Everybody writes

Hello, writer. Yes, you!

Are you a blogger, marketer, or content writer? If yes, you might be interested in the writing tips from digital marketing pioneer Ann Handley. Simply put, her book Everybody Writes is the recipe for writing better in the digital world. I find it practical and love the tips and tools such as this title maker.

Pathological empathy makes you write well

I can write well for people like me as I know my needs. Yet, I feel difficult when writing for people who are different from me. Because I’m not naturally empathic, I will have to force myself to get to know other’s habits, needs, and goals. Understanding others takes effort to figure out why they behave and feel that way. Spending time with the target audience is essential to write well.

Find a writing buddy

Finding a writing buddy or a good editor is like finding a life partner. It may be difficult. But, it’s rewarding to have one. I’m still looking for a writing buddy. Let’s connect if you’re looking for one too. How do I self-edit? After developmental editing and line editing, I use an editing tool to make my writing more concise. I will check readability and grammar, and make sure it sounds natural. If you’re interested in great writing tips, check out On Writing, Writing Comedy, and The Element of Style.

Writing is stretching. It feels good to stretch a bit more daily.

attitude audiobook awareness caitlin moran craft creative writing creativity empathy femimist feminism funny generous give give and take giver giving goals happiness happy happy reading how to be a woman how to write humor inspiration learned optimism memoir optimistic personal finance perspective positive positive attitude positive psychology reading relationship robert greene self aware self awareness self improvement style of writing the elements of style woman writing writing skills writing tips yoga

• WordPress

Human Nature

 

During this uncertain time of COVID-19, I dive into a book recommended by a fellow book lover Cherie White. She loves reading psychology and introduces me to a book called The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene.

The book is thick yet a good read! It makes me confront my flaws and helps me understand myself and other people more. It has many great stories of legend such as Coco Chanel as examples to illustrate different human nature.

I love the story about how a captain saves the lives of his crew with his empathetic skills when facing dangerous storms. The captain infects the crew with his mindset on the nonverbal level by acting in a relaxing manner despite the difficult situations.

He is able to divide his attention almost equally between crew members. He reads their emotional states in their tone of voice and looks for any signs of frustration or insecurity in their words and gestures.

In detecting any dips in spirit or negativity, he is gentle and engages them in talk. He enters their spirit, and find indirect ways to either elevate their mood or isolate them without making them realize what he is doing. In the end, no one dies under the caption’s leadership.

After reading the whole book, I get a sense that self-awareness is the most important for us to be a better person. Self-awareness is the third eye. We need that to be more conscious of what we are experiencing.

I take a note of some parts from the book that I love and you can take a look to get the positivity to stay happy and creative:

Increase self-awareness

Examine your emotions:

Use a journal to record your self-assessments with objectivity. Observe your actions with a bit of detachment and even humor.

Increase your reaction time:

Step back and give it a day. We can stop reacting to everything. Cool the emotions.

Practice empathy

Don’t change people. Instead, see other people as neutral as comets or plants. They simply exist. They come in all varieties, making life rich and interesting. Work with what they give you, instead of resisting and trying to change them. Make understanding people a fun game, the solving of puzzles.

Open your mind to seeing people in a new light. Each person you meet is like an undiscovered country. This flexible, open spirit is similar to creative energy – a willingness to consider more possibilities and options.

The key to employing empathy within a relationship is to understand the value system of the other person. What they interpret as signs of love or attention or generosity tends to diverge from your way of thinking. Keeping in mind their value system will allow you to enter their spirit and perspective precisely at the moment you would normally turn defensive.

Change your attitude

How to view the world:
See yourself as an explorer. Leave all that certainty behind you. You’re in continual search of new ideas and new ways of thinking.

How to view adversity:
Embrace all the obstacles as learning experiences, as a means of getting stronger.

How to view yourself:
Whatever you are doing now, you are in fact capable of much more.

How to view other people:
See people as facts of nature. They come in all varieties, like flowers or rocks. You must accept diversity and the fact that people are what they are. Your open, generous spirit will make your social interactions much smoother, and people will be drawn to you.

You must recognize your state of self-absorption and how little you actually observe. Open up your senses and relate to people more on the physical level. Pay deep attention to the moods of people, as indicated by their body language and tone of voice.

Happy reading!