Writing Rules for Advanced Users
I have my own personal rules for writing.
Keep the beginning neat and tidy
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Writing neatly means writing in a way that is acceptable anywhere.
Why must we write neatly?
There is only one reason.
Because if you write something too eccentric at the beginning, it is easy to be disliked.
"Keep the beginning neat and tidy"
We note creators post articles on the internet. We post them with great enthusiasm, eyes sparkling, thinking, "My writing must be interesting!"
There are two types of writing on note: "writing for yourself to enjoy" and "writing for others to enjoy."
For "writing for others to enjoy," you need to write in a way that allows more people to read it and makes it easier to share on other social media platforms.
If I had to ask for more, it would be wonderful if they read it all the way to the very last sentence.
What should you do to "have more people read it"?
At the very least,
it is good to keep the beginning clean and polite.
From the middle onwards, you can continue with clean writing, or you can gradually make it sound a bit more playful.
It can even be "neat-looking." As long as the writing style appears neat, the content can be sharp.
As I have said many times,
the important thing is, let's keep the beginning neat and tidy.
Actual examples
It is faster to look at actual posts, so I will explain.
Since I have the chance, I will explain using an article selected by the note editorial department.
For this article, I aimed to write a piece that others would enjoy reading.
There are several points I targeted. This time, I will extract only the parts that fit the “Be refined in the beginning” rule.
Point 1: The Opening
Good refinement indeed. Adding 10 refinement points.
Point 2: The Beginning
Let's keep going.
Good refinement indeed. Adding 80 refinement points.
The final “a bit concerning” is Not refined indeed.
What was unified in polite language suddenly becomes casual. To point out further, the word “a bit” is unnecessary. It sounds just like someone talking. Therefore, it is Not refined.
Point 2: The Middle
Overall, it is Not refined. It continues with “super,” “too nice,” and “I want to see!” The tone is light.
With the final sentence, “The more data that accumulates, the more fun it is,” I can barely add 10 refinement points.
The cumulative refinement points so far total 100.
Once I have saved up 100 points, I write as my usual self.
To hell with refinement; I write away using my usual habits.
Point 4: The Ending
Refinement is nowhere to be found. My emotions are laid bare.
Production Process
First, write the entire article 100% by habit. Write as your usual self.
After finishing everything, polish only the first 1000 characters to be refined.
Revise it so that you can earn refinement points.
Sometimes I use proofreading support tools.
Trying the opposite
So, conversely, what kind of impression would it give if you showed personality at the beginning?
(Opening)
I've become super-hyper healthy! Yay!
The reader will immediately close the page.
"What is this guy? Creepy." They close the screen, and that's the end.
It could easily happen. Suppressing your personality is difficult.
Even if you think to yourself, "I'll say something funny. This line should be safe," and go all out at the beginning, for the reader, it might just be a joke that falls flat immediately.
There is a gap in feelings between the writer and the reader.
Therefore.
Therefore, therefore.
To avoid being disliked as much as possible,
act like you have smart writing for the first impression.
This is my personal rule.
<Quick Note> The more refined you make the beginning, the more effective the setup becomes. It gives a serious impression. I think the structure where writing that you thought was serious and normal gradually becomes messy, emotional, and loses its reason while shouting out love as you read on is what makes it "interesting." Maybe.
I wrote a title for advanced users, but it's for enthusiasts.
Finally
I apologize for seemingly overturning everything I have written so far
Even though I said "keep the beginning neat and tidy," the priority is low.
In fact, you can even forget about it (what on earth, right?)
The impact of your title is far more important.
If the title isn't attractive, it won't be clicked and read.
What does it mean if it isn't read?
It means that all the desperate effort you put into writing a neat and tidy introduction goes to waste.
A complete turnaround, flip-flop, ta-da! (( ᐛ👐 ) ta-da
First, go for the win with your title. We can talk about the rest later.
Let's go for the win with the opening lines, too. This is no time to be enjoying yourself with pleasantries.
Notes
The author assumes two environments.
・It is "writing for others to enjoy"
If you are writing only for your own enjoyment, then by all means, write freely for yourself. In real life, it is exhausting to keep up appearances even inside your own home. It won't last. Relax. Write text that is only for your own enjoyment with a sense of relaxation.
・It is writing to be published for free on the internet
You don't need these considerations for writing that you sell for a fee. The moment a reader pays money, you have already gained some level of trust. One point of neatness can be converted into one point of trust. It's like a limited-time points-earning festival. Money moves through trust. They should have purchased your writing trusting you even after knowing who you are. Since you have already earned the neatness points, hurry up and show your true colors and write seriously.
Afterword
I haven't seen this anywhere on note, so I decided to write it down.
I don't follow these personal rules every time. I only keep them in mind when I'm aiming for over 20,000 views on a single article.
[Related]
I am participating in this project. They said they want to know everyone's writing rules! I was asked, so I wrote them. I wrote them on my own initiative. Everyone, tell me your own unique writing rules too! I'll read them!
By the way, I want to see the banner that will likely be created with Yasu-san's special sense.
I want to see the "Our 1000 Writing Rules" banner!!! ☆!!!
[Related] This article was influenced by Leon-san's article.
I read it while wondering, "What is the difference between an essay and a diary?" I found the difference between writing for one's own enjoyment, as mentioned at the beginning, and writing for others to enjoy, to be very interesting. I also clicked on all the links. Thank you as always for your wonderful articles.
[Related] I am influenced by Yasushi Ueda-san's"Note access numbers are hard to grow because they are unique" title.
We note creators have unique content. If we are already too unique, I feel it might be better to at least keep the format of our writing as clean as a textbook.
[Related] The part about the plot twist was influenced by Daki Ito-san. Note creator Daki Ito-san has experience conducting note citizen workshops hosted by Sapporo City.
He has shared a little bit of the content of those citizen workshops on his own radio show. The plot twist is a part that came up on that radio show. Listening to it, I empathized and thought, "That is seriously true."
Titles are important!
Click here for proofreading support tools
I wonder if this is the most famous one?
Even if you call them your own rules, it's easier to keep going if you write freely.
You can touch upon them as many times as you like. The following is the official statement from note, inc.
The philosophy of note is
Create, Connect, Deliver
Empowering everyone to start and continue creating
Important things in creative activities
・Keep enjoying your creation
・Keep publishing continuously
Feel free to post even if it's just a rough draft or a short piece. If the method we recommend doesn't suit you, don't worry about it and try a different approach.It is far more important to be able to continue creating happily.
is.
I also deeply resonate with this philosophy. Let's continue to have fun. Being too bound by rules can be stifling. When you feel like, 'I have some time today, I want to level up a little,' try challenging yourself to improve your skills. It's okay to be light about it. Easily. Lightly.
[Related]
Mr. Kato, the CEO of note, looked back once again at the reason why he created note. This is an introduction to the support for continuing creation and the initiatives of note management.
The 2024 latest version!?
It's very interesting, so I recommend it