Writing Well - Part 3 - Rewriting and Editing

Julian Shapiro julian.com

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A few rules of thumb for incorporating feedback from your target audience:

If you agree with it, implement it.

If 3 out of 10 people have the same feedback and you’re ambivalent about it, I'd incorporate it if it’s just a quick change.

If 4 or more out of 10 have the same feedback and you disagree with it, you are wrong. Check your assumptions and yo

Julian Shapiro • Writing Well - Part 3 - Rewriting and Editing

Writing Tips - Feedback

I've also found that switching text editors tricks my brain into re-reading my work with new eyes. For example, if I wrote the first draft in Dropbox Paper, I'll write the second draft in Google Docs. Those tools format text differently, which kicks your brain out of pattern recognition mode, and makes it feel like you're editing someone else's wor... See more

Julian Shapiro • Writing Well - Part 3 - Rewriting and Editing

Writing Tips - Feedback

Ask for feedback from the audience you’re writing for. Here’s a template:

It would be helpful if you read my article slowly to transcribe the reactions you have while reading it. For example:

1. Tell me what to delete — When you notice your interest is fading, you can say “I'm drifting here. This isn’t compelling and it isn’t adding value. Get to the

Julian Shapiro • Writing Well - Part 3 - Rewriting and Editing

Writing Tips - Feedback

Getting feedback is the most efficient way to improve your writing. This is not optional. Giving feedback is as important: giving it to others forces you to internalize the learnings from this handbook.

Julian Shapiro • Writing Well - Part 3 - Rewriting and Editing

Writing Tips - Feedback

In long pieces, aim to evenly distribute dopamine hits. Rely on outside feedback; it's hard to accurately judge this yourself.

Julian Shapiro • Writing Well - Part 3 - Rewriting and Editing

Writing Tips - Be Intruiging

Have a captivating intro that buys goodwill.

Have at least one peak of insight or surprise.

Have an ending that satisfyingly justifies why the piece was worth reading.

There’s your writing formula. The rest of your article can be weak and most readers will still enjoy it. Take comfort in the implication: not every paragraph has to be interesting.

Julian Shapiro • Writing Well - Part 3 - Rewriting and Editing

Writing Tips - Be Intruiging

I use a technique I call dopamine counting to weave novelty into my writing:

I ask people to leave feedback by highlighting every sentence that gives them a dopamine hit. These are the moments of delight where they remark: "Ahh, that's cool/profound/fascinating." For each hit, I increase a counter at the end of the corresponding sentence. Like this

Julian Shapiro • Writing Well - Part 3 - Rewriting and Editing

Writing Tips - Be Intriguing

Clarity and succinctness help ideas resonate. They reduce mental overhead so your ideas pop.

But what gets people reading in the first place? Intrigue , which is the other quality we rewrite for .

Julian Shapiro • Writing Well - Part 3 - Rewriting and Editing

Writing Tips - Be Intriguing

To be brief on the sentence-level, remove words that don’t add necessary context. Extra words cause readers to slow down and do extra work. That makes it harder for them to recognize the sentence’s point. And when you exhaust readers, they quit reading.

Julian Shapiro • Writing Well - Part 3 - Rewriting and Editing

Writing Tips - Rewriting to be Concise