Three tips from Hemingway to improve your writing

(Nobel-prize winning author and the man JFK studied to improve his communication impact.)

Nobel-prize winning author Ernest Hemingway famously (and not so eloquently) said: “The first draft of anything is shit.”

So – that is Tip #1.

First drafts make great working documents. They help get your thoughts out of your head and onto your page. But iteration is the key to great writing: review, revise and refine as you go.

If you have something important to write, give yourself enough time to not have to hit send or publish on the first attempt.

Tip #2: Channel brevity

Most of Hemingway’s short stories take around 1000 seconds to read – approximately the same length as a TED Talk. That’s too long for most business communication, but most business communication doesn’t involve the creative depth of Hemingway’s fiction.

Like Hemingway, JFK studied journalism to learn how to tell compelling stories concisely. He also studied Hemingway’s techniques.

JFK’s moon speech was 1065 seconds. MLK’s “I have a dream” speech: 970 seconds.

If you have a business presentation, try to keep it to around 16-18 minutes max. There’s powerful precedent for success.

Tip #3: Preference the $1 words

Use short, common words for the bulk of your writing to keep the reader immersed and maximise understanding: avoid using a $10 word when a $1 word will do.

As Hemingway said:
“Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don’t know the $10 words. I know them alright. But there are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use.”

Keep your writing simple, clear and brief. Your audience will be grateful for it!

Have a great day, and thank you for reading. I’d love to hear any thoughts you have.

Larissa