I Read (Almost) Every Modern Book on Writing—So You Don’t Have To

Seven authors, one caffeinated month, and a pile of margin notes later, here’s what actually matters

Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash

Heads‑up: I know this strays from my usual engineering‑leadership beat. But after binge‑reading a shelf’s worth of writing classics, it felt criminal to keep the highlights to myself. Don’t worry—I’m not pivoting into a “how to grow your Substack” influencer. I’m just handing you my notes (and my AI shortcuts) so you can get back to writing things your audience cares about.

What I read this month:

• The Art and Business of Online Writing by Nicolas Cole

• Stein on Writing by Sol Stein

• Everybody Writes (2nd Edition) by Ann Handley

• Stories Sell by Matthew Dicks

• Writing for Busy Readers by Todd Rogers & Jessica Lasky‑Fink

• Nobody Wants to Read Your Sht* by Steven Pressfield

• On Writing Well by William Zinsser

So, what did I learn?

---

1. Clarity Is Mercy

Words are obligations. Every extra syllable forces the reader to spend cognitive coins. Zinsser, Stein, Rogers, and Handley chant the same mantra: shorter, simpler, sharper.

Practical test: Highlight your draft. If a sentence won’t survive being read aloud to a sleepy roommate, delete or rewrite. If it bores after 10 seconds, cut it.

---

2. Turn Essays Into Netflix Pilots

Matthew Dicks calls it narrative tension. Sol Stein calls it the dramatic arc. Same idea: setup ➜ rising stakes ➜ payoff. Even a how‑to article can flex a mini‑climax.

Try this:

1. Open loop in paragraph one.

2. Escalate with a concrete problem.

3. Drop the aha in the final third.

4. Close the loop—then twist the knife with one last challenge.

---

3. Let Rhythm Do the Heavy Lifting

Nicolas Cole’s cadences are sentence sorcery:

• 1‑1‑1: “Ideas matter. Action matters. Results matter.”

• 1-3-1 (and variations):
  This first sentence is your opener.

  
  This second sentence clarifies your opener. This third sentence reinforces the point you’re making with some sort of credibility or amplified description. And this fourth sentence rounds out your argument, guiding the reader toward your conclusion.
  
  This fifth sentence is your strong conclusion.

• Rollercoaster: Alternate short punches and long breathers to keep the pulse hopping.

Use rhythm consciously. Writing is percussion. If your paragraph sounds like a washing machine stuck on spin, vary the beats.

---

4. Headlines Are Promises Wearing Mascara

Cole again: be obvious before you get clever. Ann Handley nods. A good headline performs three jobs:

1. Signals value ("3 Story Tweaks That Triple Time‑on‑Page")

2. Sets the frame (makes me expect a story, a list, a case study)

3. Creates pull (sparks just enough curiosity to earn the click)

Belief‑flip example:

"Your best paragraph is costing you readers."
(The hook? Everyone assumes their worst paragraph is the problem.)

---

5. Draft Dirty, Edit Brutally

Pressfield warns about Resistance. Zinsser warns about bloat. They’re cousins. Solution: Write fast, edit slow. Separate creation from critique.

• Draft pass: Sprint for 25 minutes, no backspace key. Momentum beats polish.

• Revision pass: Apply the Editor Megaprompt (linked below). Slice fluff. Flip passives. Inject rhythm.

• Read‑aloud pass: Your tongue catches what your eyes excuse.

Cut. Tighten. Spark.

---

6. Your AI Sidekick (AKA The Endless Intern)

Large‑language models aren’t muses. They’re power tools.

Caveat: Garbage prompts → garbage prose. Treat the model like a smart intern: the clearer your brief, the cleaner the draft.

---

7. The Five‑Minute Pre‑Publish Checklist

• Word audit: Nuke fillers (“very,” “actually,” “really”).

• Cadence scan: No more than two same‑length sentences in a row.

• Headline test: Would you click it at midnight?

• Mobile preview: Paragraphs >3-4 lines? Break them.

• Stakes reminder: First two lines answer, “Why should I care—right now?”

---

8. Steal This Toolkit

I compiled three hefty prompts that automate a huge chunk of my workflow:

1. Substack Essay Generator – turns bullet chaos into a tension‑rich outline.

2. LinkedIn Post Generator – proven hooks to get you started with posting on LinkedIn.

3. Revision Assistant – slashes fluff and syncopates rhythm.

Have fun using these!

Access the Megaprompt Kit Here!

---

Final Word

Writing isn’t magic.

It’s carpentry with nouns and verbs. These seven mentors handed me the tools, the AI holds the flashlight.

Your job is still to swing the hammer.

Read boldly.
Write bravely.
Ship often.