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.
Advanced Hypnotic
Writing
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