Creative Writing for Professionals

15 years ago, I wrote "Write Better, Sell Better". The tagline that defined my career. Since then, I've written copy for Fortune 500 companies, projects that made millions, and taught copywriting at the university → Yep, writing is my life. But you don't have all semester long to learn. This post contains my 7 biggest writing lessons: (Save and repost this 60-second class ♻️) --- 1. Clarity is 90% of your writing Clarity beats cleverness 10 times out of 10. Remember: First, write clearly. Then, write creatively. Most focus on "creative" right off the bat = big no. (If you can do both, jackpot) --- 2. Use signposting to showcase authority I teach this technique to every single client. (This sentence you just read was a signpost) Signposts are short "signals" to your expertise and results. Think of them as signs on the side of the road, which allow you to "trust" the journey you're on. Can you notice where else I used it in this post? 😉 --- 3. Too much copy? Make it choppy. Here are 2 examples (the second one is better): Sometimes, we write super long sentences that we have no time to breathe and neither do our readers. Sometimes, we write super long sentences. We have no time to breathe. And neither do our readers. Chop it up! It's easier to read. --- 4. Write unselfishly. Edit relentlessly. Think about it. Writing is 80% editing. You are tweaking, optimizing, and making things sound perfect. One bit of advice: Don't hold back. Edit (ehm, delete) anything that isn't on-topic. I've deleted probably 40% of this post. --- 5. Use sensory words. Add texture to text. That had to hurt! → That had to "sting"! Having a bad day? → Having a "rough" day? A seamless process → A "silky-smooth" process All of the 2nd descriptions above can be "felt". It's how your readers "touch an emotion", not just "read text". --- 6. Never write to "everyone" Remember this for all time: "Everyone" is not your audience. Sales happen when your prospect can clearly "see" themselves in your writing. So how do you go about this? --- 7. The "Dear son" writing method Pick "one" person to speak to → I speak to my son. For you, it could be your best friend, the old you etc. I start everything with "Dear son" and end with "Love, Dad". In the end, I simply delete these 2 parts. Doing so creates such a powerful connection with your readers + a consistent tone of voice. With every word. Where there's connection, there's trust. And where there's trust, there's sales. Words to live by. --- Write Better, Sell Better = that's the whole game! Let me know which lesson you enjoy the most. Professor Jay, out. (Repost this for your network ♻️)

So you've dabbled a bit too much with your favorite LLM and are struggling to write well, or authentically, without it. Here's some prompts to help — for you. Not your LLM. This post was inspired by a few conversations with professionals of all ages who wanted to regain confidence and authenticity in their own writing but didn't know where to restart, especially when the gulf between ChatGPT or Claude-levels of polish and their own thoughts seemed so wide. They wanted to re-learn (or some cases, learn for the first time!) what it meant to write in their own voice. I've distilled my suggestions into four prompts to feed into your biological, onboard superintelligence (that is to say, your brain). "How do I feel about [topic], and why?" Naming our emotions is one of the most powerful things we can do to arrive at a unique point-of-view. Are you feeling anxious? Astonished? Playful? Suspicious? Look up the "Emotion Wheel" for a great way to visualize and name your emotions. To go further, introspecting beyond "what" you're feeling into the "why" can connect your immediate thoughts to your unique life experiences and perspectives. This is the core of what makes you "you." "What do I hope to express by writing?" Writing is a deeply personal act. Yes, even when it's professional or academic-sounding! You're writing because you have something to say, and that special something overpowered the easy inertia of saying nothing at all. That's admirable already. But putting that "something" into words can help you hone and focus your intent, to raise the odds that after you hit "post" or "send" or "publish" that you can look at what you've written with pride. "What do I hope to achieve by writing?" One of the powers of great writing, beyond personal expression, is its ability to influence people's thoughts and behaviors. Writing can inspire, teach, connect, challenge, and so much more. Knowing what you want to achieve with your writing — who you want to reach, how you want them to feel, and what you want them to do differently after reading what you wrote — gives your writing added purpose. "What stories can I tell to express and achieve what I want to?" There's a reason we're so drawn to storytelling: because stories are windows into each others' worlds. Through stories, we share our thoughts, our feelings, our perspectives, our wisdoms, and our experiences. No one in the entire world can share the same stories that you can. And doing so with intent and purpose, even if those stories lack polish, naturally draws people in to your world. There's vulnerability in these questions, because ONLY YOU can answer them for yourself. And that same vulnerability is why so much AI-generated writing can feel so hollow: it doesn't know how you feel, what you want to express, what you hope to achieve, and what stories you want to tell. The combination of these things that makes your writing feel human. So sit with them. Sit, think, and write.

After decades of working with leaders at companies like Apple, Salesforce, and Cisco, we've identified 4 storytelling techniques that consistently work to deliver important messages in high-stakes settings: 1. Start with the unexpected Don’t begin your presentation with context. Instead, begin with the moment that makes people think, “Wait…what?” Instead of something like: “Here’s an update on our September campaign…” Try starting with the most interesting detail: “I broke our biggest marketing rule last month, and it worked.” Lead with the surprise. You can add context later. 2. Let people feel the tension After the surprise, don’t rewind to the beginning. Take your audience to the moment where things weren’t working. Flat numbers. Missed goals. Stalled progress. Instead of: “The campaign was underperforming, and our team went back to the drawing board.” Try:  "We were two weeks out from the end of the quarter. The campaign wasn’t producing results, and the team was out of ideas. That’s when I decided to take a risk...” You don’t need to explain the problem. You need to make people feel it. 3. Use real dialogue When your audience hears what was actually said, they stop listening to you and start visualizing the moment. This helps them connect emotionally with what you’re saying. Instead of: “The campaign manager said team morale was low and they were struggling to find a solution.” Try: “My campaign manager pulled me aside in the hallway and said, ‘We’ve tried everything. The team has been working overtime, and we don’t know what else to do.’” Dialogue brings listeners into the moment with you. It makes the story real. 4. Share the lesson Never assume people will infer the meaning you intended. End your story by answering: - What does this mean? - How should someone act differently now? Example: “Breaking our biggest marketing rule helped us turn this campaign around and hit our numbers. I strongly suggest we revisit our marketing guidelines. We could be leaving a ton of revenue on the table.” Without the lesson being clear, even a good story feels unfinished. These are the same techniques we teach to our clients at Duarte. Try them out during your next presentation and watch how people lean forward and tune in to your message. #ExecutivePresence #BusinessStorytelling #PresentationSkills

Struggling with writer's block? Do this one weird trick: Pinch yourself until your skin turns red. Yes, seriously. Go ahead and do it right now. Now, observe what happens. When you pinch your skin, a normal, forgettable area suddenly stands out — highlighted in red against everything else. That's EXACTLY what your content needs to do. After 8+ years as a professional writer, the most common concern I hear from new writers is: "I have nothing to write about." The problem? You're thinking too broadly. Instead of covering generic topics, you need to PINCH specific areas until they stand out — making the ordinary extraordinary by going deeper than anyone else dares to go. This is how it works- 1. Let's say you want to write a post about a generic topic like leadership. 2. Instead of staying broad, you begin to tap into one your personal experiences: Maybe it's your first boss, or a leader your father worked under, or even a submarine commander you read about 3. You dig into that specific story – "What exactly happened when you lost that big client?" or "How did my father describe working under that unusual manager?" By zooming into these personal experiences, you instantly eliminate 99% of your boring competition – because nobody else has YOUR story 4. The magic happens here: real characters emerge with their quirks and personalities. Your writing transforms from abstract advice to a vivid scene with real people making real decisions 5. As you explore this specific moment, you notice the emotions behind the scenario and that the entire situation revolves around one specific, powerful idea – which will form the crux of the argument. Once you start "pinching" topics, your brain rewires itself to see unique angles EVERYWHERE. And suddenly , You don't have writer's block anymore. You have the opposite problem — too many ideas worth writing about. In a world drowning in generic content, specificity and surprising is always the winning combo Your audience doesn't need more content. They need more PERSPECTIVE. And that's exactly what the pinching technique gives you. Try it once. What's a broad topic you've been struggling to write about? Drop it below and I'll help you "pinch" it into something people can't ignore. #growth #creativity #content #writing #storytelling

Have you ever written a personal Failure Log? It’s a simple but powerful self-improvement technique which builds mental resilience. Setbacks happen in everyone’s career journey. But documenting the decisions and circumstances that lead to failure will let you transform defeats into lessons and strengthen your capacity to bounce back. It’s easy to do too. Here’s how to write a Failure Log: Pick a format (spreadsheet, notebook, or digital journal) and a frequency (weekly is good for reflection). For each entry, answer: - What went wrong? - What did I learn? - How will I change my approach next time?   Use one or two sentences to answer each question. Stay objective. Use a neutral tone (“I didn’t delegate enough tasks”) rather than inflammatory statements (“I’m terrible at managing projects”). Focus on describing events and lessons, rather than beating yourself up. The aim is insight, not self-blame. Review your entries every month or two to spot patterns — maybe you sometimes underestimate timelines or often fail to communicate well enough with stakeholders. Over time, you’ll course-correct with consistent strategies. Celebrating your successes is important, but objectively acknowledging your failures will often yield the most impactful lessons. A Failure Log can be a transformative tool to consistently improve your outcomes. Best of all, over time you’ll develop a more resilient form of confidence — grounded in reality, not wishful thinking. What techniques do you use to learn from your own professional setbacks?

“You write like a content creator.” Someone told me that recently.I said “no, I write like a research analyst.” And maybe that’s the secret. Because some of the best content creators I know weren’t from media or marketing backgrounds, They were analysts, consultants, economists, even policy researchers. Why? Because research analysts unknowingly train themselves to be great content creators, without ever realizing it. Let me explain. 📍𝗪𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆. When I’m looking at a 100-page regulatory document or 6 stakeholder interviews, I’m not just gathering data, I’m finding structure in noise. That’s what content creation is: Turning complexity into a 200-word post people actually want to read. 📍𝗪𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. Every good research project starts with: What problem are we solving?, Who needs this answer?, Where are the blind spots? This mindset is gold for content too. You stop writing what you want to say and start creating what others want to learn. 📍𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁, 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗳. No vague inspiration. No clickbait fluff. We build on evidence, and that builds trust. Even on LinkedIn, the posts that perform best? They have data, examples, and real-life credibility. That’s what analysts naturally bring. So the next time someone says: "You're such a good writer" or "Your posts make sense every time”, maybe it's not just writing. Maybe it’s years of refining decks, simplifying insights, and explaining your point in 5 slides or less. 🎯 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁 𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀. And if you're one of them? Start writing. You're more ready than you think. #ResearchAnalyst #ContentCreation #LinkedInWriting #ConsultingLife #PersonalBranding #ThoughtLeadership #AnalystSkills #CareerGrowth

The writing of The 4-Hour Workweek flowed like a crystal-clear stream. Perhaps a torrent of genius. Sometimes—how should I put this—I amazed even myself. Oh, wait a second, I lapsed into fiction. Back to reality: on good days, my impulse was to slam my own head in a car door. I tossed the first four chapters I wrote and almost gave up on multiple occasions. Futility was the brain soup du jour. Draft, doubt self, panic, hate self, throw out draft—rinse and repeat. It changed only when I started viewing each chapter as a magazine article: strong enough to be a stand-alone piece, including a clear opening or “lede,” a clear middle with case studies, and a punctuated end with lessons learned. From that mindset, a few trial runs, I developed a chapter template that involved starting with a dialogue or anecdote (even if it was scrapped later) and moving through the above steps to a resource-rich “Tools and Tricks.” I needed a repeatable process. To sit down to “write a book” was just too overwhelming, even with a table of contents as a blueprint. If you plan on any creative undertaking, whether business, writing, or art, I strongly recommend the book Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott. If you spend a lot of time working alone and get trapped in your head, it’s required reading. It saved my sanity and has done the same for several friends who’ve gone from “I want to quit” to New York Times bestsellers.

Everyone always talks about authenticity. But I wanted to break down exactly what it means so we could turn it into an SOP. Because right now, rightfully, all our prospects are saying: “I want my posts to feel like I wrote them — like there’s no trace of ChatGPT.” And that’s what the 5 execs at our new $1.6bn signing were saying when we first started working together. Here’s the SOP we put together: 1. Start with a real moment Not an idea or topic, but an actual moment that has recently occurred. That means digging into what’s already happening in their business & life: – A tension from a recent leadership offsite – A hiring tradeoff they had to make – A product bet that paid off (or didn’t) – A board conversation that forced a decision – A conversation with a customer It ensures there is a “why” and genuine reason behind the person posting. So they come across as "business leader" not "influencer." 2. Make sure content is Experience-led or Expertise-led (1) Experience - story or career journey, lessons, moments that sparked insight (2) Expertise - specific IP problems, your process, your ideas and industry opinions This avoids random generic posts that aren't grounded in something you're uniquely positioned to share. And there is no possibility of the post looking like a Chat-GPT post. 3. Break the traditional format The goal: How do you make it LOOK like it was hand-typed. Because right now, LinkedIn is full of posts where: – Over-done dramatic hooks following a content formula – Line breaks every sentence like they’re writing for pre-school kids – Predictable structures that are overused We do the opposite. Some posts flow like a well-paced monologue. Others feel like a quick, punchy memo to the team. Some have no hook at all — and that’s what makes them work. Less "LinkedIn template" and more how you'd communicate to your team. 4. Build a human & real tone The goal: How do you make it SOUND like it’s actually them? We include all the parts that make us human: – Asking questions to continue the conversation – Reflections like a diary entry – Both sides of the argument – Capture nuance, depth and specificity – Moments of hesitation or curiosity: “I’m still figuring this out, but here’s where I’m at…” The best posts often feel like they were never meant to be public — just thoughts that accidentally spilled out. That’s what makes people trust the person behind the words — not just engage with the words themselves. Because, they know they're real. -- My take: Authenticity is far less about being vulnerable and sharing overly personal aspects of your life. It's about ensuring you sound unique, share unique insights, and do so in a unique way. Save this so you can come back to it!

After more than a decade of writing weekly reflections for the communications team at Microsoft (500 total emails, 400,000+ words), I recently had time to look back at all of them and think about the things I've learned since committing to this process. These are my top 5 learnings: 1) Repetition is the mother of all learning, and intentional practice and reflection improves skill. I look back at my early emails and spin forward and can see clear changes in both my style and delivery. 2) Audience matters. Starting with a clear sense of who these are for (communicators at Microsoft) has been a great grounding and focus. Over the years, the distribution has expanded – but the writing is immeasurably easier because I have in my head who will be reading it. 3) Having a deadline sharpens the mind. Simply knowing that I will be hitting send on an email kicks off conscious and unconscious thinking and observation – I am not always thinking about what will come next, but I am paying more attention to the world and looking for connections. 4) The work is the work—especially when it’s hard. So, what's the through line? Communications is a stabilizing force and in the hard moments our function shows its real value. 5) Mistakes are where growth lives. And while failure isn’t fun, it’s often where the biggest leaps happen. In this line of work, mistakes are inevitable. What matters is what you do with them. Writing this much will teach you a lot. But mostly, it reminds you that the work of communication is never done—it’s a practice. And like any good practice, it’s where we become who we are. fxs

There’s a very thin line between ‘I’m consistently posting’ and ‘I’m consistently posting… nothing.’ And personal brands cross it more often than they realise. You can post five times a week, have beautiful carousels, jump on every trending topic. Share Monday motivation, Tuesday lessons, Wednesday leadership advice and Friday reflections. Your profile can look very active, and still be going absolutely nowhere. That’s fluff post stuffing❌ Moving with direction looks different. Every post doesn’t need to sell, but Every post should strengthen either your expertise, or your positioning or your personality or your credibility, or your business narrative. Or simply the reason someone should remember you. This is something I pay close attention to while building founder profiles. Before approving a post, I like asking: What job is this post doing for the brand? -Maybe today’s post establishes expertise -Tomorrow’s makes the founder relatable -The next challenges an industry belief Another subtly brings the business into the conversation. Individually, they look like different posts. Together, they should tell the same story about the person. That’s content strategy📍 So, if you want to post without stuffing your feed with fluff: 1. Define what you want to be known for Pick 3–4 subjects you genuinely have the credibility to own. 2. Give every post one job Authority, trust, perspective, personality, proof or conversion. Know which one you’re building before you write. 3. Add something only YOU could have said A client conversation, a mistake, a strong opinion, an observation from your work. That’s where authority comes from. 4. Stop posting information people can Google Explain what you think about that information and why. 5. Audit your last 10 posts together If a stranger can’t understand what you know, what you believe and why they should follow you, your strategy needs work. The goal isn’t to have something to post every day. It’s to have something worth being remembered for. That is a credible personal brand I’d vouch for🏆