Thank you for trusting me with your time, your inbox, and your writing journey.

Launching Friday Write Bytes was an incredible experience, and I’ve loved every moment of sharing tips and connecting with you. Your support has been more than I could have hoped for, and it’s with both excitement and a little sadness that I share this news:

I’m pressing pause on Friday Write Bytes to focus on my Simple Radiant Skin newsletter, and my book, Lazy Boy’s Guide to Skincare, coming out this December. Woop, woop!

Before I go, I’d love your help with one final project. I’ve designed two potential covers for the book, and I can’t decide! Your opinion would mean so much to me.

Here’s how you can help:

• Option 1: Hit the green button

• Option 2: Hit “Reply” and let me know which one you prefer—Sugestions are loved.

Thank you again for everything. This is just the beginning, and I can’t wait to share more with you in the future.

Want to be notified when my book drops? Want weekly e-mails teaching you how to get or maintain Radiant skin? It’s easy. SUBSCRIBE to Simple Radiant Skin.

With love and gratitude,

Here they are:

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Start Survey

Gary Gary Vaynerchuk, or “Gary Vee,” is a wise entrepreneur and social media expert known for his practical advice on brand growth and digital marketing— he's a favorite motivator of mine and worth the Google search if you're unfamiliar with him. 😉 He's very entertaining and one of the only marketers I can get through an entire YouTube video.

His view on time management is about making intentional choices with your time. Here’s the difference between time managers and time makers:

• Time Managers try to control time, juggle priorities, and aim to “fit things in.”

• Time Makers create value by focusing only on what matters, saying no to distractions, and designing their day around their biggest goals.

So, which are you? Do you manage time—or make it work for you?

Have a great weekend,

Friday Write Bytes shares quick tips to make you a more efficient writer. Subscribe for a power-packed 1-min. writing tip at the end of each week.

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As promised, here is your recap of the last 8 weeks of Friday Write Bytes.

Table of Contents (scrollers unite!)

1. The 2 P’s All Writers Must Avoid

2. Keeping Your Creative Airflow

3. Tools to Write a Great Headline

4. Words that Infuse Energy to Your Readers

5. Transform Your Writing Workflow: Notion Tricks

6. ROI Reminder, Let’s Be Honest

7. 10 Phrases that Scream ‘AI Wrote This!’— Even When it Didn’t.

8. Going Viral on Medium Lessons

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Week 10: The 2 P’s All Writers Must Avoid

1. Perfection

2. Procrastination

Week 11: Keeping Your Creative Airflow

Think of writing like breathing. If you really want to be a writer, you can stop to take a deep breath, but don’t stop breathing.

Week 12: Tips to Write a Great Headline

Don’t be cryptic and don’t be cute.

• Here’s a tool that I use: https://www.monsterinsights.com/headline-analyzer/

Week 13: Words that Infuse Energy to Your Readers

Here are a few words proven to stop a reader from skimming:

Magic, Life-changing, Beat, Unforgettable, Jovial

Week 14: Transform Your Writing Workflow: Notion Tricks

Curated post

The Lemon Tree Mindset 🌳🍋

12 Ways Notion Can Save Creators Time and Boost Their Creativity

Today’s Post is written by Alberto Cabas Vidani, a Founding Member of The Lemon Tree Mindset 🌳🍋…

Read more

2 years ago · 39 likes · 49 comments · Alberto Cabas Vidani

Week 15: ROI Reminder, Let’s Be Honest

Keep track of your projects

• Newsletter Earnings

• Freelance Earnings

• Time Spent on Substack

• Time Spent on Medium:

Week 16: 10 Phrases that Scream ‘AI Wrote This!’— Even When it Didn’t.

1. “Seamlessly integrated”

2. “In today’s fast-paced world”

3. “However, one must consider”

4. “Let’s dive in”

5. “Cutting-edge technology”

6. “Transformative experience”

7. “Firstly, secondly, lastly…”

8. “At the forefront”

9. “Game-changer”

10. “Unveil, Unlock, Unleash, Unmask’”— UN-anything

Week 17: Going Viral on Medium Lessons

Four tips to hit Medium’s billboard charts & one headline warning

1. Make sure the topic is “in.”

2. Hit a nerve and then use a bit of humor and irony.

3. Use a list format. (debatable- yes)

4. Optimize your title.

• And the warning:

  • Your tireless efforts will stay lost in the sea of internet content if you can’t stop a scroller in their tracks. And this is only done by beefing up your headline.

That’s it for this week. ;) Have a great weekend!

X.O.,

September found me for the first time “going viral” on Medium.

After comparing the article with my previous stories, I realized there are four key factors that made it stand out. Here’s what I learned:

1. Make sure the topic is “in.”

2. Hit a nerve and then use a bit of humor and irony.

3. Use a list format. (debatable- yes)

4. Optimize your title.

I know, you’re tired of hearing the words.

So I’ll just give you three ways to do it:

• Ask the readers a question

• Use numbers to stop the scrolling

• Be clear, not cryptic

  

And the warning:

• Your tireless efforts will stay lost in the sea of internet content if you can’t stop a scroller in their tracks. And this is only done by beefing up your headline.

You can read the whole article here: What I Learned From Going Viral on Medium in 2024

Have a great weekend.

X.O.,

I’ve been taught a thing or two about picking the right words. 5K out of my pocket and now you’re going to tell me my writing is too polished?

I don’t think so.

If you’re like me and wondering why your writing is getting flagged for AI, here’s a list of 10 phrases people think scream, “AI wrote this!”

Spoiler alert: Real writers use these phrases too.

1. “Seamlessly integrated”

Real writers don’t know how to put things two long words together. Only bots do.

2. “In today’s fast-paced world”

Ok, this one kind of does suck. (Mostly because I think the world is too fast-paced.)

3. “However, one must consider”

Heaven forbid you want to be grammatically correct and sound professional. tisk tisk

4. “Let’s dive in”

Use it once, and you’re pegged as a bot.

5. “Cutting-edge technology”

Only robots talk about advanced tech?

6. “Transformative experience”

You can’t possibly have had one without AI’s help.

7. “Firstly, secondly, lastly…”

Ok, I agree here. Unless we’re working on our thesis, this might get me to question the writer.

8. “At the forefront”

Only AI knows what’s at the front of the line.

9. “Game-changer”

Do I need to even explain this one? What great writer hasn’t used this phrase?

10. “Unveil, Unlock, Unleash, Unmask’”— UN-anything

Human potential is now apparently an AI thing and only robots can reveal things dramatically. (insert eyeroll)

These 10 phrases went viral on Medium in September. Read the article here: 10 Phrases that Scream ‘AI Wrote This!’— Even When It Didn’t.

Have a great weekend,

X.O.,

I was recently inspired to keep a very short (doable) list to track my hours this month— “Counters” as my friend calls them.

This is my challenge to you:

“…try to be radically transparent about your progress and results.” -Ryan Canady

So here’s mine:

• Newsletter Earnings This Month: $0.00

• Medium Earnings This Month: $0.00

• Time Spent on Substack (my newsletter platform of choice): 4 hours 15 minutes

• Time Spent on Medium: 2.5 ? hours so far, I’ve written one article and answered comments

Keeping track is not my specialty. I’m more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants, perpetually late kind of girl.

So this is going to be telling.

If we don’t know the time spent on our projects, we’ll never know our ROI.

Read the article here: 3 Ways to Boost Your Writing This Fall.

Have a great weekend.

X.O.,

Today, I am really busy with my daughter's birthday celebration at the trampoline park right after school. So I’m off to get cotton candy and popcorn and all those things that us moms have to do.

Today's Friday Write Byte will be curated.

I learned so much from Alberto's post yesterday. It is definitely worth a read, so if you’re curious about Notion or have tried it and given up (like me), maybe it’s time to give it another chance.

I hope you have a great weekend.

The Lemon Tree Mindset 🌳🍋

12 Ways Notion Can Save Creators Time and Boost Their Creativity

Today’s Post is written by Alberto Cabas Vidani, a Founding Member of The Lemon Tree Mindset 🌳🍋…

Read more

2 years ago · 39 likes · 49 comments · Alberto Cabas Vidani

Want to know more about the author? Here he is:

X.O.,

Writing is all about breaking through the mental inertia...

Here’s a few words proven to stop a reader from skimming.

Magic, Life-changing, Beat, Unforgettable, Jovial

Read more here: Energize Your Readers with Words

Have a great weekend!

X.O.,

My #1 advice for writing headlines:

Don’t be cryptic and don’t be cute.

Use tools. Here’s one I use regularly.

1. https://www.monsterinsights.com/headline-analyzer/

And take advantage of ChatGPT and other AI tools.

X.O.,

Want to read more? IS AI THE NEW ENEMY OF SKILLED WRITERS?

Friday Write Bytes is a free newsletter and my weekly labor of love- sharing tips to make you a more efficient writer. If you have the means, please consider financially supporting this newsletter.

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https://medium.com/ink-tears/is-ai-the-new-enemy-of-skilled-writers-63f5bf7daa53

Think of writing like breathing. If you really want to be a writer, you can stop to take a deep breath, but don’t stop breathing.

X.O.,

Friday Write Bytes is a free newsletter and my weekly labor of love- sharing tips to make you a more efficient writer. If you have the means, please consider financially supporting this newsletter.

Upgrade to paid

I’m going on day 3 without power, so I’ll make this extra short.

Procrastination and Perfectionism.

Neither is your friend as a writer.

So dodge these two P’s like your starring in The Matrix!

X.O.,

Friday Write Bytes is a free newsletter and my weekly labor of love- sharing tips to make you a more efficient writer. If you have the means, please consider financially supporting this newsletter.

Upgrade to paid

As promised, here is your recap of the last 8 weeks of Friday Write Bytes.

Table of Contents (scrollers unite!)

1. Options for the word “immediately”

2. Threat Headlines - What Keeps Your Readers Up at Night?

3. Zen Headlines - Promising Your Readers a Simpler Life

4. Piggyback Headlines - Riding on the Back of a Famous Brand

5. Mistake Headlines -Irresistible Teasers from the Masters

6. How To Headlines - The Oldie but Goodie That Never Fails

7. List Headlines - Bite-Sized Content That Readers Adore

8. How Parkinson's Law Helps Me Write More in Less Time

Subscribe now

Week 1: 10 Options for the word "immediately"

On the spot, Instantly, At once, Without delay, At this moment, Right away, Straightaway, Forthwith, Promply, Directly

Week 2: Curated Threat Headline Templates

What Keeps Your Readers Up at Night?

• How Safe Is Your [Valuable Person/Object] from [Threat]?

• Warning Signs That [Blank]

• Warning: [Blank]

• Can We Really Trust [Person/Company/Product]?

• The Shocking Truth about [Blank]

• The Great [Blank] Hoax

• How [Blank] Gamble with Your [Blank]: 7 Ways to Protect Yourself

• Lies [Group of People] Like to Tell

• 13 Things Your [Trusted Person] Won’t Tell You

• 5 Little-Known Factors That Could Affect Your [Blank]

• [Your Audience] Alert: The New [Blank] Scam to Avoid

Week 3: Zen Headline Templates

Promising Your Readers a Simpler Life

• The Zen of [Blank]

• Can’t Keep up? 11 Ways to Simplify Your [Blank]

• How to Take Charge of Your [Unruly Problem]

• The Minimalist Guide to [Aggravation]

• 10 Shortcuts for [Completing Tedious Process] in Record Time

• Get Rid of [Recurring Problem] Once and for All

• How to End [Problem]

• How to [Blank] in 5 Minutes

• 101 [Blank] Hacks: A Cheat Sheet for [Blank]

Week 4: Piggyback Headlines

Riding on the Back of a Famous Brand

• [Do Something] Like [Famous Person]: 20 Ways to [Blank]

• [Famous Person’s] Top 10 Tips for [Blank]

• The [World-Class Example] School of [Blank]

• The [World-Class Example] Guide to [Blank]

• 29 Secrets of [Famous Group]

• What [World-Class Example] Can Teach Us about [Blank]

Week 5: Mistake Headlines

Irresistible Teasers from the Masters

• Do You Make These 9 [Blank] Mistakes?

• 7 [Blank] Mistakes That Make You Look Dumb

• 5 [Blank] Mistakes That Make You [Look/Sound] Like a [Blank]

• 11 [Blank] Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making

• Don’t Do These 12 Things When [Blank]

Week 6: How To Headlines

The Oldie but Goodie That Never Fails

• How to [Blank]

• How to Be [Desirable Quality]

• How to [Blank] (Even If [Common Obstacle])

• How to [Blank] Without [Objectionable Action]

• How to [Do Something] While You [Do Something Else]

• How to [Blank] and [Blank]

• How to [Do Something] That Your [Target Audience] Will Love

• How to Use [Blank] to [Blank]

• How to [Blank] in [Year]

• How to [Blank] — The Ultimate Guide

• How to Be Smart in a World of Dumb [Group]

Week 7: List Headlines

Bite-Sized Content That Readers Adore

• 7 Ways to [Do Something]

• 101 [Blank] for [Event/Cause/Process]

• 72 Killer Resources for [Audience/Process]

• The Top 10 [Blank]

• 7 [Blank] Secrets Every [Audience] Should Know

• 7 Surprising Reasons [Blank]

• The 5 Laws for [Blank]

• 7 Steps to [Blank]

• Get [Blank]! 10 Ideas That Really Work

• 7 Things Your [Target Audience] Needs to Hear You Say

Week 8: Parkinson's Law

Write More in Less Time

Parkinson’s law implies that if you give yourself a longer deadline to complete a task, you’re likely to take longer to complete it.

Even if the task could have been finished in a shorter amount of time.

Give yourself an hour to complete a task, it will likely take the entire hour.

Give yourself two tasks in that hour, again, you’re likely to finish both in the allotted time.

That’s it for this week. ;) Have a great weekend!

X.O.,

Friday Write Bytes is a free newsletter and my weekly labor of love- sharing tips to make you a more efficient writer. If you have the means, please consider financially supporting this newsletter.

Upgrade to paid

When I’m stressed about finding time to write, remembering Parkinson’s Law is like having a compass in a stormy sea of drafts and deadlines.

It helps me stay on course.

What is Parkinson’s Law?

This law simply implies that if you give yourself a longer deadline to complete a task, you’re likely to take longer to complete it.

Even if the task could have been finished in a shorter amount of time.

So

Give yourself an hour to complete a task, it will likely take the entire hour.

Give yourself two tasks in that hour, again, you’re likely to finish both tasks in the allotted time.

That’s it for this week. ;) Have a great weekend!

X.O.,

Friday Write Bytes is a free newsletter and my weekly labor of love- sharing tips to make you a more efficient writer. If you have the means, please consider financially supporting this newsletter.

Upgrade to paid

• 7 Ways to [Do Something]

• 101 [Blank] for [Event/Cause/Process]

• 72 Killer Resources for [Audience/Process]

• The Top 10 [Blank]

• 7 [Blank] Secrets Every [Audience] Should Know

• 7 Surprising Reasons [Blank]

• The 5 Laws for [Blank]

• 7 Steps to [Blank]

• Get [Blank]! 10 Ideas That Really Work

• 7 Things Your [Target Audience] Needs to Hear You Say

Share Friday Write Bytes

How To headlines will never go out of style. I use them to search for answers and so do our readers.

• How to [Blank]

• How to Be [Desirable Quality]

• How to [Blank] (Even If [Common Obstacle])

• How to [Blank] Without [Objectionable Action]

• How to [Do Something] While You [Do Something Else]

• How to [Blank] and [Blank]

• How to [Do Something] That Your [Target Audience] Will Love

• How to Use [Blank] to [Blank]

• How to [Blank] in [Year]

• How to [Blank] — The Ultimate Guide

• How to Be Smart in a World of Dumb [Group]

  Share Friday Write Bytes

X.O.,

Hey there, amazing writers!

I have some exciting news! Adventures to Passive Profits is transforming into something even more focused and valuable.

Say hello to Friday Write Bytes!

Instead of receiving two emails a week, you’ll now get one focused email every Friday. This means no more Wednesday emails – just pure, impactful content delivered straight to your inbox at the end of the week.

Starting next week, you'll receive Friday Write Bytes you can listen to or read in a minute or less. Each designed to supercharge your writing skills.

Why the change?

Because I know your time is valuable. By delivering these bite-sized emails every Friday, I’ll be providing you with tips that are easy to digest and implement.

I want to bring you the best, most actionable writing tips in a format that respects your time and maximizes your growth. By consolidating efforts into one stellar email each week, I’ll ensure that every tip you receive is top-notch and useful.

Here’s what you can expect:

• Quick & Impactful Tips: Spend just one minute each Friday learning a new way to enhance your writing.

• Byte-Sized Recaps: Every eight weeks, you’ll receive a special recap of the past eight Friday Write Bytes. Just like there are eight bits in a byte, I’ll bundle these tips together to reinforce your learning and celebrate your progress.

• Voice recordings: To listen on the go.

I’m so excited about this new direction and can’t wait for you to experience the benefits of the new Friday Write Bytes.

Thank you for being my valued subscriber – your support means the world to me!

Yours truly,

P.S. Keep an eye on your inbox for this Friday’s Write Byte! How To Headlines- The Oldie but Goodie That Never Fails

Hi guys! We are halfway through our headline templates list.

Here’s this week’s Friday Write Bite.

Mistake Headlines – Irresistible Teasers from the Masters

• Do You Make These 9 [Blank] Mistakes?

• 7 [Blank] Mistakes That Make You Look Dumb

• 5 [Blank] Mistakes That Make You [Look/Sound] Like a [Blank]

• 11 [Blank] Mistakes You Don’t Know You’re Making

• Don’t Do These 12 Things When [Blank]

  ---

  X.O.,

  

Staying productive while enjoying the things you love may seem impossible…

But isn’t this why we write?

Writer’s often feel like only the grueling process of writing is productive.

I’m happy to tell you that’s just not the case.

We all need a day off.

But staying productive even on days off is essential and most of all— it feels wonderful.

Sometimes we need to step away from the view of our laptops for a day.

So I did.

I can happily say this break was different.

I found myself doing things away from the computer that applied to my writing/money-making goals and thinking outside of the box for inspiration.

Hitting publish was the last thing on my mind.

And it felt good.

“Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.” — Paul J. Meyer.

Here’s what staying productive on my terms looks like.

→ Crossed off my To-Do’s.

We all have personal things on our To-Do lists. Why not take a break and cross them off?

→ Snapped a couple of new photos to use for the blog.

While at lunch, I took advantage of the setting to snap a couple of photos I could use for future blog posts.

This beauty just happened to be in full bloom.

→ Evening Me Time.

First, I played UNO with the kids before putting them to bed. It was a fun release for all of us. I encourage you to play more with your kids.

Personally, I don’t like playing with them (please don’t tell them) but I do it (sigh)and I usually find it therapeutic.

It was still early, I’d had enough of the computer, so I took to my puzzle books. They are old, but great to keep your mind sharp.

→ Journaling and Planning

Lastly, I like to write anything good that happened and plan my stories for the next day.

I keep an old SONS notebook from the kids to keep running story ideas (you can see it in the first photo of my workspace). I find an idea from there and create a draft title pretty much every night.

I always think of a few things I want to write about just as I’m dozing off.

So remember to take time for yourself. You can still be productive and work toward your goal even when you aren’t sitting at the computer.

X.O.,

John Morrow now makes $100,000 a month, but he started by blogging.

Here are a few of his headline hacks: Part 3 of 6

Section 3: Piggyback Headlines – Riding on the Back of a Famous Brand

• [Do Something] Like [Famous Person]: 20 Ways to [Blank]

• [Famous Person’s] Top 10 Tips for [Blank]

• The [World-Class Example] School of [Blank]

• The [World-Class Example] Guide to [Blank]

• 29 Secrets of [Famous Group]

• What [World-Class Example] Can Teach Us about [Blank]

P.S. I’m supporting a fellow Medium Author.

Susan has written a short poem about her grandson and is pledging all proceeds to him on his 21st birthday. If you have a minute, take a look, highlight and comment. Let’s show her some love.

Here’s the story: "Smiley"

Adventures to Passive Profits is a free newsletter and a labor of love sharing education I’ve invested in. If you have the means, please consider financially supporting this newsletter.

When I first started writing I was obsessed with formatting, subheadings, and paragraph lengths.

Being taught that this would keep readers on my story.

While it is helpful to be aware of all that mumbo jumbo in long form writing, it only works to a minimal degree.

Making your content skimmable is the unspoken request of 2024 readers.

Time is the most valuable thing readers have.

The problem for us writers is that— with so many distractions, readers have become stingy.

Do you wonder why most people decline your invitation to give them more of their time?

Sometimes it’s just too much content from a reader’s favorite source to keep up.

Readers are often forced to make a split decision — is this worth my time?

In our content-saturated world, help them say “yes” by making your piece easy on the eyes.

Make Your Content F-shaped

According to Nielsen, online readers follow an “F-shaped” pattern.

This means they skim headlines, peek at opening sentences, and summarize paragraphs uncovering the juicy bits that catch their eye.

F-shaped reading patterns look like this:

First lines of text on a page receive more gazes than subsequent lines of text on the same page.

First few words on the left of each line of text receive more fixations than subsequent words on the same line.

First lines of text, people will scan more words on the right than on the following lines. This scanning pattern resembles the shape of the letter F…

For example, you’re probably not reading the end of this sentence.

Let this quote sink in:

Overlooking the skimmability of your content can doom it from the get-go, no matter how interesting and informative the asset may be.

Adventures to Passive Profits is a free newsletter and a labor of love sharing education I’ve invested heavily in. If you have the means, please consider financially supporting this newsletter.

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