Writing With Impact: Writing To Persuade 

Section 1 summary 
 
 
Three tips for overcoming writer’s block: lecture summary 
 
Write with purpose 
Know what you want to achieve when you sit down to write 
 
Show up! 
Apply the seat of your pants to the seat of your chair. Get something down on 
paper 
 
Don’t get it right, get it written 
Don’t feel you have to get the perfect draft down first time. Get comfortable with 
the ugly first draft.  
 
 
 
The #1 habit that sets great writer’s apart: lecture 
summary 
 
● No one’s a natural writer - good writing is a process that can be learned 
● All great writers are willing to edit their work 
● Writing is the art of the second thought - the magic happens not when you 
write, but when you edit. 
● I’m a professional writer and I spend at least 50% of my time editing my 
work 
 
 

Online writing tools 

Use these free online tools to get into the editing habit. Simply cut and paste your 
text into each one and see what they tell you about your writing style. 
Hemingway Editor​ - this is all my clients' favourite writing tool. Offers suggestions 
for making your writing punchier and more powerful. 

Drivel Defence​ -​ a great way to get a sense of how long your sentences are. 
Sentence length is one of the most important factors in readability. 

Gunning Fog Index​ - this tool measures sentence and word length to give you an 
overall readability score. Anything over 12 is considered hard to read. 

Writer's Diet​ ​- a fun tool that diagnoses your writing from 'fit and trim' to 'heart 
attack territory'! 

Other useful links 

How long does it take to write something? 

Blog post in which professional copywriters reveal just how much time they spend 
editing their work. 

Ira Glass on writing 

Do you feel your writing never lives up to your expectations? Take heart from this 
inspiring video in which the renowned US broadcaster reveals how becoming a 
writer is simply a process of continuous self-improvement.