Penny For Her Thoughts

Do you remember this iconic dialogue from Chak De India? Right at the beginning when the team reports for the first time, Coach Kabir asks everyone to introduce themselves. And that's when each player states their name and the state they are from. He makes each player who added the state name in their introduction stand away from the team. And that's when he delivers these iconic lines.  The crux of the chilling dialogue is that you first play for your country, then you play for your fellow teammates, and last and least you play for yourself.  While rewatching the movie for the 200th time, it made me think about it as a writer (probably because I was supposed to be working instead of watching a movie).  And it made perfect sense to paraphrase it and use it to become a better writer.  First, you write for your audience The readers who will be reading your content are your topmost priority. So, your first goal should be writing content that provides value. Furthermore,...

Every piece of writing has a specific reason. Eventually, as writers, our aim is to create content that satisfies a bigger goal. Therefore, it is crucial for writers to understand how they fit into the bigger picture. It helps significantly improve our writing. And to make our writing relevant and impactful, it is crucial to understand a few things before writing. This understanding provides us better clarity, which in turn creates clear copies. What is the purpose?  Before writing, consider the reason behind the content. Is it to create awareness about a product? Is it to educate people about existing concepts? Is it to sell a product? Is it about sharing your expert opinion on current affairs? Or is it something totally different?  Understanding why you are writing, helps you write better because you are thinking about the end goal while writing every sentence.  What is the type of content?  Are you writing a newsletter? Are you writing a blog? Are you writing a no...

  I have worked with Manav Gupta for over two years on various projects.  Here is an overview of the type of content I worked on with him.  product descriptions Long-form blogs Short form blogs Website pages Being a writer himself, there was a lot to learn in my time working with Manav.  Here are the key learnings I have accumulated in the span of working with him on various projects.  Research Proper research means the job is half done. Detailed research on any topic leads to the following: An understanding of what our competitors are talking about and how they are talking about it.  You can mention accurate data. This helps in maintaining trust with the readers. An outline of the relevant details to add while writing the content.  Comprehensive research helps in formulating your own ideas on the topic. This helps in adding a personalized touch to your content. It helps us provide a unique perspective rather than showcasing what the majority has alre...

Working with Sagar for personalized first lines was a wonderful experience and a crucial lesson.  Brief about the work I received a list of leads that mentioned the name of the person, their job title, the company they work with, their social media handles, and their mail ids.  My job was to write personalized first lines for cold emails that would be sent to the leads for potential collaboration. My content had to be engaging and, of course, personalized so that the lead would want to read the email and consider working with my client.  The task was divided into three parts: verify the leads research on the leads write a personalized line for cold mailing.  Verifying the leads The first step was not mandatory as per the task outline. However, it was a part of my writing process to ensure quality outcomes from my work. In the first stage, I verified whether the lead provided for a specific company was valid or not.  This means I checked whether the person still...

(Just to be clear about the title, I hate my old writing too, not your old writing)  So many times writers (me included) complain that we could have written something way better now. The unnecessary details, the tone, the words used, everything looks like it needs improvement. Or sometimes, there are even some POVs that you can't believe you missed the first time.  Well, to be honest, it is a wonderful sign. All it shows you is that you have grown as a writer and person. Now, you know a few things that the old you did not know. So, is that the end of today's post?  Of course, not! You have upgraded yourself. But, what about your content? Here is what you can do about it.  For Blogs If it is a blog post, you can edit it and make it more relevant for today. It will also be helpful from a search rankings point of view. If it is for yourself, you can quickly make the changes. If it is for your client, you can ask them once and tell them here are a few ways you can make i...

Writing well doesn't have to be tricky. Here is how you can transform your writing in three easy steps.  Read The more you read, the more you learn, and the more you grow. Read anything that interests you until reading becomes interesting.  Magazines, comics, story books, anything can teach you fresh words, new ways to say something.  It can even inspire you to make up an interesting phrase by yourself.  Proofread It may seem unnecessary to include this point. However, guess what most of the time people post a piece of content without reading it once.  Proofreading is like brushing two times a day. Everyone knows it's important, everyone knows you need it, but many times, we it (don't lie, everyone misses sometimes)  So, the bottom line is, don't skip it. It can turn an average piece of content into a sophisticated blurb.  Re-read When you write something, most of the time, you add way too many details in the flow of it.  So, it is important to re...