care about your personal stories.
#5. Here’s What’s Trending on Medium This Week: May 14–20, 2022
Medium is firing on all cylinders.
If you’re new to Medium, here’s what you’ve missed in the last six months:
- An upgrade to its mobile app improves Medium’s UI and UX.
- A clever redesign to the platform to promote Writers best.
- More content from their editorial team to help writers.
To give you a sense of which stories are having that kind of impact, we thought we’d share a handful of the trending stories on Medium this week. This is not a comprehensive list, just a selection — and you may recognize a few of these from last week (that’s because they’re still making rounds — popular stories tend to have a long shelf life).
Medium is the leading social media platform that will outgrow the likes of Twitter and Facebook. Why? Because it supports its Creators and has been supporting Medium’s community for a long time.
True freedom of speech comes in long-form content, well thought out, worth people’s time, that delivers value.
It doesn’t come from people who constantly share brain farts like Elon Musk’s Tweet: “population collapse is the biggest threat to civilization.” It doesn’t take a scientist to figure out Musk‘s reputation is failing fast.
#6. The 10 Most Popular Articles from the 10 Most Popular Medium Publications
Unstitched at its edges from the copious amount of value J.J. Pryor offers.
If you’re a writer on Medium, it’s critical to understand what your audience wants to read.
When I write an article for my readers, I then write two for myself!
Pryor’s done a deep dive on the most read content, including publications you may want to write for.
Productivity, self-improvement, programming, and relationships seemed to be the most popular.
Many of the stories had really good titles, if not a bit clickbaity.
The most clapped article had 173,000 claps.
Some stories in general had very few claps but still made the list. This implies one of two things, either people were click baited and not happy with the story, or the readers couldn’t clap because they came through social media/SEO/etc.
#7. 27 Quick Medium Writing Tips for New Writers
Scott Stockdale made me wish I had read his article a year ago!
An excellent checklist for writers to make sure you are still incorporating the bare essentials for great writing and a must-read for new writers.
Establish credibility but don’t ram it down people’s throats. You’ve sold a few businesses. We get it.
Comment on the articles you like. The conversations can lead to incredible places.
Followers are a vanity metric.
Wrap
Whether you’re a new or seasoned writer, reading other people’s articles can elevate your skills in unimaginable ways.
Inspiration comes in many forms and when I explore the nuances in types of writing, the more I appreciate the craft of writing itself.
Keep writing.
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