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The Easiest Way to Write Anything
by Joe Vitale

You've got something to say. You know it. Your associates know it.

But you don't regard yourself as "a writer."

How are you going to express your wisdom?

How will you communicate your thoughts?

Yes, you can follow the path of J.Paul Getty, Lee Iaccocoa, and Donald Trump and hire someone to write your words. That works. (And I'm available should you want to talk about hiring me as your ghostwriter.) :)

But there is an easier way.

I call this the "two step" because that's all there is to it.

Here's the secret in a nutshell:

Step one is state your principle. Step two is illustrate it.

Pretty simple dance routine, right? Yet you can use this method to write ANY type of nonfiction---whether it's your life story, a school paper, an executive brief, or a full length scholarly book. (Actually, the scholars sorely need this method. They're too stuffy!)

I was reminded of this method while reading a book from the 1940's. I noticed that throughout the book the author would make a statement and then illustrate it with a story. The more I thought about it, I felt this was the easiest way to write anything.

Here's how it works:

1. Make a list of the ideas you want to communicate. Pretend these are laws, rules, insights, commandments, theories, or whatever will work for you. What you're looking for is a list of messages. For example, I was working with a Houston body-mind therapist and I told him about this method. I said, "One of your messages is that people can have whatever they want, as long as they aren't attached to how they get it." He nodded. "Another message of yours is that the energy we put out is the result we get." He nodded again. "Those are your key points," I explained. "Write those down. That's easy. All you do is pull out a sheet of paper or turn on your laptop, and just jot down the ideas you want to get across."

2. Now all you do is illustrate every point with three stories. This is what I liked about that book from the forties. The author made a statement, then illustrated it with a story that made the statement come to life. "You have all kinds of stories to share," I reminded my therapist friend. "For every point you make, support it with a story. Maybe tell how someone achieved a breakthrough following your main point. This reinforces your point and makes it easier to understand."

Copyright © 2001 Joe Vitale

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