Thread by @ItsKieranDrew

One of the hardest parts about writing online:

Finding your voice.

But what if you could develop a strong writing style your audience loves to read (in less than 10 minutes a day)?

With this exercise, you can:

Even the best ideas can be ruined by weak writing.

There’re two ways to find your voice:

1. Slowly and painfully (though an insane amount of content)

2. Quickly and deliberately

Today, I’ll show you the latter. This is the 'Analyse and Adapt' technique.

First:

Who are your top 5 writers?

These are the people you follow consistently. You enjoy their style and resonate with their message.

Pick no more than 5. Constraints create creativity.

Here're mine, for example:

Jack Butcher, Naval, Dan Koe, James Clear, David Perell

On creativity, Bruce Lee once said:

“Absorb what is useful, discard what is useless and add what is specifically your own”

Your consumption pattern is data.

What you like and dislike, other’s will too.

So, write a list for each writer.

What you enjoy and what you don’t.

Analyse

You’ll notice trends in your results. Highlight these. They're the foundation of your own style.

And the law of large numbers online, if you enjoy it - many others will too.

This way, you find them faster.

My example:

✅
•Simple, stripped-down writing
•Topics of the internet, writing, society, philosophy and psychology
• Humour

❌
•Vague tweets.
•Sounding too ‘promotional’
•Crypto
•Raw liver (Sorry @thedankoe)

These form a blueprint for my content.

Now, the final ingredient:

@thedankoe Adapt

You’re a product of the 5 people you associate with.

Use this to your advantage. Maximise exposure. Read everything they write.

When you see something you love, save it.

This is a ‘swipe file’. A powerful database of resolution.

Here’s how to use it:

@thedankoe Write, Then Rewrite.

Want to learn rapidly?

Handwrite the best tweets.

This is how you pick up the groove fast.

It's a powerful exercise – it may feel slow, but trust me – it works.

But we don’t stop there:

https://twitter.com/ItsKieranDrew/status/1456321325413380098

@thedankoe Steal Like an Artist

When you write tweets, don’t start with nothing.

Instead, re-write from your swipe file. Add your flavour. Adapt the message.

This is 'stealing like an artist'.

You build your voice on the foundation of what you enjoy.

@thedankoe Maximising Growth

As you publish, gather data.

Ask 2 questions:

1. Did I enjoy writing this?
2. Did my audience enjoy reading it?

The answers steer future choice.

Follow your energy. Follow the results.

@thedankoe So, there you have it.

By taking a step back to analyse your idols you take 100 steps forward to becoming them.

And with the internet getting busier fast, this exercise will help you ride the wave instead of drown in it.

Thanks for reading.

If you enjoyed this, give me a follow @ItsKieranDrew.

I share ideas on writing and storytelling for the digital age.

P.S.

If you're writing online and struggling to define your niche, you'd love my guide.

It's a different take on an old problem. Check it out here for free:

writersniche.carrd.co

Still here?

Fantastic.

If you know anyone who'd benefit from this exercise, please retweet the first tweet to share it.

Just click the link below and up you go :)

https://twitter.com/ItsKieranDrew/status/1483487810426441731

TL;DR

Use the Analyse & Adapt approach to build a voice that's based on the writers you love.

Take what's useful, discard what isn't. Add your own touch. And create.

Want to write engaging content and build a powerful presence online?

You should check out my guide. It helps you define your niche differently so you can stand out from the crowd.

Get it here free 👇

writersniche.carrd.co