How to write what people want to read
Serve up the "story sandwich"
As I hope you know by now, I’ve been working on a book called Quietly Crushing It. (A preview chapter is available here.)
Do I feel like I’m quietly crushing my book?
It depends on your definition of crush. The work is hard but rewarding. I often feel like I’m taking two steps back for every three steps forward—but that’s still progress.
Along the way, I’ve realized that how I learned to write has been holding me back.
It started when I began working with an editor and we immediately got into a fight…
The editor’s knife
OK, fight is a strong word.
A healthy disagreement.
In my initial draft of Quietly Crushing It, I structured my chapters like this:
Tell the reader what you’re going to tell them.
Tell them.
Tell them what you told them.
My editor read what I wrote and immediately cut two-thirds of my draft.
That’s exaggerated, but it felt that way.
I was a good writer . . . for efficiency
What I realized is that most of my writing had been done in a business setting where people needed to read what I wrote (or so I told myself). As a result, my style had developed to be as efficient as possible. To get you the information you need in as few words as possible.
But, too much brevity can get boring, and who wants to read something boring?
That’s where my editor was trying to help me.
The key to writing what people want to read
In the few cases when efficiency matters most, like status updates and time-sensitive situations, cut right to the point.
The rest of the time, you need to engage readers so they actually read and retain what you’ve written. Given how much content we all create at work, you’ll want to focus on engagement over efficiency most of the time.
My editor showed me a better approach that I’ve come to call the “story sandwich.”
Here’s the recipe:
Think of a story related to your core message and open by telling 80 percent of it, pausing on a cliffhanger - the top piece of bread.
Share your core message - the meat of the sandwich.
End by relating the core message with the remaining 20 percent of the story - the bottom piece of bread.
This works because we all think in stories. They engage us in ways that facts or directives alone cannot. Just think of how many famous teachers, speakers, and leaders use stories to draw us in.
When you tap into the long history of our insatiable need for stories, you tap into possibly the most powerful way to communicate.
Humble pie for dessert
Once I dropped my ego and recognized the value in what my editor was trying to teach me, I saw the pattern over and over again in best-selling books, blog posts and business memos I actually wanted to read.
He may have won the fight, but I’m better because of it.
Your message doesn’t matter if no one ever reads it. The story sandwich makes your writing more engaging so they always will.
Try it yourself: The next time you have something important to share, try the story sandwich.
The next presentation you have to give . . .
The next email you need your manager to read . . .
The book you’re going to write . . .
😂 P.S. A terrible joke, try not to laugh…
How did Bob Marley like his sandwiches?
With jam in.