Welcome

Style is a small part of writing well. Most of writing is thinking clearly.

If you can think clearly, you can find something to say.

You see, this guide is a ruse: its secondary goal is teaching you critical thinking.

By thinking critically, you navigate contradictions and connect the dots others aren’t seeing. You challenge the status quo. You contribute insights. Sometimes, you make people feel.

That’s what it means to have something to say.

To write well is to think well.

Why become a great writer?

There are many reasons to write. My favorite is leverage.

Leverage

If you have something important to say and you say it well, you send strangers down paths they badly needed.

That's why it’s a disservice to humanity to keep your great thoughts to yourself. Especially when you consider the scale of writing: articles reach thousands.

Writing is the most radical thing you can do without money. Skilled writers change the world from their couch.

That’s leverage.

Clarity

Writing is mostly thinking, which means becoming a better writer makes you a better thinker. You learn to communicate more clearly and persuasively.

Brilliant thinkers became brilliant by writing. It's how they realized their potential.

What you're about to learn

Together, we'll get to the bottom of a topic you've always wanted to write about. And you'll learn to rewrite your thoughts so they leave an impact on readers.

• Page 1 — Identify what you should write about
• Page 2 — Generate insights on your topic
• Page 3 — Rewrite for clarity, intrigue, and succinctness
• Page 4 — Wrapping up and improving as a writer

I’ll provide a cheat sheet at the end, but I recommend taking notes. Reading without note-taking is like exploring new territory without drawing a map.

Who should read this?

This handbook is for:

1. Professional writers wanting to reach the top 1%: You’ll acquire new writing insights, and you’ll better understand what makes your own writing good.
2. Aspiring writers who fear publishing themselves online: This will provide you with confidence in your process — so you hopefully take the leap and publish.

In 30 minutes, I can help you become a remarkably better writer.

Who wrote this?

I'm Julian. I write handbooks on mastering complex topics. They’ve been read by a few million people. I also write a monthly marketing column for TechCrunch, and I've authored a boring programming book for Pearson Education.

You can learn more about me here.