How to Writelike ARCHIVED 210813

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Congratulations! You've completed your first Writelike exercise.

Just like training for music or sport, writing can feel like hard work. That's why we break it down into small chunks.

That being said, you'll probably find that some exercises feel easier or harder than others.

And that's fine! The important thing is that you're getting practice recognising and using useful patterns.

Yoda meme. The simple things easy and the difficult things easier we make.

And remember—you can use these skills outside of Writelike.

When you're reading or listening to things out in the world, try to identify what is effective or ineffective about it.

And when you find something useful, try to apply it to your own communication!

You might be surprised how much writing is involved even in careers we don't typically think of as "writing heavy". Here are a couple of examples:

Athletes

  • Journalling. Journalling is an important part of training for many sportspeople. Serena Williams famously keeps a journal to help her maintain her motivation and focus. Some coaches require it from their athletes.
  • Interviews. Athletes are role models, so many get asked to talk to news reporters, go on talk shows, or visit schools.
  • Motivational speeches. Before or after a big match, the captain of a team might want to motivate their team mates with a speech.

Tradespeople (e.g. electricians, plumbers, construction workers)

  • "Get it in writing". Customers usually want a paper trail of any quotes, agreements, conditions and guarantees for the work being done so they can follow up if things go wrong.
  • Giving instructions. They might be training an apprentice, teaching a colleague how to do a specific task, or telling a customer how to look after their finished work.
  • Making suggestions. They might know of a better technique or material to use for a job, but have to convince their boss/customer/colleagues to adopt it.
  • Marketing. Many tradespeople own their own small business and need to create their own website and advertising materials.

Even in your personal life, you'll probably come across situations where being able to clearly express your thoughts, emotions and opinions will help you achieve what you want. That could be entertaining your friends with an anecdote, explaining how to play a game, or pitching an idea for a cool activity or project you want to do with someone!

The inspiration image for this lesson was from a series of concept art by Iren Khareb for a game called M.E.O.W. (Magic Epic Online Wizard). You can check out more of their art here: https://www.artstation.com/irina_kharab

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