Venture Beyond with Trevor Loy
Venturing beyond the conventional wisdom about venture capital investing, entrepreneurship, flyfishing, and life.
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Japan Travel Guide | Geishas in Kyoto
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Dwelling on the Drina River near the town of Bajina Basta, Serbia.
Photograph by Uros Petrovic.
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Sunken Diamond. Best place in the world to catch ballgame. (at Klein Field at Sunken Diamond)
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iceland (by reverie103)
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Posts tagged "Writing"
I began to get an idea of it in the late ’50s. As I was writing in the living room at 5 a.m., it would start to be fun. I would put my sound into it. When I started to do that — and leave out the adverbs — I thought, ‘I think you know what you’re doing.’
David Ogilvy, internal memo: “How to Write,” 1982:
The better you write, the higher you go in Ogilvy & Mather. People who think well, write well. Woolly minded people write woolly memos, woolly letters and woolly speeches. Good writing is not a natural gift. You have to learn to write well. Here are 10 hints:
1. Read the Roman-Raphaelson book on writing. Read it three times.
2. Write the way you talk. Naturally.
3. Use short words, short sentences and short paragraphs.
4. Never use jargon words like reconceptualize, demassification, attitudinally, judgmentally. They are hallmarks of a pretentious ass.
5. Never write more than two pages on any subject.
6. Check your quotations.
7. Never send a letter or a memo on the day you write it. Read it aloud the next morning – and then edit it.
8. If it is something important, get a colleague to improve it.
9. Before you send your letter or your memo, make sure it is crystal clear what you want the recipient to do.
10. If you want ACTION, don’t write. Go and tell the guy what you want.
The better you write, the higher you go in Ogilvy & Mather. People who think well, write well. Woolly minded people write woolly memos, woolly letters and woolly speeches. Good writing is not a natural gift. You have to learn to write well. Here are 10 hints:
1. Read the Roman-Raphaelson book on writing. Read it three times.
2. Write the way you talk. Naturally.
3. Use short words, short sentences and short paragraphs.
4. Never use jargon words like reconceptualize, demassification, attitudinally, judgmentally. They are hallmarks of a pretentious ass.
5. Never write more than two pages on any subject.
6. Check your quotations.
7. Never send a letter or a memo on the day you write it. Read it aloud the next morning – and then edit it.
8. If it is something important, get a colleague to improve it.
9. Before you send your letter or your memo, make sure it is crystal clear what you want the recipient to do.
10. If you want ACTION, don’t write. Go and tell the guy what you want.
David Ogilvy, internal memo: “How to Write,” 1982
I had the pleasure of sharing a week vacation this summer with David Kelley, founder of IDEO and the Stanford d.school. Lots to write about from that inspiring week, and I will get to it - I promise. :-).
In the meantime, one of the core messages of the d.school is that everyone in life is a designer and creator. I’ve developed a strong belief in that idea, and find that for engineers, scientists, Innovators, and entrepreneurs, a lot can be learned from the creative disciplines where, frankly, the understanding of the innovation process is far better understood.
As an example, here is an excellent post reflagged from @writingadvice. The core message is, e way you learn how to write is by writing. Similarly, I believe the way you learn how to start companies is by starting companies; the way you learn how to be a VC investor is by investing; and the way you learn how to flyfish is by flyfishing.
A friend says it even more concisely: Whatever you want to learn how to do, JUST START.
Read the whole article - trust me, it’s worth it - at http://writingadvice.tumblr.com/post/8442692919By Patti Digh
I get a lot of e-mails from people asking how to write (a book). So I thought outlining my thoughts on the topic might be helpful — to me, in order to clarify the thoughts I have about writing — and, perhaps, to others. (You don’t write? Substitute paint, embroider, sing, knit,…
Eschew obfuscation, espouse elucidation.
Good advice on writing. :-)
