BC WRITING
Saved by @zmbnski

The world's most valuable skill:

Writing effectively.

But colleges charge you 120k and still do a terrible job teaching it.

Instead, here are 9 writing frameworks that cost you nothing and will save you hundreds of hours:

 1. Start with building your writing habit by leveraging @jamesclear's Four Laws of Behavior Change.

https://t.co/P3RMSIlswk
2. With your writing habit down, study these 10 tips from the world's most legendary marketer: David Ogilvy.

https://t.co/sMNdjETd24
3. Then, immerse yourself in the takeaways from the bible on business writing.

https://t.co/GzDvf32qoY
4. Like to learn on the go?

Dive into the creative process of the world's best writers in these 10 episodes of the @timferriss show.

https://t.co/QYwkilTWHY
5. Like to read instead?

These 10 books more than cover everything you need to know:

https://t.co/vtVunx88C3
6. Struggling to find time to write?

Discover the life-changing magic of Sacred Hours.

https://t.co/zORePxKLmt
7. Finding yourself constantly distracted?

Stop relying on willpower. Design your environment distraction impossible.

https://t.co/gTyVQp1VFq
8. Overwhelmed with too many choices?

• What to write?
• When to write
• Where to write?

Leverage the power of creative constraint.

https://t.co/l9tbAORUS6
9. Once you've started writing, now you need more ideas to write about.

Use the AAAA framework to never stare at a blank page again.

https://t.co/UwVKwDQuax
Now, you could passively read all of these ideas and then stuff your notes somewhere to be forgotten forever.

Or you can learn to write by writing and publishing every day for 30 days with 500+ other writers.

https://t.co/JJNKZQKb75
If you found these threads valuable:

1. Toss me a follow for more threads on writing and building → @dickiebush

2. Go down the rabbit hole of the best threads I've ever written:

https://t.co/GIVdfYvXZI
And if you think others will find these threads valuable too:

Hop up to the top and retweet it to share it with them.

↓

https://t.co/EZja7jy6Sk

More from Dickie Bush 🚢

Dickie Bush \U0001f6a2
Dickie Bush 🚢
@dickiebush
Atomic Habits from @jamesclear changed my life.

In Atomic Habits, James lays out the Four Laws of Behavior Change.

1. Make it obvious
2. Make it attractive
3. Make it easy
4. Make it satisfying

Here's how to leverage them to build a daily writing habit (🧵✍🏼):

Habits are made up of a four-part feedback loop:

1. Cue
2. Craving
3. Response
4. Reward

Building a habit means intentionally designing each part of this feedback loop.

1. Make it obvious
2. Make it attractive
3. Make it easy
4. Make it


Before you start to build a writing habit, it's important to understand the real goal.

Your goal isn't to start writing.

Your goal is to become a writer.

Why the subtle difference?

Because behavior change is identity change.

We don't stick to habits that aren't aligned with our identity.

Luckily, habits that align with your identity are easy to stick to.

Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you want to become.

So to become a writer, we have to consistently cast "writer votes."

Step 1: Make it obvious

Time and location are the most important habit cues.

You MUST leverage them to build your writing habit.

Every great writer has their sacred hours.

This thread can help you find
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Dickie Bush \U0001f6a2
Dickie Bush 🚢
@dickiebush
In the last 60 days, I've helped 253 people build an online writing habit.

Here are 10 lessons they've taught me in behavior change, human psychology, and writing online.

THREAD...👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

1. Start smaller

The foundation of Ship 30 for 30 is the Atomic Essay.

• One idea
• Under 200 words
• Fits in one iPhone screenshot

This eliminates any friction to publishing ideas online.

And without that friction, momentum is inevitable.

2. Constraints create freedom

"Write something every day" is hard.

There are too many choices to make.

"Publish a 200-word essay with a 30-minute time limit every day for 30 days."

This is easier.

Within these constraints, creativity thrives.

3. Results come from tight feedback loops

The foundation of Ship 30 for 30 comes from @jackbutcher:

Make noise, listen for signal.

Weekly blog posts sent into the void = no feedback.

Daily Atomic Essays on Twitter = immediate feedback.

Faster feedback = faster iterations.

4. Impostor syndrome is curable

But not with common advice of "believing" in yourself.

Early writers think everyone else has figured out.

Until they start writing.

Then, they realize everyone is figuring it out as they go.

Cure impostor syndrome with action, not belief.
WRITING
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Dickie Bush \U0001f4ca
Dickie Bush 📊
@dickiebush
2020... what a year.

I just put the finishing touches on my Annual Review.

Here are 30 lessons I learned about myself and the world across five areas:

• Health
• Wealth
• Relationships
• Online creativity
• Personal operations

🧵👇🏼

Feel free to treat each of these as standalone tweets and comment on the lessons that resonate most heavily with you.

HEALTH

1. Health starts with removal, not addition.

This year I officially hit 100 lbs lost. And looking back, it wasn't what I started doing, but what I stopped doing that got me there.

Fewer carbs, fewer beers, fewer hours sitting, these things add up.

2. Recognize you are undisciplined instead of trying to fight it.

The most "disciplined" people actually are the most undisciplined.

But they recognize and accept this.

So they set up constraints that prevent them from having to rely on self-control and willpower.

3. Your health, especially mental health, is your foundation.

If you can't sit comfortably alone with the voice in your head, no amount of "success" will change that.

12 weeks alone in NYC during peak-COVID forced me to learn this lesson.
LIFE
Dickie Bush \U0001f6a2
Dickie Bush 🚢
@dickiebush
If you use it right, Twitter is the most powerful platform in the world.

But Twitter does a horrible job of showing you its advanced features.

Here are 10 of them you probably know nothing about:

The most underutilized Twitter feature: advanced search.

It blows my mind how few people know this.

Want to find someone's best tweets?

In the search bar, type:

from:dickiebush min_faves:500

Replace the handle and the number of likes as you see fit.

Another good advanced search tip:

Want to see everyone's tweets on a particular topic?

In the search bar, type:

from:dickiebush "consistency"

Again, replace the handle and keyword as you see fit.

You can filter by popularity too:

from:dickiebush "consistency" min_faves:100

We all have those people we don't want following us, but don't want to block.

Here's a good hack:

Block them, then unblock them.

This will unfollow you, but they'll never know.

Get mentioned in a tweet that is receiving way too many replies, turning your notifications into a disaster?

I've been there.

Click to expand the details of the tweet, then click the three dots on the top right-hand corner.

Then, click "mute this conversation."
ALL , TWITTERTRICKS , TWITTERFEATURES
Dickie Bush \U0001f6a2
Dickie Bush 🚢
@dickiebush
For 500 days I've written 500 words of Morning Pages.

While they're usually just brain dumps, I'll sometimes reflect on specific questions.

As @tferriss says, if you want better answers, ask better questions.

-My Top 10 Reflection Questions (and where I got them)-

[THREAD]

1. How am I complicit in creating the conditions I say I don't want?

This is one of the most powerful questions you can ask yourself. I do it routinely on the first Sunday of every month.

From this episode of the @tferriss show with

2. Where am I feeling the Resistance?

Whenever I'm lagging on a project, I ask this question to put the Resistance out into the open.

From The War of Art by Stephen Pressfield (a

3. What would I do to make today horrible?

Using the inversion technique, which I learned about from @JamesClear and wrote about here:

4. Where am I making things more complex than they need to be?

I sometimes overcomplicate things that could be much simpler. But societal forces heavily influence me to do so.

For a deep dive, check out this post from @nateliason
ALL

More from Writing

L.A.M.Z
L.A.M.Z
@OlamideTowobola
If you wanna learn WRITING, CONTENT MARKETING AND COPYWRITING for FREE in 2021, this THREAD is for you. Tag your friends/families that might need these FREE resources!

1. Free Writing Editing Tutorial - Get Your First Draft Written Right!
In this course, you will :

Create a good first draft
Write page after page even when you don't feel "inspired"
Understand what inspires and motivates you



2. Business Writing
In this course, you will learn

Write effective emails, letters, memos, reports.
Analyze a writing situation and determine the appropriate communication strategy, format, style, and content.


3. Beginner's Guide To Copywriting (EASY 12 STEP METHOD)
How to influence people to take action after reading your copy
How to grab the reader's attention
How to create a burning desire for your product or

4. Copywriting that sells:
In this course, you will learn:

How to identify your target audience
How to research your target audience
How to write texts that will convert for that target audience
You will be able to put together a content
WRITING , ALL
Flying_Rodent
Flying_Rodent
@flying_rodent
Things we don’t learn in this article: that the author wrote David Cameron’s speeches during the period when they were intentionally underfunding the NHS and other services, directly creating the problem the author is concerned about now.


We also don’t learn that the paper it’s written in stridently supported those measures and attacked junior doctors threatening strike action over NHS cuts and long working hours, accusing them of holding the country to ransom.

We aren’t reminded that NHS funding and the future of health provision was a central part of previous election campaigns, and that attempts to highlight these problems were swiftly stomped on or diverted and then ignored by most of the press, including the Times.

I’d underline here that “corruption” doesn’t just mean money in brown envelopes: it describes a situation where much of an organisation is personally motivated to ignore, downplay or divert from malfeasance for personal reasons - because highlighting them would be bad for careers

Foges was Cameron’s speechwriter at the height of austerity; Forsyth is married to the PM’s spokesman; Danny F is a Tory peer; Parris is a former MP; Gove used to write for them regularly, and that’s before we get to professional mates-with-ministers like Shipman or Montgomerie.
WRITING
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Daniel Solis, Jive Turkey
Daniel Solis, Jive Tur...
@DanielSolis
Thread: Common instances of passive voice in rules text that can be clearer with more direct voice.

But first: Why do we so often write rules in passive voice? Outlining the "laws" of our game feels like a very formal position with an of aloof authority. Avoid that voice.

"THE PLAYER"

Question any instance of "the player" in a sentence. If you are addressing one player, address them directly in the first sentence of the paragraph and use "you" thereafter.

"If you are the first player, you may X, Y, then Z. If you X, see next page."

"HAVE/HAD/HAS/'D/"

Examine any of these words or contractions. There is usually a more succinct way of phrasing that sentence in the present tense and direct address.

"The player who has just moved must..."
vs.
"After you move, you must..."

"WE"

If you want to put yourself at the table with the players, do so CONSISTENTLY. A random "we" in one paragraph really sticks out. You can even play with voice that way.

"We suggest using option A for your first game."
vs.
"Ahoy, cadet! Use option A for your first game!"

"YOU MAY BUILD, HARVEST, or REST."

Break up action options into a bulleted list rather than a long sentence. e.g.

"On your turn, do one of the following:
• Build: Pay X to place a card.
• Harvest: Destroy a card to gain X.
• Rest: Draw a card from the deck."
WRITING
A. T. Greenblatt
A. T. Greenblatt
@AtGreenblatt
I realized the other day I've been doing this writing thing for almost eleven years exactly.

I became a writer the day I attended my first writing class at a local night school approx. Feb 8th, 2010.

Out of curiosity, I've been looking at the numbers over my career. (1/)

Can I share those numbers? Yes.

Am I procrastinating on actual writing projects right now? Also yes. Don't tell my editors.

Let's do this! (2/)

Over eleven years I've had:

250 short story submissions*
33 original fiction publications
3 essays publications
200 rejections

*approx. number. My records pre-2013 are shaky. In 2013 I started using The Submission Grinder. I still use it. (3/)

I started writing short stories February 2010 and started submitting them in August 2010. I got my first acceptance in September to a micro-fiction magazine. Nonpaying* and now defunct.

*I didn't learn I should expect a contract for my stories until 2013. (4/)

I "sold" 8 stories to non paying magazines between September 2010 and July 2012. It made baby writer me very happy and also taught me how sloppy many of these mags were, though they meant well.

Eventually I took the advice "writers should get paid for their work!" to heart. (5/)
WRITING
Dickie Bush \U0001f6a2
Dickie Bush 🚢
@dickiebush
In the last 60 days, I've helped 253 people build an online writing habit.

Here are 10 lessons they've taught me in behavior change, human psychology, and writing online.

THREAD...👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

1. Start smaller

The foundation of Ship 30 for 30 is the Atomic Essay.

• One idea
• Under 200 words
• Fits in one iPhone screenshot

This eliminates any friction to publishing ideas online.

And without that friction, momentum is inevitable.

2. Constraints create freedom

"Write something every day" is hard.

There are too many choices to make.

"Publish a 200-word essay with a 30-minute time limit every day for 30 days."

This is easier.

Within these constraints, creativity thrives.

3. Results come from tight feedback loops

The foundation of Ship 30 for 30 comes from @jackbutcher:

Make noise, listen for signal.

Weekly blog posts sent into the void = no feedback.

Daily Atomic Essays on Twitter = immediate feedback.

Faster feedback = faster iterations.

4. Impostor syndrome is curable

But not with common advice of "believing" in yourself.

Early writers think everyone else has figured out.

Until they start writing.

Then, they realize everyone is figuring it out as they go.

Cure impostor syndrome with action, not belief.
WRITING

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Jaya_Upadhyaya
Jaya_Upadhyaya
@Jayalko1
SRI MOOKAMBIKA DEVI, KOLLUR (KAR)

There was an Asura, Kaumasura, who was doing penance to please Shiva and get a boon. To prevent him from asking for a boon, Devi Saraswati made him dumb (hence called Mookasur)
Later, Adi Parashakti slayed him and came to be called Mookambika.


It is said that Adi Shankaracharya had a vision in which Devi agreed to follow him provided he did not look back. He kept walking and was assured of her presence due to the sound of anklets. When he reached here in Kollur, he turned back as the sound of anklets had stopped.


So Devi stayed here and merged with the lingam. The place came to be called Mookambika Kshetram.
The linga has integrated on it’s left side MahaKali, Maha Lakshmi and Maha Saraswathi and on the right side- Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.


A swarna rekha (gold line) divides this linga into left and right portion. Adi Shakthi in this Udhbhavlinga form appears only here.
Devi sits in padmasana and has 4 hands.
Adi Shankaracharya installed the Sri Chakra in front of Devi and also composed the Soundarya Lahiri here.
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Guillaume Chaslot
Guillaume Chaslot
@gchaslot
The YouTube algorithm that I helped build in 2011 still recommends the flat earth theory by the *hundreds of millions*. This investigation by @RawStory shows some of the real-life consequences of this badly designed AI.


This spring at SxSW, @SusanWojcicki promised "Wikipedia snippets" on debated videos. But they didn't put them on flat earth videos, and instead @YouTube is promoting merchandising such as "NASA lies - Never Trust a Snake". 2/


A few example of flat earth videos that were promoted by YouTube #today:
https://t.co/TumQiX2tlj 3/

https://t.co/uAORIJ5BYX 4/

https://t.co/yOGZ0pLfHG 5/
TECH , FLAT EARTH
Advertisement
Joey Tawadrous \U0001f1ee\U0001f1ea
Joey Tawadrous 🇮🇪...
@joeytawadrous
1) Core attributes of a promising founder worth following:
- Progress/trajectory over time
- How well they lead a team &
- Make the vision happen
- Most impressed when someone is way ahead of where you thought they would be when you check up/see them a few months later.

2) Indie Makers have such a benefit of being small, fast, nimble workers in comparison to big companies.

We can easily pivot and vastly change a project of ours. We can change as we learn more about our users.

Big companies can take months/years for even the smallest of pivots.

3) Before you find a product market you can pivot your project as many times as necessary until you find something that works.

Then you only have one thing to do: scale, scale, scale.

4) Be obsessed with the little details.
- listen to every single person who uses your product
- reply to every single person who emails you about your product
- ask them what they like and do not like
- iterate your product, make changes, pivot if necessary

5) Paul Graham's (@paulg) name came up with a feeling of great admiration! Naturally! It was Paul who said:

In the early stages of a company just;
- write code
- talk/sell to customers to stress test your idea

Nothing else.
STARTUPS
Nicolas Cole
Nicolas Cole
@Nicolascole77
🚢 Atomic Essays Republishing Framework 🚢

1. Write Atomic Essay
2. Post image on Twitter
3. (Bonus) Copy/paste text as thread
4. Find relevant Question on Quora. Copy/paste Atomic Essay + image.
5. Copy/paste again on Medium.
6. Again on LinkedIn
7. Win

Guide below ✍️🚢👇

Step 1: Write Atomic Essay

I really enjoy writing right inside the Figma template. It helps give me a good sense of exactly how much "real estate" I have/have left before my time us up and I'm out of space.

Once finished, I export the image and send to my phone on Slack.


Step 2: Post image on Twitter

Before I publish my Atomic Essay on Twitter, I use the Edit/Photo Markup function on the iPhone to highlight standout sentences.

These are usually power-phrases: things the reader skims and thinks, "That's interesting," prompting them to read more.


Step 3: For the Ship 30 for 30 challenge, I only turn Atomic Essays into threads if...

1. The piece is SUPER actionable and lends itself well to the thread format (lots of bullets, quick points, lists, etc.)

or...

2. I'm referencing research and want to link to the pieces.

Step 4: Find relevant Question on Quora. Copy/paste Atomic Essay + image.

Search on Quora around the topic you wrote about. Find a related Question. Copy/paste the whole Atomic Essay as your "answer" (& fix formatting). Then include image so it appears in the thumbnail.
WRITING
asif
asif
@aj_raja
PAKISTAN-INDIA WATER ISSUES – HOW INDIA STOPPED WATER IN PAKISTAN's CANALS IN 1948

Thread

After partition in 1947, the water system was also bifurcated between Pakistan n India.

India cheated Pakistan when on April 1, 1948, India suddenly n without warning stopped...
1/n


...the supply of waters flowing into Pakistan's Central Bari Doab and Dipalpur Canals.

The boundary award on the partition of the sub-continent had left the headworks of these canals in Indian territory, and in accepting it India had implied her willingness to leave...

2/n


...the historic distribution of common waters undisturbed.

India's action was therefore in flagrant disregard not only of international law n morality, but of her solemn commitments with Pakistan and a gross violation of this country's historical rights over common waters.

3/n

Faced with a threat of utter desolation of millions of acres of fertile land, Pakistan had perforce to sign a document with India in which she agreed to "India's progressively diminishing water supplies to these canals and to the West Punjab government's tapping...

4/n

...alternative resources".

A specific reservation was made in the document with regard to India's claim that she had full property rights over waters flowing into her territory, and could therefore use them as she liked.

The issue was, however, to be examined...

5/n
INDIA