Content Creation Secrets

If you have written something worth reading or done something worth writing, you are ready to take your writing to the next level with the second part of Benjamin Franklin’s content creation secrets.

He put to use these strategies after he was ticked off by his father for not `writing eloquently’.

Be a Content Surgeon
Ben began reading like a writer. Instead of just reading only to consume the content, he went a step further. He started `cutting open’ the content to see how it’s all arranged, connected and built to form a whole.

He began to understand content construction and the knowledge of it came handy during his own content creation process.

The next time you find content that impresses you, read to consume the content first. Then play surgeon. Cut open the content and see how its parts are fitted together.

Make notes on your discovery. Through my experience, I’ve found that this is a far more effective method than reading how-to books on content creation.

Of course it entails much work and slows you down if you’re a voracious reader. But then this is the price you have to pay if you want to be successful at content creation.

If you really want to be better writer, you would be ready to pay the price.

If you’re a little uneasy about implementing this method, just limit it to content that makes you say, “I wish I could write like that.”

Be a Walking Photocopy Machine
The other technique Benjamin Franklin used was copying wholesale content that he admired. He did this not plagiarize the works of others but to get the feel of writing down the exact passages himself. This allowed him to absorb fully the rhythms and nuances of the passages, the appreciation of which he hoped would flow into his own writing.

Some years back I read a writer interview in a magazine. When he was asked how he got into writing, his reply was he did not intend to be a writer in the beginning.
He was only typing up articles and stories for another writer. As he kept doing it, he developed a love for words and sentence construction and this led him to try his hand at writing.

Benjamin Franklin even took a step further. After copying his favourite content, he would put it away and then write it up in his own words.

Again this is not going to be easy, but if you’re desperate to become a skillful writer, you would surely want to give this technique a try.

So, be a content surgeon or a walking photocopy machine when you’re not creating content. The work you put into these areas would surely contribute to the quality of your writing.

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