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Note: My notes are a mix of key ideas and quotes from the book as well as my own thoughts.

🤏 Break down your big, scary assignment into small ones.

We often become creatively blocked because we're overwhelmed by the large assignment we need to complete.

However, breaking it down into smaller tasks can make it feel more manageable and achievable.

So, rather than trying to write a whole campaign at once, try starting with just one headline. This will help make the task feel more manageable and allow you to focus on one thing at a time, rather than feeling overwhelmed by the entire project.

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"Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he’d had three months to write, which was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table, close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, 'Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.'”

🔎 Writing is observing

Writing is about observing the events and happenings around us every day and telling their story from an interesting perspective. The material is already present; it's our job to notice it.

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"One of the gifts of being a writer is that it gives you an excuse to do things, to go places and explore. Another is that writing motivates you to look closely at life, at life as it lurches by and tramps around.”

Before seeking inspiration from external sources, try looking within your own memories and finding inspiration there.

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“Anyone who survived childhood has enough material to write for the rest of his or her life.”

💩 Shitty first draft

Writing a terrible first draft is an integral part of every writing project. No one has to see this draft unless you show it to them, so allow yourself to write freely. Experiment and have fun with it.

Writing a poor first draft means letting go of perfectionism and ignoring that voice in your head that tells you you're going to fail. Even if the draft is bad, you've already made significant progress just by getting it down on paper.

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“I know some very great writers, writers you love who write beautifully and have made a great deal of money, and not one of them sits down routinely feeling wildly enthusiastic and confident. Not one of them writes elegant first drafts.”

📃 Plot treatments

It's important to write plot treatments (short summaries) for your stories and scripts to help you stay focused and ensure that your plot is centered around a single concept or idea. A treatment can also reveal any holes or gaps in your plot, and it can be useful for pitching the story to others if necessary.

🎤 Finding your voice

To discover your unique writing voice, you must:
1. Continue writing and writing. Eventually, it will naturally emerge.
2. Be truthful about your feelings: It's impossible to develop a powerful voice if you're not being honest and sharing your emotions. When you learn to embrace and feel comfortable with all of your emotions, it becomes much easier to find your voice.

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Weakness is strength
Don't be afraid to approach your weaknesses and emotions with humor. Self-deprecation is a driving force for many comedians and writers because there's nothing more compelling than authenticity.
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“If something inside of you is real, we will probably find it interesting, and it will probably be universal. So you must risk placing real emotion at the center of your work. Write straight into the emotional center of things. Write toward vulnerability. Risk being unliked. Tell the truth as you understand it. If you’re a writer you have a moral obligation to do this. And it is a revolutionary act: truth is always subversive.”

👀Jealousy

Jealousy is a natural part of trying to become a successful writer and putting yourself out there. So accept it when it happens. It's a normal human emotion.

However, it’s counterproductive, so try to avoid it when possible. Remind yourself that you don't really know what the other person is going through.

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"Jealousy is such a direct attack on whatever measure of confidence you’ve been able to muster. But if you continue to write, you are probably going to have to deal with it, because some wonderful, dazzling successes are going to happen for some of the most awful, angry, undeserving writers you know -- people who are, in other words, not you."

⛔ Writer’s Block

1. Admit that you're blocked.
2. Stick to your writing routine, even if you can’t write anything.
3. Don’t try to force it. Don't try to force it; instead of struggling against the block, try working on something else or approaching the problem from a different angle.

⌚ Establish a daily routine
Don't try to be a rockstar, and only write when the muse strikes. Instead, show up every morning and be consistent. That's the only way to make things happen.

🎓 Feedback

Getting feedback is essential, especially when you're just starting out. But you also have to be selective about whom you share your writing with because there's no way back once you've received it. So be sure to choose someone you trust.

🗣️ Characters and dialog

  • Fictional characters, just like real people, should have a rich emotional world. To create deep dialogues, you need to get to know your characters well.
  • Dialogue can reveal much more about a character than a lengthy description. The things your characters say and how they say them can give us insight into their personalities.

Test your dialogue: Read your dialogues aloud. Things may not sound as good when spoken out loud as they do in your head.