Unlock the Secret Formula: Karl’s Six Rules That Will Transform Your Writing Forever

I’ve done a lot of writing over the past fifty years: one PhD thesis, fourteen books, and more than 400 articles on a wide variety of topics. It’s not for me to say whether I’m a good writer, but I have acquired some useful practices along the way. Here are six rules that help me be a more effective writer. They might help you, too.

Rule #1: Heed the Little Voice

Either as I’m writing or when I’m reviewing something I’ve written, I will occasionally hear a little nagging voice in my head (just one voice, fortunately). It says, “That part doesn’t work. Fix it or cut it out.”

I used to reply to myself, “Let’s leave it there and see how the reviewers feel about it.” My outside reviewers invariably spotted that bit, and they invariably hated it. I’ve learned to trust that internal message and fix the awkward chunk right away. The little voice in my head hasn’t been wrong yet.

Rule #2: Deliver on the Title

We’ve all been taken in by eye-catching, intriguing titles that are nothing but clickbait. We waste time reading the article, hoping that somewhere, eventually, we’ll see the message the captivating title promised, but we never do. It’s highly annoying.

I believe in truth in advertising. I try to craft titles and subtitles that are both inviting and accurate. The audience has a right to know what to expect, and the author has a responsibility to deliver.

The same applies when giving presentations. I’ve attended more than one talk in which the content didn’t fulfill the title’s promise. Suppose the title is “Conjugating Verbs in Swahili,” but the material presented misses the mark. At the end of the talk, a disappointed attendee asks, “Are you going to say anything about conjugating verbs in Swahili?” Awkward.

With articles and blog posts, the author doesn’t immediately feel the reader’s annoyance when they don’t meet expectations based on the title. It’s there, though; you might see that feedback in reader comments. It’s not…