Writing is the key skill for getting what you want in life

That's the #1 truth about life that no one tells you. Instead, we're told that writing is something only "writers" do.

But here's the thing. We live in a digital world and we communicate more in the written word. We're all writers now.

And yet, we do everything to not write. For years, I thought I could get by without learning how to write. But I realized that if I wanted to educate myself, think clearly, and build a career, I couldn’t go around learning how to write better.

One of my writing influences is the late William Zinsser. He used to be a journalist for the New York Herald Tribune. And later, he taught writing at Yale and Columbia University. He often talked about the importance of writing. Here’s one of my favorite quotes from Zinsser:

| "People are prevented from doing useful work because they never learned to express themselves. Contrary to general belief, writing isn’t something that only “writers” do; writing is a basic skill for getting through life.”

He's right. Without knowing how to write, we don’t know how to communicate and think. Aren’t those two things that separate us from animals? On top of that, good writing is a sign of credibility. When you write badly, no one will ever take you seriously.

The real impact and results of writing

You might think, "Yeah, right. Writing can't be that important." I've been there too. So let me show you the kind of impact writing can have on your life.

First, writing is a skill that you can build a whole career on. Most people have jobs. But if you have a skill you can rely on, you can build a career. You don’t have to become a full-time writer. Knowing how to write will improve your ability to think and communicate—two things that we need more of in the world. With better writing, we can provide more value.

For example, it helped me to build a blog, formulate a strategy, publish books, and create online courses. Here's a screenshot of a course launch. Without Effective Writing, I wouldn’t get these types of results:

Second, writing helps you to improve your thinking. It took me years to figure out that writing is a form of thinking. When you learn to write effectively, you can also think effectively. The process of writing strengthens your ability to analyze yourself and external situations. The more you write, the better you understand yourself, the choices you make, and the external world.

Third, and most importantly, writing helps you make an impact. I believe that the purpose of life is usefulness. I can’t think of anything more useful than writing. Ultimately, we write for other people. And if our words resonate with readers, we’re making an impact—we’re being useful. Here's a message I recently received from a reader:

You might think, “Why is Darius such an advocate of writing?” Well, that’s why. You can find more reader stories on my Community page.

Introducing the Effective Writing system

Why isn’t everyone focusing on writing? Because we think writing is about perfect grammar, capitalization, or other things that don't matter. You might write a grammatically-sound sentence that completely misses the mark.

When you learn how to write effectively, you’ve hit gold. This is a skill that provides you value for the rest of your life. You can grow your career, and make an impact on other people’s lives.

Effective Writing gives you a failsafe system that shows you how to write in the following ways:

1. Clear: Think and write clearly so people will always understand you. Gone are the days when people have to ask, "What is this person trying to say?" Make people immediately understand what you really mean. 
2. Credible: Be seen as an authority. You're only effective as a writer if the reader believes you. But you can't make the reader believe you. Your reader only believes you if your writing shows credibility without going overboard, and without forcing anything.
3. Persuasive: Get what you want with words. If you can write persuasively, you can get people to act, based on what you write.

I can go on and on about why writing is important for every aspect in life: Communication, thinking, speaking, persuading, empathy, self-awareness, and so forth. But I’m not going to do that.

You either agree writing is the most important skill in life or you don’t. I can’t convince people it is so. That’s not the purpose of writing. The purpose is to express oneself clearly and persuasively. The reader decides what to do with that message.

Live Q&A sessions and free bonuses

Since 2016, over 3,500 people have joined my online courses. My students tell me they find the courses highly practical and actionable. But they missed the accountability and feedback that a personal coach offers. I agree. That's why I included the following in this program:

Live Video Q&A Sessions: Effective Writing is a self-paced course that consists of 32 lessons. Students get instant access to the entire program when they sign up.

But I’m also hosting group video calls every month so you can ask me anything you want. And I'm scheduling multiple calls on different times so everyone can participate, regardless of what timezone you're in.

Feedback On Your Writing: I've also hired a writer and coach, John, who will share his feedback if you want to share your writing. John's background is in fiction, but he's also an excellent non-fiction writer.

In addition to that, I also give these free bonuses to all new Effective Writing students:

• The Sounding Board community—A private community where you can connect with other students, exchange feedback, and find accountability partners. I'm also inside the community to support you.
• How To Create A Dream Career—In this course, I walk my students through the strategy I’ve used to build a career, based on valuable skills like writing.
• Real Influence—In this course, I show my students how to become ethical persuaders so they can achieve what they want. 
• Inner Circle Newsletter—A secret newsletter I started for my private coaching clients. The Inner Circle newsletter goes out every first Sunday of the month. It's where I share my latest and most important insights.

All the course material comes with unlimited free updates and lifetime access. No extra monthly fees, hidden charges, or sneaky up-sells.

Registration for the 2021 class

If you recognize yourself in everything I talked about, feel free to join us. We have people from all walks of life: Teachers, entrepreneurs, investors, copywriters, UX writers, marketers, account executives, content writers, retirees, client support agents, from all over the world.

Can you also become an effective writer? Can you get better at translating your thoughts into words? Can you write in a way that resonates with people?

Yes, yes, and yes.

If you're ready to register, simply pick your enrollment option below, click Start Now, fill in the form on the checkout page, and get instant access. You can start the course whenever you want.

Once you sign up, you get your own account that you can use to log in from any device, download the material, track your progress, and comment on the lessons. You’ll also receive the invite for our private community on The Sounding Board.

Registration is open only until Sunday, January 24, 11:55 PM Pacific Time.

All the best on your journey, my friend.

-Darius

The foundation of the Effective Writing system is based on 9 simple rules. This is what makes it a failsafe system. And it also works if your native language is not English.

Most people have trouble writing because they’re unsure about many things. But if you have these simple, straightforward rules to guide your writing, then everything becomes easier and less complicated.

1. Create a Genuine Writing Style—Courses and books always talk about writing style. But what is it? And how do you create a style that works, without trying too hard?
   
2. How To Write Clearly—You can lose reader interest, or fail to convince someone, if they get confused or don’t understand what you’re trying to say. 
   
3. Cleaning Up Your Writing—Clutter is not only bad in your house. It's also bad in writing. Learn to get rid of it.
   
4. Keep Your Writing Simple—Many writers make their sentences too complicated. It might sound smart, but if the reader doesn't get it, you're missing the mark.
   
5. Use This To Make Your Writing More Powerful—Learn how to make your writing more concise, moving, and confident. It's a sign of credibility.
   
6. Avoid This Common Mistake—I can't give away too much here. But this mistake is often caused by the fear we all have that people won’t understand or believe our point.
   
7. Use Tense The Right Way—This rule is easily overlooked by many. But, grammar rules aside, using tense the right way improves the reading experience.
   
8. Drastically Reduce Confusion—If your readers often misinterpret or barely understand what you’re saying, or if you keep sending emails back and forth “for clarifications,” then you need this lesson.
   
9. The Impact of Consistency—Effective writing is consistent. But most of us tend to switch writing voices or styles. Learn how to overcome that tendency and write more efficiently.
   
10. The Only Grammar Rules You Need [NEW]—Most people aren’t fond of Grammar (me included). Fortunately, grammatically correct writing can be simple.
    
11. The Style Of An Effective Writer [NEW]—You’ll learn how to tie everything together so your writing resonates with your readers.

In the first module, you’ll learn the rules that guide you to write more effectively. Now, you'll learn the key tools that will enhance your writing overall.

This module isn’t only about writing apps. As a writer, you can also rely on strategic tools that make the writing process easier, faster, and more productive.

1. How To Do Better Research—Writing is mostly about research. Once you change your perspective on writing, it becomes easier for you to write.
2. When You Should Edit—How do you go through your editing process? How do you edit, and when should you be doing that? 
3. How To Make Your Writing Sound Good—You wrote something, but it just doesn't sound right. It happens more often than you think. The fix is easy.
4. How To Use Journaling To Improve Writing—Here are several actionable tips to maximize the benefits you can get out of your journal.
5. An Exercise To Keep Writing—When you don’t know what to write about, you can rely on these prompts that can build up to a personal asset you can use in the future.
6. Best Writing Apps For Each Purpose [NEW]—In this lesson, I show my writing workflow, including all the apps I use.
7. Editing Your Writing To Make It Look Appealing [NEW]—How your writing looks matters just as much as what it’s trying to say. 
8. How To Write Effective Headlines [NEW]—Your headlines are the first thing that people see, and they would only bother to read it if it inspires interest or curiosity in them.
9. Use This Tool To Improve Your Headlines [NEW]—You'll learn how to maximize the impact of your headline, and make it more enticing to improve its chances of success.
10. How To Write a Call To Action [NEW]—CTAs are everywhere. At the end of emails, in business proposals, on websites, and even in messages. A CTA helps you to get people to act.

In the last module, we'll tie everything together. You'll learn how to practically apply the 9 rules of writing and combine them with the toolkits of an effective writer to get the results you want with your words.

This module shows you how to execute everything successfully.

1. Giving and Asking: Applying The Science Of Persuasion To Writing—We have to ask for things we want. But asking is difficult. Learn how to do it effectively. 
   
2. Pitch Anything: A Strategy For Sending Cold Emails—Get your dream job, sell your products/services, get published in major publications, and more.
   
3. How NOT To Pitch—Are your pitches getting crickets? It's not unusual. Here are some real-life bad pitches I’ve received over time, and how to avoid them.
   
4. "How Do You Overcome Writer’s Block?"—Every writer experiences this. But you don't have to. Here's the mindset I use to never have writer’s block again.
   
5. Copywriting Lessons Everyone Can Use [NEW]—Learn the 6 copywriting rules that enhance the quality and impact of your writing.
   
6. How To Make Writing Personal [NEW]—When your writing feels personal, your words become very relatable, and you inspire your readers to act.
   
7. Tips For Writing Articles [NEW]—No one wants to write articles that nobody reads. Here are 6 tips to make your articles engaging and shareable for your readers.
8. Tips For Writing Books [NEW]— Have you always wanted to write a book? This strategy makes the book-writing process much easier and less daunting.
9. Connecting The Dots Of Effective Writing—We connect, apply, and execute the three parts of Effective Writing to achieve the results we want.

To help you with your progress, you can participate in the following activities that are included in the course:

• Live Q&A Sessions—I will schedule regular live calls with students to answer questions. The first session is on Tuesday, January 26 at 1 PM EST—for the western hemisphere. The second session is Thursday, January 28 at 11 AM GMT—for the eastern hemisphere.
• Share Your Writing—If you want to get feedback on your writing, you're welcome to post it inside our Slack (a free app we use to communicate) community or inside the course itself. I will answer your questions personally. And I've also hired a writer, John, who will share his feedback as well. John's background is in fiction, but he's also an excellent non-fiction writer.

Here's a screenshot of our Slack community, where John recently provided feedback on a sales page made by one of my students.

There are a lot of "experts" on the internet who teach all kinds of things. I'm always skeptical about what I read and hear. Also, Who you learn from matters equally as what you learn. I recommend learning from teachers who've done something themselves. 

My background is in business. I received my Master's Degree in Business Administration from one of the top universities in The Netherlands (RuG) in 2011. While I was writing my thesis, I started a company called Vartex with my dad. We started importing professional laundry equipment but are now building our own operating systems and software for that industry. 

I also worked for Gartner, the world's leading IT research firm, in London. I didn't plan to work there but was recruited in 2014 so I gave it a try. I learned it wasn't for me. 

So in 2015, I started my blog. Until now, more than 30 million people have read my articles. I’ve also published 7 books. Many writers show you how many views their articles get. But I must be honest: Views don't equal results. And you certainly can't pay your rent with views. 

So let me show you some results. I primarily earn from my courses, books, and articles. For example, this is the revenue that my books generate monthly:

Many of my readers are also on Medium, which is a great platform to publish articles and connect with others. I’ve been publishing articles there since 2015. I’ve had several outliers in terms of earnings, but it mostly generates around $5K to $8K a month now that it stabilized. Here’s a screenshot of my recent Medium earnings.

I know this is something readers are interested in, but I don’t want to focus too much on the money. After more than a decade of writing, I’ve learned that it’s not the most important metric. What matters is that we provide value in our careers. It's an honor to serve readers with articles they find valuable.

To me, that's the most important thing. I would continue this, even without the money. If you doubt that, take a look at my site. I published two articles a week for two years without earning much from them. 

When people online promise you’ll earn X amount of money, they are always lying. You simply cannot guarantee outcomes. I stand by that. My philosophy for career and life success is to focus on improving your skills. When you acquire a skill that helps you provide more value, no one can ever take that away. Especially with a valuable skill like writing.

The secret to improving your writing is to get training. Ernest Hemingway once said:

| "It’s none of their business that you have to learn to write. Let them think you were born that way.”

Writing has little to do with talent—it’s a skill. As you improve your writing, you can also achieve the results you want!

Effective Writing is completely renewed in 2021. Everyone learns in a different way. That's why you decide how to study Effective Writing. You'll get instant access to:

• 32 self-paced video lessons (all the material will be yours instantly)
• Audio versions of the lessons
• Full transcripts for every lesson
• Workbook with 7 exercises
• Live Q&A sessions

Bogdan Marincu, MD

Medical Doctor, Founder of Optimize My Life