{"id":87933,"date":"2022-12-24T18:24:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-24T22:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=87933"},"modified":"2023-01-02T16:05:13","modified_gmt":"2023-01-02T20:05:13","slug":"everybody-writes-by-ann-handley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/","title":{"rendered":"Everybody Writes by Ann Handley: Book Overview & Takeaways"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do you write emails or social media posts? What about business letters or marketing copy<\/a>? How might your writing be improved?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Everybody Writes<\/em>, Ann Handley discusses what makes writing good and how to make your writing more valuable. She explains brand voice and how it can be adapted for various purposes. She also shares her writing process that’s useful for all types of writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue reading for an overview of this practical book<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Everybody Writes by Ann Handley<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

All of us have to write, whether it be for work, school, or communication. Fortunately, writing is more of a skill than a talent, and we can implement techniques to improve our writing in any format. In Everybody Writes<\/em>, Ann Handley offers a comprehensive guide to writing everything you need to write in today\u2019s business world.<\/strong> The book\u2019s main focus is on writing for marketing purposes, but many of the principles can be applied to other types of writing as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ann Handley is a bestselling author, speaker, and digital marketer. Alongside fellow writer and marketing consultant C.C. Chapman, Handley has co-authored another book about content creation and marketing, Content Rules<\/em><\/a>. Everybody Writes <\/em>was originally published in 2014, and this revised and expanded edition was published in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’ll discuss what makes for high-quality writing, exploring how to make your writing useful, creative, and reader-centric. We\u2019ll also look at how to create a brand voice<\/a> and adapt it to different formats. Finally, we\u2019ll look in-depth at Handley\u2019s recommended process for writing the best content for every situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Makes Good Writing?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Handley says that great writing comes from the following three ingredients: its usefulness to your audience, its foundation in creativity or data, and its connection with your audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Usefulness to Your Audience<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Handley points out that your writing must help your reader in some way. <\/strong> Your content should be clear and specific, and it should let your audience know what problem of theirs you\u2019re going to solve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before you start writing, establish the purpose of what you\u2019re writing by identifying 1) what you\u2019re trying to accomplish, 2) what the main idea is, and 3) why it matters to your audience (also known as the \u201cso what?\u201d factor).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grounding in Creativity and Data<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In addition to being useful to your reader, your writing should be creative and<\/em> factually accurate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Handley, writing that\u2019s creative stands out more to the reader. To evoke emotions, write so that your reader can see themselves reflected in your content. Handley particularly recommends using stories in your writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Handley cautions, though, that the persuasiveness of stories doesn\u2019t mean you should neglect rationality in your writing: Your writing also needs to be based on facts and accurate data to reach your audience. Handley points out that a brand\u2019s writing presents them with a great opportunity to build credibility<\/a> and trust with customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Connection With Your Audience<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Your writing must feel like it\u2019s written by a human who relates to and understands the audience. Handley explains that the best way to connect with your audience<\/a> is to make your reader or customer the protagonist of your story<\/strong>. Advocate for your audience and write to their needs. To do this, find out what your audience needs and wants, what\u2019s important to them, and why they do what they do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Develop Brand Voice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A strong brand voice offers an identity for the customer to align with, and it can be the deciding factor when customers are choosing between you and your competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Handley says you\u2019ll first need to identify what type of voice your brand needs. Consider how formal you want to sound and how much emotion and humor you want to infuse. Come up with a few adjectives, and then flesh them out into elaborative sentences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve determined your ideal voice, create a style guide\u2014a written compilation of the rules and principles for maintaining your brand voice\u2014for your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tools for Establishing Voice<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If you choose to add humor to your voice, it should be relatable and reveal a common interest your audience shares with your brand, which can build loyalty<\/a>. Another way to use your voice is to create strong and relatable analogies. Analogies can help clarify or explain ideas, make your writing more memorable, and convey a lot about your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Adapt Your Writing to Different Formats<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The book\u2019s ideas are mainly focused on business and marketing writing, but this is still a very broad category. Handley emphasizes that the content you create will vary depending on the format and your intention as a writer. In all of these types of writing, Handley recommends keeping your brand voice consistent. However, your tone<\/em> may need to shift to match what you\u2019re writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Social Media<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The point of social media is connection, so you\u2019ll want to take on a tone that\u2019s inviting and friendly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Video<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Rules of grammar are far less important, Handley says, as your customers won\u2019t be reading your writing but hearing it out loud. In writing a script for a video, story becomes even more important and useful, and you should rely heavily on visuals to communicate that story. Also, write your script as it\u2019s going to be read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commenting on Social Causes<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

According to Handley, research suggests that consumers respond well to brands that take a stand on social issues. However, you should always approach these topics with awareness and sensitivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Write<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Handley frequently reiterates that there is no single correct way to create content, but she offers tips and processes to help you get started and, more importantly, get into the habit of writing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make Writing a Habit<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Handley first recommends that you make writing a daily practice. The key to improving your writing is to do more of it. Handley recommends a strict daily writing routine and says that missing days lessens your motivation to write. She recommends practicing writing in whatever form works best for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Handley also advises that you identify what time of day your writing is the strongest and write at that time every day. She also suggests slowing your writing down by using pen and paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Draft 1<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Handley describes a writing process that begins with identifying what format you want to write in, what purpose it will serve for the audience, and what structure will best fit your piece. Next, gather any information from outside sources that you may need, and be sure to cite them when you write. In selecting sources to use, try to find primary sources instead of secondary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, try to find recent sources for facts and data, as information can change rapidly, and you don\u2019t want to misrepresent any facts in your piece. Keep track of your sources as you go, and create formal citations as needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next, draft your piece\u2014Handley recommends writing four drafts.<\/strong> The first is your rough draft, which she emphasizes will not <\/em>look good. This draft is just about getting your ideas on the page. Once finished, she recommends stepping away from this draft for a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Draft 2: Editing<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Once you\u2019ve written a first draft, the next step is to begin editing it. There are different types of editing, including what Handley calls developmental editing<\/a><\/em>, or editing on a larger scale, and line editing<\/em>, or detailed editing. The editing process includes applying writing \u201crules\u201d to your piece, but Handley emphasizes that the rules are secondary to your purpose<\/a> and that you can always break the rules if it suits your piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Large-scale editing involves confirming that you\u2019re conveying your main idea and purpose clearly and logically and that your piece has a strong lead-in to grab the reader\u2019s attention. Cut anything extraneous, and identify anything that\u2019s been left out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Detailed editing involves making sure that every word conveys something important and cutting words that don\u2019t. Handley recommends being particularly wary of fluff words like \u201cvery.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Language Rules<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Handley specifies that the rules you learned in school don\u2019t necessarily apply to writing as a brand.<\/strong> Here are some specific guidelines she advises you to consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • Use active voice over passive voice.<\/li>
  • Avoid buzzwords like \u201cinnovative\u201d and \u201csynergy.\u201d<\/li>
  • Avoid excessive jargon.<\/li>
  • Write in the present tense and second person.<\/li>
  • Make every word count.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Draft 3<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Draft 3 is when you’ll focus on your connection to the audience.<\/strong> Handley recommends imagining one specific individual as your reader and switching perspectives with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Draft 4<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Finally, draft 4 is when you’ll add style and voice to your piece.<\/strong> This includes things like humor and figurative language. Here, Handley emphasizes that you should write in second person. She also suggests using things like bullet points to make the piece more visually appealing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Final Edit<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Once your fourth draft is finished, it\u2019s time to ask others to help with your editing.<\/strong> Before publication, Handley also recommends that you read your final draft out loud<\/strong>. Then, review it visually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Finally, once your work has been published, let your attachment to it go. After it\u2019s published, your work doesn\u2019t belong to you anymore: It belongs to the public. If you have regrets about the final product because it wasn\u2019t quite what you wanted it to be, take it as a lesson for next time. And finally, congratulate yourself! You\u2019ve just accomplished something great.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Do you write emails or social media posts? What about business letters or marketing copy? How might your writing be improved? In Everybody Writes, Ann Handley discusses what makes writing good and how to make your writing more valuable. She explains brand voice and how it can be adapted for various purposes. She also shares her writing process that’s useful for all types of writing. Continue reading for an overview of this practical book.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":87937,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,34],"tags":[845],"class_list":["post-87933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books","category-communication","tag-everybody-writes","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nEverybody Writes by Ann Handley: Book Overview & Takeaways - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Writing is a skill more than a talent. You can hone it to improve all of your writing. Here's an overview of Everybody Writes by Ann Handley.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Everybody Writes by Ann Handley: Book Overview & Takeaways\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Writing is a skill more than a talent. You can hone it to improve all of your writing. Here's an overview of Everybody Writes by Ann Handley.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-12-24T22:24:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-01-02T20:05:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/open-book-cup-mug-tea-coffee.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\"},\"headline\":\"Everybody Writes by Ann Handley: Book Overview & Takeaways\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-12-24T22:24:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-01-02T20:05:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/\"},\"wordCount\":1586,\"commentCount\":1,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/open-book-cup-mug-tea-coffee.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Everybody Writes\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Books\",\"Communication\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/\",\"name\":\"Everybody Writes by Ann Handley: Book Overview & Takeaways - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/open-book-cup-mug-tea-coffee.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-12-24T22:24:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-01-02T20:05:13+00:00\",\"description\":\"Writing is a skill more than a talent. You can hone it to improve all of your writing. Here's an overview of Everybody Writes by Ann Handley.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/open-book-cup-mug-tea-coffee.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/open-book-cup-mug-tea-coffee.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Everybody Writes by Ann Handley: Book Overview & Takeaways\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World's Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\",\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\"},\"description\":\"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.\",\"sameAs\":[\"rina@shortform.com\"],\"award\":[\"Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)\",\"Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)\",\"Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)\",\"Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)\"],\"knowsAbout\":[\"History\",\"Theology\",\"Government\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Senior SEO Writer\",\"worksFor\":\"Shortform\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Everybody Writes by Ann Handley: Book Overview & Takeaways - Shortform Books","description":"Writing is a skill more than a talent. You can hone it to improve all of your writing. Here's an overview of Everybody Writes by Ann Handley.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Everybody Writes by Ann Handley: Book Overview & Takeaways","og_description":"Writing is a skill more than a talent. You can hone it to improve all of your writing. Here's an overview of Everybody Writes by Ann Handley.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2022-12-24T22:24:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-01-02T20:05:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/open-book-cup-mug-tea-coffee.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Elizabeth Whitworth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Elizabeth Whitworth","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/"},"author":{"name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13"},"headline":"Everybody Writes by Ann Handley: Book Overview & Takeaways","datePublished":"2022-12-24T22:24:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-01-02T20:05:13+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/"},"wordCount":1586,"commentCount":1,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/open-book-cup-mug-tea-coffee.jpg","keywords":["Everybody Writes"],"articleSection":["Books","Communication"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/","name":"Everybody Writes by Ann Handley: Book Overview & Takeaways - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/open-book-cup-mug-tea-coffee.jpg","datePublished":"2022-12-24T22:24:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-01-02T20:05:13+00:00","description":"Writing is a skill more than a talent. You can hone it to improve all of your writing. Here's an overview of Everybody Writes by Ann Handley.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/open-book-cup-mug-tea-coffee.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/open-book-cup-mug-tea-coffee.jpg","width":1200,"height":630},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/everybody-writes-by-ann-handley\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Everybody Writes by Ann Handley: Book Overview & Takeaways"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World's Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13","name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Elizabeth Whitworth"},"description":"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.","sameAs":["rina@shortform.com"],"award":["Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)","Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)","Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)","Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)"],"knowsAbout":["History","Theology","Government"],"jobTitle":"Senior SEO Writer","worksFor":"Shortform","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/open-book-cup-mug-tea-coffee.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87933"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87933\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88246,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87933\/revisions\/88246"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}