Finance and investing aren't the most stimulating topics. But Morgan Housel breathes life into them with his unique writing style and viewpoints on the Collaborative Fund blog.
He shared his writing philosophy with the Write of Passage cohort in his first-ever "only about writing" Q&A.
Here are my takeaways:
1. Focus on selfish writing
Write for an audience of one: yourself. Why? Because writing for others feels like work. But writing for yourself is fun. And when you're having fun, it shows in your essays. If you like what you're writing, chances are there are other people out there who like it, too.
2. Always tell a story
Readers are impatient – now more than ever. Stories are still the best way to grab your reader's attention, especially when writing about a dry topic. There are so many low-hanging fruits of boring topics that are just waiting to be brightened up with a good story.
3. The best articles are easy to write
Writer's block has nothing to do with your writing ability. It's all about your idea. Good ideas are easy to write about. If you're struggling, it usually means it's not clear what point you're trying to make. Start again.
4. Whoever can say the most stuff in the fewest words wins
We often falsely believe that long and complex is better. But if you look at the best writers historically, their writing is so simple and concise. And that's why it's so good.
5. Let your readers learn a lot without the mental investment
Readers hate if they need to do mental gymnastics to figure out what your point is. That's why complicated and complex ideas won't get traction. The least you put into it, the better you'll do.
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My aha moment from the session with Morgan was that there's no one right way to write.
He doesn't outline his articles, doesn't work with an editor, and doesn't have a dialed-in note-taking system. But he has found a process that works for him and gets results.
Bottom line: You do you!
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