Category Archives for Articles
7 Ways Improv Will Make You a Better Writer
On the surface, improvisation may seem to be the furthest thing from writing. It looks like acting—like a heightened, specialized, and—honestly—terrifying form of acting.
Consider the type of improv that most of us are familiar with—short-form comedy improv, like what is featured on Whose Line Is It Anyway? In this show, the cast performs in short “games,” often as characters or in settings suggested by the audience. (“You’re both cowboys—who ride kittens—on Mars! Show us what your first date would look like—now!”)
But what really draws us to watching performers create something on the spot? We may think of them as particularly clever actors—but that’s not exactly the case, because acting isn’t the primary thing they’re doing.
We’re really watching people write—on the spot.
Writing for a Brand
It can be disconcerting being the voice of someone else. You may find that you start adopting mannerisms and language that you’ve never used before, because you’re focused on creating in a voice that’s not your own.
For example, in a previous job where I managed a social media feed for a senior official in our organization, I frequently neglected my own social media presence because it was a little weird being two people on the internet.
Writers often talk about finding their own voice, but writing for a brand requires us to write in someone else’s voice or style. You may be copywriting or you may be creating content for a company’s blog; either way, you may feel like you’re writing as someone else.
The Future of Writing, With Robots
Technology continues to advance exponentially. We now have self-driving cars, full computers in our pockets, and even artificial intelligence capable of writing novels.
Don’t worry, though. As writers, we’re not out of a job … yet.
Right now, AI is capable of writing in the style of Harry Potter and 50 Shades of Grey. A team in Japan passed a literary contest’s first round with a novel co-authored by AI.
There are over 800,000 books on Amazon right now written by AI, and it has even started to produce autonomous niche news stories for companies like Reuters, USA Today, and the Washington Post.
Though AI is able to write its own words, it still has a lot further to go before it makes any bestseller lists.
How to Write the Perfect First Line
Mobile phones have changed the human attention span forever. Microsoft Corporation’s research found that since the year 2000 (when smartphone use became widespread) the average human attention span has dropped from 12 seconds to eight seconds. Wow — SQUIRREL — that’s less than a goldfish’s nine seconds.
The brain is a talented machine, but it takes us a full 15 minutes to become fully focused on something. When multiple screens are at our fingertips, we can easily become distracted by every detail.
Writing the perfect novel introduction is tricky because you have an average of eight seconds to capture someone. With that in mind, the perfect first line shouldn’t be long-winded. As a reader, I like to browse libraries and bookstores reading the first lines. When I find one I like, I grab it. As a writer, I want to create that same sense of urgency and mystery immediately that makes someone want to take a book home.