Taiia Smart Young's Blog, page 2

9 Ways to Fix Your Horrible Pitch

The pitch is the writer’s calling card. And if you’re new to pitching editors, then your pitch is probably trash. #sorrynotsorry 

Do you see the graphic above? I want a pitch that gets my attention in 10 seconds. So if you mention food, especially brunch, I do not need to hear much more. (Well, except for the reservation is for 1:30 p.m. at Sweet Chick.)

And I’m not saying this to be evil. I’m saying this because as an editor, I’ve seen some horrible ass pitches (too long, too short or too damn boring) from writers and publicists, and as a newbie writer, I’ve sent some bad ones too.

The upside is, the more I pitched, the better I got. It’s that simple. And, of course, someone put me on to why young T’s (why yes, I do talk in third person) pitches missed the mark, so it’s my duty as a writing coach and editor to share what I know with you. And if you want to smash your writing goals this year, perfecting the pitch is part of the plan. 

In the video below, I share 9 ways to fix your horrible pitch. Pay close attention because these tips will have you sliding into someone’s in-box and getting a response ASAP, so be ready to execute.

Tip No. 1: Do not overlook the subject line. This is a marketing strategy and there’s a whole industry that pays attention to open rates when it comes to email engagement.

A clear, catchy and specific subject line opens doors, er, email boxes. The following popped up in my email and I opened all of ’em:

31 Jumpsuits to Hack Your Winter Wardrobe
Last Call #Foodies Take 30% Off Your Next Brunch
Starting in 15 Minutes—FREE Business Coaching

If you are like me, you aren’t going to miss free business coaching, a discounted turkey bacon (uh, they had me at brunch) or a chance to rock the hell out of a jumpsuit in 30-degree weather.

Fashionable, full and smart? Yep, that’s me.

 

Join the Facebook fam for free classes and like my Yeah Write With Taiia Smart Young (turn on the notifications button), so you don’t miss me when I pop up on your timeline with a LIVE stream. 

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Wanna achieve your writing goal in 2019? Do this.

At the end of 2018, I started planning for the next 12 months. My #goals list for 2019 was kinds of ambitious and long. I dreamed about crushin’ each and every task, even toyed with the idea of producing some slick videos for IGTV. And with the help of my fellow scribe, Malorie Reid, I realized that I was doing the most—with the least. (Thank you Malorie!)

Reality hit me. Hard. I realized that:

all of these goals weren’t going to get accomplished
they weren’t going to meet my standard of excellence
and some of these goals didn’t align with my overall purpose

It was time to slash and burn the list down to three core goals.  (Sorry IGTV, but you I were never meant to be boyfriend and girlfriend.) I did that by using a S.M.A.R.T. lens. Now, I didn’t make up S.M.A.R.T. (which stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely), so don’t go congratulating me on this method. It’s a concept that’s already floating around on these Internet streets, however, I did applied it to my writing goal(s), and I suggest that you do too.

Fast forward to the 6:30 mark to hear how to apply the S.M.A.R.T. lens to your writing goal.

Join the Facebook fam and like my Yeah Write With Taiia Smart Young (turn on the notifications button), so you don’t miss me when I pop up on your timeline with a LIVE stream. 

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Screw resolutions. Choose one word as your theme for 2019!

Happy New Year and all of that!

Resolutions are soooo 1990s. Yeah, I said it. Screw it. Join the cool kids and pick one word that becomes your INTENTION, your personal COMMITMENT to yourself for the year. 

We’re nine days into 2019 and I FINALLY picked thee word that’ll be my compass, my guiding light, if you will, for the next 356 days. I know, I know. A year has 365 days. But we’ve already logged a few days for the history books and 45 is still has the government in a headlock like a bully on the playground. So I needed to exhale and get my mind right. 

I didn’t feel the need to rush into narrowing my year down to one word because I was still trying to process 2018 and all the dope ish that happened—like appearing four times on Cheddar (the post-cable news, media and entertainment company)—to talk about entertainment and producing three videos for TIDAL. (In the past I would document all the things that went WRONG that year.) 

Of course there were moments that sucked ass, but I chose not to bring that energy into the mix as I set my intention for 2019 (that’s oil and water, ya know). Annnnd Erykah Badu told me that I was gonna hurt my back dragging all dem bags like that. (Sing it with me: all you must hold onto is you, is you, is youuuu…so pack light.)

Remember this, all words and intention come down to change. And John Assarf, the guy behind that achieve more movement says,”Change is possible, but it requires focus.”

Watch the clip below to see how I picked my word. Short on time and wanna see how chose I my word? Skip to the 11:05 mark. FYI: It’s a four step process that starts with me looking at all of the images and videos in my phone (and some I made all cute and whatever for IG), which if you think about it is a visual diary for the year that was. 

And now the video…

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Write For Free? (Congratulations. You Played Yourself.)

Should you write for free?

Sigh.

This question is such a pain in my fatty. There really isn’t a simple yes or no answer.

Why?

Because I know a New Eager Writer who wrote for a website for two years, without seeing a single coin—all because New Eager Writer’s editor convinced her to do it for the exposure.

See that thick ugly, yellow line that resembles caution tape at a crime scene?

Yeah, that one.

 

That’s the fine line between a dope opportunity and a goddamn rip off. Exposure can lead to pneumonia. Hope you go some gold star health insurance because you’re going to urgent care, sis. 

Look, I know that an established writer wrote for a business blog for free (for exposure) and flipped that opportunity into a paid columnist gig at Forbes, but I bet you he didn’t write for free for 24 months. #facts

There’s levels to this and you have to know what you getting yourself into before you say, “Yes, I’ll write that 2,000-word piece on fried Oreos for ExtraCrispyCookies.com for zero bucks. And yes, I can have it to you tomorrow.”

There’s a time and a place to write for free and then there’s a time to demand your r-e-s-p-e-c-t. (Rest in power to our great auntie Aretha.)

Watch me teach a class about writing for free via a video from my Yeah Write with Taiia Smart Young group on Facebook. If you aren’t down with my crew, like the page and join us. Quick note: I talk about a writing contest and my new T-shirts at the beginning of the video, speed up to the 6:10 mark to get to the good stuff.

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Q: Does Having a Full-Time Writing Job Kill Your Creativity or Nah?

If you’ve done my free Kick Fear in the Butt + Write Your Story email course, on the fifth day, I give students the opportunity to ask me ANY question about writing.
 
Most of these questions, I’ve seen before, except this one:

Does having a full-time writing job KILL your creativity? 

The short answer is:

No, it’s actually made me a BETTER and more CREATIVE writer.

That’s the Spark Notes version of my answer, but it’s more nuanced than that, right? Agreed.

Watch me explain my answer in this Facebook Live video from my Yeah Write with Taiia Smart Young group. Quick note: I do housekeeping and updates at the beginning of this video, so speed up to the 2:28 mark for my answer. 

 

Got questions? Hit me up here. 

 

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This is How to Get Your Inner Writing Critic to Shut the Eff Up

That inner writing critic is a monster.

We allow a hurtful comment that someone said to us a loooong time ago to play on loop in our heads. (Why, Sway?)

Then, we make the mistake of believing that it’s the TRUTH, our truth, and that our problem cannot be fixed. (Again, why, Sway?)

Maybe you’ve heard:

Your grammar is terrible. (Ouch!)

Your writing voice is boring. (Excuse me while I put my head in the toilet and flush.)

Your writing lacks flavor. (Hello, I’m an artist and I’m sensitive about my sh*t.)

Bad grammar and boring writing can be fixed. And writing without flavor? Man, get your Sazón! Get your curry in a hurry because that can be fixed too.  

In the video below, I explore five ways to get your inner writing critic to shut the eff up. I’m being dramatic, but you get the point. It’s time to silence the voice that won’t let you be great. (Full disclosure: This video was a Facebook Live. Fast forward to the 6:36 mark for the tips.)

Here’s a preview of tip #4: Identify the problem + then fix it. What? Were you expecting rocket science? Nope. The answer is always easier than you think it is.

 

Which tip resonated with you the most? I’m all about #1 and #5. And yes, #5 is a shameless plug to assist in your quest for greatness  dopeness. If you’re ready to talk about your project, idea or how to get your writing life together, go ahead and book a FREE call with your girl. 

#YeahWrite,

Taiia

 

 

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5 Ways to Find Your Writing Mojo

Sitting down to start a piece of work, no matter if it’s an essay, a blog post or a book can either be bliss, like starting a new post-apocalyptic series on Netflix (shout out to The Colony) or sheer horror like watching a horrible remake of a classic, like 2005’s The Honeymooners.

But it doesn’t have to be a crapshoot. You can create ways to get into the zone or tap into your writing mojo.

1.Clean Up Yo’ Crap

A cluttered desk is equivalent to a cluttered mind. It’s hard to focus when the cable bill is staring you in the face, and you’re wondering which one of your kids ordered Guardians of the Galaxy three times last month. Do yourself a favor, before you sit down to write, clean up your desk. I suggest doing this the night before.

Why? Because if you have two hours of precious writing time, you SHOULD NOT waste 20 minutes of it shredding Discover card bills or alphabetizing the bookshelf for no damn reason. Cleaning clutter is good for the brain, you remove some mental junk and possibly a few writing blocks, but it can also become a way to procrastinate. The goal is to eliminate the distractions—bills, wedding invites, or grocery lists—out of your writing space so that you can focus on the story.

2.Talk to Yourself—or God—In the Shower

God is probably sick of hearing from me every day. But as the supreme and powerful being that created me, Earth and plot twists, he isn’t allowed to turn his back on me. And I take full advantage of this during my daily showers. I start with an attitude of gratitude and thank him for my blessings: health, media career, supportive family, jokes that make me laugh with my mouth wide open. I do all of this BEFORE launching into what I need help with such as the winning numbers for the Powerball, ways to talk to the No. 1 Son without it ending in a misunderstanding and an easy way to outline my YA novel. (I am so serious about the Powerball.)

Most creatives are sensitive, and we have a thing about not showing drafts or sneak peeks to anyone. But if you lather up in the shower and start talking to yourself (or God) about the two main points you want to tackle in your sexual abuse essay, it eliminates the problem of staring at a blank screen and wondering: Where the hell do I start?

Oh, and it never hurts to start the day with a word of thanks. 

3. Read Something That’s Similar to What You’re Writing

Sometimes when I need to get my head right (i.e. out of the fog), I read a piece that is either:

1)   the total opposite of what I’m about to compose

2)   very similar to what I’m writing

3)   or inspirational (Auntie Oprah didn’t have all of those aha moments for me not to learn a life lesson or two.)

When the cover art is everything: Jason Reynold’s A Long Way Down

Yes, some writers don’t like to read a piece that similar to theirs for fear of copying what that writer did. But that’s nonsense to me. I can read Jason Reynolds’ Long Way Down and never, ever write like him. I can be inspired by his work. I can love his wordplay. I can envy the way Reynolds’ handled the idea of placing Will, who is ready for revenge after the death of his brother, in an elevator with a series of people who will influence his next move. But I cannot tell this story the way he does. 

More often than not, another writer’s work will serve as inspiration for your own story. There’s a spark that happens when you read something and think, what if I did X?

4.Set the Mood With a Playlist

If I hear the No. 1 Son blasting ’90s R&B, one thing is for sure. He has 99 problems and a girl is definitely one. As writers, we are charged with setting the mood for our readers and ourselves. Some writers use music as background noise or something to give them good vibes—maybe it’s Cassandra Wilson singing a jazzy tune about moments so precious and rare. Others need a curated playlist to put them in the mindset for what they are about to achieve. Think of it this way: It’s similar to the way the music changes in a scary movie right before the college cutie next door gets gutted like a fish. 

Try this: Curate a 10-song playlist based on the mood you are attempting to convey in your piece. Romantic or sex scenes may call for slow jams. A car chase may call for trap rap. When I wrote this post, I listened to Black Thought’s 10-minute freestyle on Hot 97. Thought’s line: “I barbwire my wrists and let it fill the page” seemed fitting for this blog, plus I was in beast mode. #issamood 

5. Create a Ritual

Most people at the top of their field have a pre-game ritual. Athletes. Comedians. Writers. These rituals get your mind and body mentally prepared for what’s about to go down. Think of it this way, when you go to the movies, your ritual is to send Bae to snag the best seats, while you get the large popcorn with extra butter. The same rule applies here.

Writing ritual: Sit on the couch with a snack.

Maya Angelou wrote in a hotel room with a bottle of sherry some legal pads and a Bible. Steven King writes daily (even on his b’day and holidays) beginning at 8:00 a.m. or 8:30 and completes 2,000 words. Rumor has it that John Cheever wrote mostly in his underwear. I guess my writing mojo would be popping if I sat around in my Vicky Secret undies too!  

The point is you cannot write when you feel inspired or when the muse strikes. If you wait for those two factors, you will never complete the first draft of anything. The muse is cute and all, but she is hella unpredictable.

But drinking green tea, reading three pages of from a Danielle LaPorte book and jotting down a single word about how you want to feel after completing the day’s writing task (look at that I made a three-part writing ritual!) is something you can predict and control on a daily basis.

 

 

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Write A Bomb Ass Toast That Will Make Nana Proud

Former president Barack Obama and Michelle Obama toasting at the White House. (courtesy of the White House, Washington, D.C.)

I’m far from being a hopeless romantic. #Facts. I adore romantic comedies for the shenanigans, not the boy-meets-girl scenario. And I’m here for the ones with bomb ass toasts because: writers.

It always comes back to us, right?

In real life, most toasts fall flat and are forgettable. Sadly, life isn’t like the Wedding Ringer where you can hire Kevin Hart to pull off a Golden Tux and deliver some heartfelt words or a story that’ll elicit a lip quiver and good old-fashioned ugly cry.

Recently, my sister, Nikki, gave a toast at my anniversary party. It was so dope (and well written!) that I posted it on Facebook for e’rybody to read. Here’s the backstory, I’m the writer in the family and Nikki also shies away from the spotlight. Naturally, she felt pressure. Even more backstory: I gave a toast at her wedding comparing her and hubby Jay R to Brown Sugar’s Sydney Shaw and Dre Ellis and how their love was like a “perfect verse over a tight beat.” A few weeks later, Jay R had this inscribed on a set of bracelets.

Brown sugar babes: Syd and Dre

This is the power of a dope toast and I say that without bragging. (Okay, just a lil’ bit of bragging.)

Nikki nailed her toast by comparing Bae and I to classic sitcom characters: Claire and Cliff Huxtable, Weezy and George Jefferson and Gina and Martin Payne. Our relationship does have all of these elements, and even the guests of our guests could relate to who we are as a couple. Her best line: They don’t think alike, but they think TOGETHER. That inspired the church ladies in the room to start their amen corner.

THE ANATOMY OF A TOAST

The anatomy of a toast—whether it is for a retirement or anniversary party, promotion, farewell or wedding reception—boils down to these three elements:

Make it personal
Make it relatable (so that no one in the room feels left out)
Make it unforgettable

But how does that translate to writing a toast?

Pick a killer story that illustrates what this person means to you. Remember that time you fell off your bike during the girls trip to Thailand and blood was gushing from your leg, and she ripped her FAVORITE limited edition New Edition T-shirt—the one with Bobby’s sweat on it—to stop the bleeding? Only a BFF would destroy a T-shirt with Bobby’s perspiration.

Or don’t pick a single story. Nikki’s toast wasn’t about one particular scene from my relationship. It was a comparison toast and it worked just as well. 

Don’t rely on a lame formula. Scribes, rules are meant to be broken. So don’t do the “I love you so much” thing. No sh!t. If Jade is moving to Japan, you need to write about how she’s always had a sense of adventure, so you weren’t surprised that she sold half of her stuff for this big move. Oh, and don’t forget to add how you happily inherited Jade’s 49” flat-screen TV and a set of chef grade culinary knives.

Hop on Team S&S (substance and style). Ask yourself a few questions. What does this person value? What does she (or he) mean to you and why? What does she mean to the world? If this is a b’day toast for your great-grandmother who is famed NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, then she’s an American hero worthy of deep reflection, context and reverence. Bask in her glory. Give her those roses while she is living. Her life wasn’t a fairy tale (more on this later) and she  suffered hell so you can be carefree and dance to Cardi B. 

Write the toast like it’s a conversation, instead of short speech. I know, I know, it is a short speech. But the best ones sound like warm, heartfelt convos with cool observations. (Bae and I are Weezy and George when we disagree. Only my sister and people close to us would make that connection.) Once you get it down on paper on in your smartphone, strip away all the formality and language that doesn’t sound like you. It’s okay to be funny if that is your superpower, but don’t be inappropriate and make your great Aunt Ella cringe and clutch her manicured pearls.

Don’t write the toast at the last minute. This should go without saying, but there are a ton of folks who believe that they work/write/live better under pressure. I call bullsh!t. It’s fear. It’s laziness. It’s annoying. Your procrastination is a pain in the butt to the rest of us who must deal with the domino effect of what happens at the 11th hour. If the event planner is set to hear speeches two days before the big day, be ready to slay all other toast writers in your path.

 

If the event is a month away, start making notes about stories, memories, things that you don’t want to ever forget (even on your death bed) like the time 12-year-old Mercy went to clown camp and fell in love the kid who spins places with his feet.

At the third week mark, pick your killer story and build it out with cool details, i.e., it was the hottest summer ever, and even the sun was looking for shade.

Save week two for editing and removing the clunky parts that don’t work and anything that will have Aunt Ella praying for Jesus to immediately take the wheel.

The last week is devoted to practice and sounding like yourself, not a phony version of someone else. Don’t be pressured to memorize it. Store the toast in the Notes app on your smartphone or for the low-tech lovers, write it down on index cards.

Don’t use words like fairy tale or perfection. This is not Sleeping Beauty. Disney got y’all messed up. We’re way too grown, savvy and seasoned to believe that life and relationships and people and situations are perfect or will ever be perfect. (Clearly, this is my toast writing pet peeve. Feel free to ignore this.) Leave that for the kids who are mesmerized by dancing teacups and pumpkins that morph into carriages.

Look, I know I used the word perfect in my toast for Nikki, but I was talking about music. VERSES CAN BE PERFECT. I mean, isn’t that why The Recording Academy awards Grammys?

Now, go write your toast for your grandfather’s 80th b’day celebration and tell me what you cooked up. 

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This is How You Know That You’re a Legit Writer

Yes, getting published makes you feel like a legit writer, but there are other ways to know if you live, breathe and eat words.

The 10 signs below are just a partial list. I’m sure you have your own brand of craziness that makes you a writer.

These just happen to be my faves. 

1. You’ve stopped following friends and family on Facebook whose posts are riddled with grammatical errors. Admit it. You grimace when Aunt Betty uses the wrong there, their or they’re. Her s’mores pie is still bomb, but her daily devotional messages with no regard for subject-verb agreement? Not so much. You offered to edit her posts because that’s what Jesus would do, right? But she refused because her “1,524 FB friends” are reading her messages for the word, not good grammar.

2. You don’t take rejection personally. You simply see a “no” to your groundbreaking piece on “The Art of Caring for Others” as Time magazine’s loss. Or when your agent said five houses turned down the opportunity to publish your YA novel about wolves, you believe it’s because “they didn’t get it.” Rejection is just an ugly part of the process—and it hurts—but it doesn’t stop your hustle.

 

 

3. You spot typos and spelling errors in random places and it makes you sick. It annoys you that the local diner’s menu reads Cesar salad, instead of Caesar salad. (Seriously, did everyone fail history?) Oh, and that chocolate crunch cake is a dessert, not a desert.

4. You see every person as a character in a future story. The auntie who encourages her seven kids to play Hide ‘N’ Seek in Home Depot; the commitment-phobic ex who prefers open relationships; and the cousin with the fruit allergy but chose citrus as her college major are all begging to be explored in a memoir entitled: The Effed People In My Life & Why I Love Them.

5. You can’t bust a grape in a food fight, but a war of words is your Game Of Thrones. Anyone can bite a line jumper’s ankle at Cedar Point amusement park, but to tell this offender that he has a microphallus (a small penis) or declare him a ninnyhammer (a fool), well, those people breathe rare air and that is your specialty.

6. You are impressed by a stranger’s Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score (formerly known as the verbal portion) on the SAT, and could are less about the math. Who cares if she’s a trigonometry whiz, big freakin’ deal. You’re intrigued by how she answered the writing prompt based on Dana Gioia’s “Why Literature Matters” New York Times essay.

7. You are a triple-word score whore at Scrabble. Word games bring out your  American Ninja. You use letters J (8 points), Q (10 points) and Z (10 points) with ease to make opponents feel small, while collecting triple-letter points. Who else knows how to spell qanat, but an awesome superhero writing geek?

8. You re-write bad TV movies—while watching them. No one enjoys viewing “I Kidnapped a Baby From the Hospital For You, David” with you because you interrupt the show with: “Does the writer know anything about dialogue?” “What kind of plot twist is that?” “So we’re just going to ignore how predictable this is?”

Then you follow that up with: “If I wrote this I would’ve….”

 

 

9. Your Yelp reviews are lit, as in literature. Seriously, Zadie Smith would be jealous. Bad service? Good food? Dried egg on your cutlery? An appetizer in the shape of an azalea? That new trendy restaurant is going to receive a glowing four-star review or the one-star body slam, complete with perfection diction and haunting metaphors.

 

10.Your friends make you edit, okay write, their important emails. Your bestie loves your mean girl Yelp reviews, and she knows that ripping her landlord a new one about her about frequent bathroom floods with your bougie/boujee/bourgie/bourgeois vocab gives you eternal life.

 

 

 

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This is How You Write a Bio That Doesn’t Cure Insomnia

Bios are a necessary evil. There, I said it, er, wrote it.

Let me explain. I used to hate reading bios because it seemed like an exercise in navel-gazing, which, to me, will cure insomnia faster than an Ambien.

Why do some people lose all creativity when it’s time to share their expertise?

A bio is not a car manual or grocery list of your accomplishments.

vegan cheese

tofu

glutten-free cookies

See. No one wants to read that unless she’s shopping at Trader Joe’s.

Social media put the B (as in bold and badass) back in bios. When one is faced with limited real estate for her words, she tends to get creative and show her personality.

Former FLOTUS Michelle Obama’s Instagram bio reads:

“Girl from the South Side and former First Lady. Wife, mother, dog lover. Always hugger-in-chief.”

Hit the follow button on her page, if you haven’t already.

These two sentences sum up who and what she is. This IG bio is the highlight reel of Cousin Shelley’s highlight reel. With guns like hers, I would’ve added a bit about possessing tank top worthy arms, but that’s just me being picky.

The former FLOTUS hugs a student at an education summit in Qatar. (Courtesy of White House; Amanda Lucidon)

Social media aside, most bios clock in at 200 to 300 words, which is too long. Most people don’t read the whole thing and less that half will remember the snooty awards you earned.

Okay, already, I get it: You. Are. An. Amazing. Professional. But the reader needs to know something personal too, and preferably with fewer, more colorful words.

Before I suggest ways to spice up your new bio or remix the old one, let’s get some things out of the way.

Yes, the bio answers the 5 W’s and 1 H, i.e. who, what, where, why, when and how.   And the rule of thumb is this: Bios are written in third person, unless it’s the about page for your (or your company’s) site, then it’s first person, please.

First person? Gasp!

No one enjoys writing in first person because saying: “I became a New York Times Best Seller at 25” sounds pretentious. I know. But guess what? “Marisol Galvez became a New York Times Best Seller at 25” is the same exact statement, except it’s in third person. Get over yourself.

The moral of the story is this song is about you, boo—no matter which POV you choose.

There are some free fill-in-the-blank models and templates available online, which is fine for basic people, but that’s not you. (Check out this post if you want to improve your writing skills.)

Most are arranged like this:

Name + title + what you do

Accomplishments + awards + big wins

Degree + location

This is why I used to hate reading bios. Yes, these are the elements, but remember when I mentioned the car manual and the grocery list? Don’t go this route.

If I’m forced to gaze into the deepest part of your navel, at least make it interesting. Tell me the bacteria in your belly button is related to Asiago cheese made in Vicenza, Italy.

One of thee best about pages (which is a bio with another name) is from my friend in my head Danielle LaPorte.

Peep the first few lines:

I’m all for the Light—the illumination that leads to liberation. My definition of holistic includes green juice and very loud rock ‘n’ roll; pop culture and eastern mysticism; justified anger and deeply sweet empathy. I love the game of business and multimedia.

Love, love, love this.

Danielle is far from being basic. And even though it’s first person, she doesn’t sound conceited. Long live green juice and justified anger!

Take your bio up a notch by doing the following:

Start with a quick, fun/passionate/moving story. Most people skim blocks of text for memorable, juicy tidbits in the beginning, middle and end, so hook ’em with the first line. As sales people say in business, “don’t sell the steak, sell the sizzle.” Make me invest time with you.

Pad the top. If you earned a medical degree from Cornell University at 17, that’s first paragraph material. Don’t bury the lead. Better yet, make it part of your quick, fun/passionate/moving story.

Create a mini-version. If the average bio is 200 to 300 words, write a tight and bright replica that’s 50 to 75 words. This is suitable to be read from the stage, say if you are guest speaker at college graduation, or printed in a non-profit’s journal with limited space. (If you are a control genius, like moi, you never want a well meaning someone to take editorial license with your achievements and good deeds.)

Get personal. Tell us about your two pet snakes—Rocky and Adrienne. Or that time you came in first place in the limbo skating (yes, this is a real thing) contest and earned a spot in the Guinness Book of Word records. Or lost the first round in the Air Guitar Championship (again, yes this is a real thing). Tidbits like this are gold and unforgettable. Who doesn’t want to be besties the limbo skating winner?

Say hello to my little friends.

Read it aloud. The words look smooth on paper, but you don’t know which parts flow or sound awkward until it’s read with your outdoor voice. Ask a trusted friend to read the final version back to you. When she stumbles on certain words or doesn’t pause during super-long sentences, it’s time to revise and edit. Break verbose passages into bite-size chunks. And dead the $20 words because a cheaper one will do just fine.

Add a phonetic pronunciation of your name. Listen, my name has four vowels waiting to challenge everything you know about the alphabet. Latin, African, Arabic and Asian names aren’t going to just roll off stranger’s tongues. Help them out with a dash of hooked on phonics, especially if someone is going to read your bio from a podium.

End on a high note. Most people sign off with: “Nicole Lee lives in Cincinnati with her two cats.” Sigh. That’s so anti-climatic after learning about Rocky and Adrienne, right? Instead, build anticipation for what’s coming next with a line or two about your new book, TV show or project. Include your website, invite them to follow you on social or join your email list, so they can really see you in action.

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