(From the Persuasion PowerPoint section in Volume 19, No. 7 of the Liberator Online. Subscribe here!)
Every week, more and more online and offline writers flood us with more and more information.
They write long essays and long books.
You and I simply don’t have enough time to read everything worth reading.
So we skim, sift, and sort a few pages of this and a few pages of that — to determine which, if either, is worth an hour — or more.
Would you like your writing to go to the front of the line?
Would you like busy, overwhelmed readers to read your whole essay?
Write a short, short piece. 300 words.
Or write a short blog or essay. 600 to 900 words.
In a world of long essays, the short essays stand out.
And they can be read in less time than it takes to decide whether to read the 3,000 to 5,000 word essay.
An average reader can read 300 words in 90 seconds — or 900 words in 4-1/2 minutes.
Want to quickly learn how to write brief, to-the-point essays?
First, read How to Write Short by Roy Peter Clark.
Second, read The 30-Minute Writer by Connie Emerson.
Your essays will get read — by the vital, busy, bright readers you want to reach.
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Michael Cloud’s latest book Unlocking More Secrets of Libertarian Persuasion is available exclusively from the Advocates, along with his acclaimed earlier book Secrets of Libertarian Persuasion.
In 2000, Michael was honored with the Thomas Paine Award as the Most Persuasive Libertarian Communicator in America.
