Blockchain Baby!

Aaaand we’re back!

Welcome to the fifth issue of the series!

Let’s pick up where we left off two weeks ago…

You’ve seen this happen. In fact, it’s happened to you more than a few times on social media.

You’re scrolling along enjoying the videos of cats and comics and other fun little tidbits that the algorithm is throwing at you to keep you glued to your screen…

Then, you see it.

It’s a headline or a hook that is just too good to pass up.

Everything is tantalizing.

Your curiosity is piqued.

You click on the link to see more…everything upfront screams that it’s going to be a revelation or at least moves the needle on some level.

Next thing you know, you’ve closed the tab, and continued on your merry way.

Why?

You saw endless scrolls of wall-to-wall text.

You didn’t sign up to read “The Iliad” or “Great Expectations”.

You wanted what they were offering…but this is the internet.

In the ONLINE writing craft, the way you present or package your message is just as important as how you write it.

In for a penny, in for a pound…

We’re getting towards the end of this little journey of ours, but this sin, quite frankly, sends people running for the internet hills.

A person’s interest in reading on a phone is only so much these days.

You are competing with the multitudes of other creators who have every right to be here.

Attention is the new oil as they say (like I said in the previous issue as well).

Once you’ve got that, you need to keep it.

This sin pretty much guarantees that you won’t.

It’s a hard thing these days to hone the writing craft, but it’s worth the effort, right?

…right?

For instance, if I were to share with you the best and most wonderful secret concerning how to make millions of dollars with no experience and almost no time would you keep reading this if I presented it to you in this way and kept going for ages and ages and you were on the can at work and the only way you’d be able to find out is if this were in real time and disappearing into the ether the moment you put your phone away and exited the stall and there were people waiting to use it and there was a timer whenever you left your cubicle and your boss is always on your case about how much time you spend in the bathroom already and you’d lose your job, your kids would go hungry and your spouse would leave you?

Did you like that?

Now imagine seeing that and scrolling down and seeing more of it.

There doesn’t seem to be an end.

Your eyeballs would feel like Sisyphus and his boulder task.

9 times out of 10, you’d leave.

Don’t literally blockchain your formatting on social media posts.

Yes, there are exceptions (but they are few).

If my newsletter were formatted this way, most of you would have unsubbed long ago.

Nobody wants to feel like they’re slogging through mud on a Sunday afternoon on a screen.

Most of you know this, but here are some things I do to make it easy on your eyes…

A spoonful of sugar (in formatting)

Here are some rules of thumb for formatting your work so that the medicine goes down:

1. Bold your main message.

2. Use odd numbers as often as you can in your lists.

3. Italicize any quotes or emphasis to distinguish finer points.

4. Sentence variation - don’t make every statement the same length.

5. Underline to hammer home what you want to stick long after reading.

Oh, and make lists easy to consume by gradually increasing or decreasing the lengths (as I did with the one above).

Here’s what that big ol' block from above looks like rewritten and with some formatting applied:

For instance, if I were to share with you:

• the secret concerning

• how to make millions of dollars

• no experience and almost no time

would you keep reading this if I presented it to you in this way?

And I formatted in a way that was easy to consume?

Even if you were on the can at work, and if this were in real time and disappearing into the ether the moment you put your phone away, you’d have an easier time consuming it.

Most likely you’d have retained the secret even after exiting the bathroom stall.

Yes, there’d be people waiting at the post-lunch rush hour.

• Even if there was a timer whenever you left your cubicle, and your boss was always on your case about how much time you spent in the bathroom already, you’d have caught the secret to millions anyway.

• Even if you’d lost your job now, your kids wouldn’t go hungry, and your spouse wouldn’t leave you.

At least I hope not.

Yes, formatting does take up a lot more space on the screen, but your reader will appreciate the time and effort you place in making it easier for them to consume your message!

I’m still a long way from mastering it, but it’s become second-nature.

As a bonus, you also begin thinking in bullets and lists a lot more.

Clarity and articulation results from organized thinking.

What’s next?

We’re back on track to finish up the last two sins.

School for the kiddies is just around the corner so I’m not sure where I’ll go from here.

But, I have a few ideas since I’m going through two challenges right now:

1. Kieran Drew’s MCM 30-Day Challenge

2. Daren Chapman’s Craftsmen Creative Challenge

Plus, I’m going through Eve Arnold’s fantastic writing course!

I’m thinking I’d like to share what I learn from all of these over the next few months…

Anyways, next sin is one that many commit (it’s the default for those who lack patience).

Enjoy your week!

P.S. Let me know if you enjoy this stuff…I’ve been trying to figure out the overarching theme for this newsletter. It’s getting closer every month so thanks again for being an “early access” member!