The
Easiest Way to Write Anything
By
Joe
Vitale
You've got something to say. You
know it. Your associates know it.
But you don't regard yourself as "a writer."
How are you going to express your wisdom?
How will you communicate your thoughts?
Yes, you can follow the path of J.Paul Getty, Lee Iaccocoa, and Donald Trump
and hire someone to write your words. That works. (And I'm available should
you want to talk about hiring me as your ghostwriter.) :)
But there is an easier way.
I call this the "two step" because that's all there is to it.
Here's the secret in a nutshell:
Step one is state your principle. Step two is illustrate it.
Pretty simple dance routine, right? Yet you can use this method to write
ANY type of nonfiction---whether it's your life story, a school paper, an
executive brief, or a full length scholarly book. (Actually, the scholars
sorely need this method. They're too stuffy!)
I was reminded of this method while reading a book from the 1940's. I noticed
that throughout the book the author would make a statement and then illustrate
it with a story. The more I thought about it, I felt this was the easiest
way to write anything.
Here's how it works:
1. Make a list of the ideas you want to communicate. Pretend these are laws,
rules, insights, commandments, theories, or whatever will work for you. What
you're looking for is a list of messages. For example, I was working with
a Houston body-mind therapist and I told him about this method. I said, "One
of your messages is that people can have whatever they want, as long as they
aren't attached to how they get it." He nodded. "Another message of yours
is that the energy we put out is the result we get." He nodded again. "Those
are your key points," I explained. "Write those down. That's easy. All you
do is pull out a sheet of paper or turn on your laptop, and just jot down
the ideas you want to get across."
2. Now all you do is illustrate every point with three stories. This is what
I liked about that book from the forties. The author made a statement, then
illustrated it with a story that made the statement come to life. "You have
all kinds of stories to share," I reminded my therapist friend. "For every
point you make, support it with a story. Maybe tell how someone achieved
a breakthrough following your main point. This reinforces your point and
makes it easier to understand."
That's it!
Principle-story, principle-story, principle-story.
You can take ANY subject and break it down this way.
You're making it easier on the readers, too. They don't have to wade through
a long involved tale. With this method, you cut right to the point. You say,
"Here's what I believe," and then you use a story to explain why you believe
it.
The book from the forties that I'm referring to was "How to Develop Your
Executive Ability" by Daniel Starch. I'm using it as an example of this two-step
formula, and not necessarily urging you to run out and find a copy (it's
out of print, anyway).
I just pulled the book off the shelf and opened it at random. I'm looking
at the chapter titled "Putting New Ideas to Work." It begins with a statement:
"Write them down at the time they come to you."
It then spends four paragraphs giving lively quotes from Tolstoy, Darwin,
and Robert Louis Stevenson about the importance of writing down your ideas
when they come to you.
If you just write down your message or key point, it will sit on the page
in a lifeless, very un-hypnotic way. If you want people to remember the message,
if you want them to install the message in their skull, then tell a story
that illustrates it.
Your stories don't have to be classics of literature. A relevant quote can
bring a statement to life. Stories from other people can bring your message
to life. But most powerful and memorable of all are the stories from your
own experience.
I just flipped open Starch's book to chapter twenty-four, on "Turning Bad
Breaks Into Opportunities." Right off the bat there's a statement: "Resolve
not to be downed by failure."
And then follows a page and half of stories about people who were in accidents
and went on with their lives, including a quote from Cervantes and John Bunyan.
This supportive material awakens your message in the reader's mind.
You might notice that I just used this very technique to write this chapter.
I told you there was a two-step formula for writing anything. Then I illustrated
the two steps with stories from my clients, and with a story about the book
that gave me the idea.
This "two-step" works!
The next time you have to write something, remember:
principle-story, principle-story, principle-story.
It's the easiest way to write anything!
Joe "Mr. Fire!" Vitale, regarded as one of the world's most powerful copywriters,
is a best-selling author of marketing books and courses, including "The AMA
Complete Guide to Small Business Advertising," Nightingale-Conant's audio
program, "The Power of Outrageous Marketing!" and "Create Advertising That
Sells." His tremendously successful "Hypnotic Writing" e-book is now succeeded
by
"Advanced
Hypnotic Writing," a breakthrough book that reveals how to use the phenomenon
of hypnotic suggestion to turn your words into cash.
