Emily Currin

I like reading, writing, politics and parties!

[Emily Currin @EmilyEcurrin]

@AmtrakCareers is there a way to reach a real person in any department to resolve an issue?

[Emily Currin @EmilyEcurrin]

@Amtrak your customer service is so frustrating. I’ve tried emailing, calling, chatting nothing. I’m trying to resolve a case I thought was closed can you please respond to my dm or email?

[Emily Currin @EmilyEcurrin]

@reachvaldo Cm

[Emily Currin @EmilyEcurrin]

@codewithimanshu Claude

[Emily Currin @EmilyEcurrin]

@AmericaPapaBear @VigilantFox @joerogan Someone speculated that it was intentionally sloppy so that skeptics would take the bait and say it was a conspiracy....then look silly when it didn't turn out to be.

[Emily Currin @EmilyEcurrin]

@ShaneTHazel I actually think the slip is she starts to say "on the record" maybe because she's used to saying that in a legal context?

[Emily Currin @EmilyEcurrin]

@jmwass Entrepôt!

[Emily Currin @EmilyEcurrin]

@christopherrufo https://t.co/P54errTfAK I bet a lot of people don’t know the reminder in the addendum, I had no idea about this rule! So no Desantis vp?

[Nicolas Cole 🚢👻 @Nicolascole77]

Over the past year, I have tweeted hundreds of small (but powerful) Writing Tips.

But these 19 accumulated more than 1,000,000 views and thousands of comments & shares.

Here they are all in one place

1/ Compression

• Compress what you're saying into bullets
• Make sure you're emphasizing the right points
• Then expand each point in more detail

Said differently:

If you don't know the bullet points of what you're writing, you don't have clarity in what you're saying.

2/ Delete the word “that”

99% of the time you don’t need it.

3/ Make the last word the most important word in the sentence

"You knew who the first President was."

This is weak because "was" is not the most important word in the sentence.

Rewrite:

"You knew the name of the first President."

Much stronger.

4/ Increase engagement by increasing your RoR

Rate of Revelation = how quickly you introduce new information to the reader.

Low score: 1 idea stretched across hundreds of paragraphs / pages.

High score: 10+ ideas compressed into a handful of paragraphs / pages.

5/ Prep the page 📄

Staring a blank page is overwhelming.

To immediately make the writing less intimidating, "Prep the page."

• Name the document
• Start w/ a working title
• Write a first sentence
• Outline your subheads

Filling in the skeleton = 10x easier.

6/ Don't use semicolons

Most readers don't know what they mean.

(And most writers use them incorrectly.)

Commas and periods are much cleaner.

7/ Make your first sentence a short, strong declarative statement

Ex:

"There is only 1 way to get rich."

BOOM 💥

That short, strong declarative statement hooks the reader, and tells them what they're about to dive into.

8/ Write in different interfaces (analog & digital)

• Physical journal
• Napkins
• Looseleaf paper
• Medium UI
• Quora answer
• Reedsy book editor
• Substack newsletter
• Microsoft Word doc
• Etc.

You will see your writing differently in each UI.

9/ Cut all tiny-word-chunks

• "And so as"
• "It is for"
• "If it is"
• "Is it that"

Anytime you notice 3+ tiny words stacked next to each other, delete them.

The sentence becomes cleaner.

I call this: "Pulling the weeds between your flowers."

10/ Delete opening "i" phrases

• "I think"
• "I believe"
• "I have learned"
• "I conclude"

You're the author.

Which means all the things you're saying are your own thoughts, beliefs, lessons learned, and conclusions reached.

Repeating so is unnecessary.

11/ Match language to audience

If you're going to use niche language, make sure you are writing for a niche audience.

In contrast, if you want to reach a general audience, use general language.

The words you use dictate who reads.

12/ "The Tequila Test"

When differentiating your content, make a list of all the things most people say about your topic.

Ex: How to have an effective morning routine

• Wake up early
• Drink coffee
• Stretch
• Etc.

Now, don't use anything on that list.

I call it "The Tequila Test" because if everyone else is saying, "Stretch, drink coffee, wake up early, take a shower, etc.," and I say that too, I'm not DIFFERENT.

But if I say, "First thing I do is take a shot of tequila."

Now I'm saying something DIFFERENT.

So, when writing, ask yourself:

"What's my tequila?"

Make a list of all the things most people say, and don't use them. If you do, you're "the same" as everyone else.

Say something DIFFERENT.

13/ The 1/3/1 sequence

Open your essays/articles with the 1/3/1 sequence.

1/3/1 is a cadence that makes it easy for readers to fall into your writing. The first and last sentences read like candy. But the middle paragraph is where the value is.

Just like this point.

14/ Ignore word count

Instead, focus on saying what needs to be said.

However many words that takes (in its most potent form) is the right number of words.

Nothing else matters.

15/ Volume wins

Whether you like it or not, visibility matters more than ability in today's digital world.

If you want to be a successful writer, publish a lot.

16/ Redraft from zero

Instead of trying to tweak your existing draft, put it aside and rewrite 100% from scratch.

Brand new sheet of paper. Brand new document.

Trust the best parts of V1 will make their way into V2.

And anything that didn't need to be there, won't.

17/ Write to transform

Don't just say something.

*Change* something (in the reader's mind).

18/ Delete adverbs

• Excitedly
• Delicately
• Finely
• Carefully
• Subtly
• Ferociously
• Vivaciously
• Kindly
• Tactfully

Words that end in -ly are unnecessary descriptions.

Removing them makes your writing more declarative.

19/ Before you start "intentional writing," do some unintentional writing

Open a blank page and spend 15 minutes journaling whatever comes to mind. Don't censor yourself. Don't edit for grammar.

Clean out the pipes so fresh water can flow.

[George Mack @george__mack]

The most underrated video on the internet:

A man tries to make a chicken sandwich from scratch: It costs $1500 and takes him 6 months.

There's never been a better time to be alive.

[Emily Currin @EmilyEcurrin]

@ANNELAMOTT Yes! And yes!

[ZUBY: @ZubyMusic]

I'm 36. This is my honest advice for people in their 20s:

1. Make decisions your future self will thank you for, not resent you for.

2. Somebody you know and love is going to die within the next 10 years. It could even be you. So live accordingly.

[Emily Currin @EmilyEcurrin]

@greta Jim!

[Gabriele Corno @Gabriele_Corno]

Elephant gives birth in the Masai Mara reserve in Kenya

[Emily Currin @EmilyEcurrin]

@pmkcanon @AdrienneLaF Reading it currently it’s great!

[Emily Currin @EmilyEcurrin]

@christopherrufo Holy shit this is insane!

[Emily Currin @EmilyEcurrin]

@christopherrufo @isaiah_bb Bonafide monster I can vouch for that! 👹 what a joke! Love following your journey Chris!

[Elon Musk @elonmusk]

The acid test for any two competing socioeconomic systems is which side needs to build a wall to keep people from escaping? That’s the bad one!

[Emily Currin @EmilyEcurrin]

@KrugAlli it's real, I had it, and I probably tend to share your general political sentiment, although it is a thing. my heart rate was off for about 6 months, I'd wake up with it racing and not able to breathe. it eventually subsided.

[Emily Currin @EmilyEcurrin]

@tankcat haha love this