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Everyone talks about famous writers like: Jane Austen, JK Rowling, or Neil Gaiman. But there is a U.S. blogger who changed the writing game forever. Here’s the bizarre technique James Altucher used to write one of the most viral essays of all time:
I'm going to deconstruct the essay by James Altucher called: "How to Be the Luckiest Person Alive, Again" You'll see why his writing has: • Made him millions • Built a podcast with millions of D/Ls • Led to Amazon best-selling books • Got him access to successful icons
1. Write a quirky headline James's headline works because it's intriguing. How can you be the luckiest person alive, twice? Makes no sense. We want to know.
If you don’t write great headlines you’ll never be an online writer. That leaves you stuck in the traditional world of writing, slapped around by: • Editors • Writing platforms • Publications book publishers
2. The first sentence makes or breaks your article Don’t start an article with a weak sentence. Open with a slap in the face.
James shows great writing: • Takes guts • Uses few words • Has clever misdirection • Makes you want to read more
3. Use Tweetable phrases "If you stretch beyond what is normal, then you find out who you are." X dot com teaches you to write wisdom bombs in 1-2 sentences. After you get good you start accidentally writing tweets in your articles. Write one sentence on X daily.
4. Break up sentences. Remove complicated grammar. "I have never owned a credit card. So when I had to find an apartment recently and potentially sign a lease, I had a problem. I had no credit history."
Stop using semicolons/colons They’re grammatically smart. But most readers have no clue what they mean. They make sentences long & boring. James makes sentences easy to read by using mainly commas & periods. He’s not afraid to start sentences with “But” and “And.”
5. Use short paragraphs The literary snobs will want you to have long paragraphs. James uses 1, 2 & 3 sentence paragraphs We’re reading most content on our phones & can’t read huge walls of text. Pleasing literary snobs is stupid if no one reads your work.
6. Add a little vulnerability James turns his life inside out for the reader. He doesn’t give a damn about being judged. He’s shut down the voice inside his writer’s head that says: 1. “What will they think” 2. “You can’t say that”
It’s okay as a writer to: • admit you cry. • do stupid things for love. We all do them... Except most writers pretend they’re perfect, so no one can relate.
7. Use pattern interrupts James warps our brains with statements we have to read twice. Often they’ll be controversial too. Here he mentions Jesus & mental institutions in the same sentence.
After you read his pattern interrupts you forget what you were thinking before. Then he gets straight back to the story as if nothing has happened. Most writing is boring. If it’s predictable we’ve already read it.
8. Simple, actionable advice sets you apart A lot of online writing has no point You think “Why the F am I reading this?” With non-fiction, inject plenty of takeaways. People want: • Suggestions bundled with insights • Entertainment • Evidence • Stories
9. Use power words “Sociopath” is a powerful word James uses. He could say crazy, but he knows power hooks the reader. • A person didn’t lose money. They nuked their savings. • A person isn’t angry. They’re Hitler. Power words make the reader feel.
10. Raw emotion Most writing makes us feel nothing = boring My guess is James writes when he’s emotional. Or he intentionally puts himself into an emotional state by: • Thinking about a certain time in life • Watching emotional Youtube videos Make people feel.
11. End with a bang Recaps at the end of articles assume we’re forgetful idiots. James ends every story with a bang — the same way he started. This one sentence is better than 99% of recaps and “Final Thought” cliches.
If you want to write like James Altucher so you too can build an audience online, get my free email course: <a target="_blank" href="https://timdenning.com/startonsocial-x/" color="blue">timdenning.com/startonsocial-…</a>