If you can verbalize it, you can write it.
Almost any time I take on a writing assignment for someone, that person says, “I’m not a writer.” I certainly understand why someone tells me that. The nice thing is that it keeps me employed and gives me a strong sense of providing that individual or his/her business strong value.
At the same time, if you can talk, you can write. If you are a good speaker, it is easy to become a good writer. You have to capture what you say. That is the essence of a quality piece of writing.
When I take on a story, I will often tell the individual I am interviewing that I cannot make their story interesting. The story has to be inherently interesting in and of itself. I clean up the language, give it pace and flow, activate the verbs, shorten or cut the boring parts, and in general know how to tie together the theme, grab attention and add a decent conclusion. But the points come from the person you interview.
So, if that is you, how can you write? 1) Have someone take notes when you speak. Afterwards, put them together into a coherent whole. See how it sounds. Cut out extemporaneous details. Add compelling examples. 2) Watch and listen to yourself on video. Capture the key points you want to get across. Listen to your voice and write up the parts of your talk that you feel engage your audience.
If you follow those two points, you will be able to capture your voice and write up messages that broaden your audience and “speak” to your readers in a way that emulates your voice when you present in public. That’s what good writing is all about – finding your voice. If you already have it when you speak, you just need to capture it in your writing. It’s not a complex task, but you do need to work at it. If you do, you’ll expand the reach of your messages.
Almost any time I take on a writing assignment for someone, that person says, “I’m not a writer.” I certainly understand why someone tells me that. The nice thing is that it keeps me employed and gives me a strong sense of providing that individual or his/her business strong value.
At the same time, if you can talk, you can write. If you are a good speaker, it is easy to become a good writer. You have to capture what you say. That is the essence of a quality piece of writing.
When I take on a story, I will often tell the individual I am interviewing that I cannot make their story interesting. The story has to be inherently interesting in and of itself. I clean up the language, give it pace and flow, activate the verbs, shorten or cut the boring parts, and in general know how to tie together the theme, grab attention and add a decent conclusion. But the points come from the person you interview.
So, if that is you, how can you write? 1) Have someone take notes when you speak. Afterwards, put them together into a coherent whole. See how it sounds. Cut out extemporaneous details. Add compelling examples. 2) Watch and listen to yourself on video. Capture the key points you want to get across. Listen to your voice and write up the parts of your talk that you feel engage your audience.
If you follow those two points, you will be able to capture your voice and write up messages that broaden your audience and “speak” to your readers in a way that emulates your voice when you present in public. That’s what good writing is all about – finding your voice. If you already have it when you speak, you just need to capture it in your writing. It’s not a complex task, but you do need to work at it. If you do, you’ll expand the reach of your messages.
