Free writing advice from a guy who taught writing for 15 years, in the form of a subtweet 🧵
https://twitter.com/kalindlara/status/1440012603506446340
Let’s say you’ve been accused of a long list of stuff, some of which is patently untrue and even a bit ridiculous, some of which, well, isn’t. You need to write a response. 2/7
You have a lot of body paragraphs in this essay but let’s simplify it to 3:
#1 is something you announce you intend to do to address the issue. It sounds good. 3/7
#1 is something you announce you intend to do to address the issue. It sounds good. 3/7
#2 is something you’ve already done, in the recent past, to address the issue.
#3 is a fix you made to something trivial and embarrassing. It sounds kind of stupid but you feel you need to address it, just to clarify things. 4/7
#3 is a fix you made to something trivial and embarrassing. It sounds kind of stupid but you feel you need to address it, just to clarify things. 4/7
What is the proper order of these paragraphs?
The correct answer is:
1
3
2
1 comes first. You want to make your best first impression.
2 goes last. It’s not as good, but it’s positive change.
3 you bury that shit in the middle where no one will remember it. 5/7
The correct answer is:
1
3
2
1 comes first. You want to make your best first impression.
2 goes last. It’s not as good, but it’s positive change.
3 you bury that shit in the middle where no one will remember it. 5/7
You do NOT end your essay with the most embarrassing, dumb-ass thing you’ve decided to include. Any freshman Business student knows to end an essay with a call to action. Do you want your readers to be talking about your new maintenance policy? No, no you do not. 6/7
Class is dismissed. 7/7
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