Anyone who’s ever transcribed a real life conversation knows that they rarely read well on paper. They’re often rambling or repetitive or incoherent. And the thing about real life conversations is that there’s more than one person talking. What we mean by conversational writing is a cleaned up and one-sided version of a real life conversation. Writing that feels direct and warm and chatty, with the reader playing the part of the other half of the conversation.

I wish I’d known that you can’t build a serious amount of writing into your business without redesigning your working life.

Writing a first draft can feel like climbing a mountain. It’s strenuous work. Sometimes just putting one word in front of another feels hard, and you resist getting on with it. You have to push through to the finish, and it’s only when you get to the top that you can see how far you’ve come. But what next? Here’s how to turn a messy first draft into lovable copy.

We worry that no one’s going to want to read what we’ve written. And we worry that if our writing lacks personality, that people will think we’re boring too. It’s a horrible confidence sapping feeling. Here’s how to improve your writing.