How I Use Copy + Paste To Make Myself a Better Writer

Hint: it’s not plagiarism

I use Copy + Paste to make myself a better writer.

That sounds terrible, I know. Downright unethical and maybe even illegal. But I’m not confessing to plagiarism.

And I would never advocate that you steal anyone else’s work. That’s just wrong. Instead, Copy + Paste is a method I have used for nearly 3 decades to improve my writing.

Here’s how it works.

Disclaimer: Several thoughtful commenters suggested that this process could trigger a slippery slope into plagiarism. I do think there is a risk to anyone who uses this method. I do not encourage the publication of any writing that results from this practice exercise. I use Copy + Paste as a learning tool only. Following this process under the guidance of an astute mentor might also help.

Exposing My Copy + Paste Method

The short version: The Copy + Paste method is reverse-engineering popular content.

But there’s more to it, so here’s the longer explanation.

The Copy + Paste method is manually rewriting a page of fiction or nonfiction word-by-word and punctuation-by-punctuation. By manually rewriting content from one of your favorite authors, you start to think like the original writer.

You start to understand why they chose certain words, sentence structure, and even grammar.

I feel the need to pause here to emphasize just how much insight you can gain from this simple process. In fact, I will make the bold statement that you will probably learn more from this method than you will from most articles and books on writing.

There is a very good reason why I feel this way — which brings us to the next section.

How Copy + Paste Helps Make You a Better Writer

There are several reasons that this method works.

Here are a few reasons:

• It slows you down so that you can learn
• It helps you absorb writing lessons through interaction
• It puts you in the mind and “shoes” of the original author
• You get a feel for the tone and style of the content

Repeating the Copy + Paste method over and over again with popular writing trains you to recognize effective writing patterns and how to instinctively make better writing choices.

I personally use this method all the time, and it has definitely helped me become a better writer.

Whenever I come across a piece of writing that I really like — whether it be a song, video description, blog post, or page in a book, I’ll take the time to rewrite it by hand.

It’s a bit tedious for sure, but it’s worth it in the end.

If you’re serious about improving your writing skills, I highly recommend giving the Copy + Paste method a try.

How To Apply the Copy + Paste Method

Let’s go through the exact process so that you get the most from this exercise.

There are four main steps:

1. Choose content to Copy + Paste
2. Copy the text word-by-word
3. Reflect on the writing decisions
4. Experiment

To get the most from this exercise, it is important to choose a passage that is not too long, so that you can focus on the individual words and phrases. It is also a good idea to select a section that you find interesting or memorable, as this will help you to stay engaged with the task.

You can find content from these sources:

• Websites
• News outlets
• Amazon “Look Inside the Cover”
• Kindle
• YouTube video descriptions
• Emails
• Your library
• Your bookshelf

Once you have chosen your passage, sit down with a pen and paper, or open up a blank document on your computer.

Then simply start copying out the text, word for word.

As you do so, pay attention to the way each sentence is constructed, and how the different elements fit together.

You may also want to experiment with changing some of the words or phrases to see how this alters the meaning or atmosphere of the passage.

Copy + Paste Method Example

For this example, I went to AdamEnfroy.com, a blogger who makes over a million dollars per year from his website.

I chose an article at random: 12 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting My Blog.

Then, because I’m obsessed with introductions, I Copy + Pasted the first few paragraphs:

They say that hindsight is 20/20 — it’s hard to predict the future and easy to understand what to do after something has already happened.

This is true for new bloggers.

I often think, “If I only knew then what I know now.” There are a ton of things I wish I knew before I started blogging.

This blog isn’t a success because I’m smarter than anyone else. In fact, the opposite is true — it’s successful because I learned from smarter people who knew more than I did.

My thoughts and reflections: Adam (or, more likely, his ghostwriter), starts with something almost everyone in the world can relate to. It’s short and sweet and brings up bloggers very early.

I like that.

It’s personal. He uses “I often think,” “I wish I knew,” and “I learned from smarter people.”

This whole intro seems focused on creating an emotional connection with the audience. At last, so far.

Here is more of his intro:

I tried, failed, tried again, and failed again until I finally learned enough to make a lot of money blogging.

I simply didn’t know what I didn’t know.

And after gaining this knowledge, I’m making over $100k/month from this blog that I launched in 2019.

Even though this blog found quick success, I still stumbled and fell along the way. I wasted my time (and money) on a lot of things — and I don’t want you to make the same mistakes.

My thoughts and reflections: The first thing I notice is that most of his paragraphs are super short. The most common length is one sentence.

He’s talking about his own failures, which makes him relatable.

The use of “And” and “Even though” in the last two sentences in this section help with the flow of the introduction. Otherwise, it might sound too choppy.

Here’s the final section of his intro:

I surveyed 531 bloggers in 2020 and this article provides answers to the 12 most common (and challenging) blogging questions. My answers include a lesson that I wish I knew when I first started and mistakes to avoid.

Here are the top things that you should know before deciding to start a blog.

My thoughts and reflections: Adam continues to nail home the intent of this blog post — to share lessons he wishes he knew before starting his blog.

That’s probably for both SEO purposes and to make sure readers know they are in the right place. He mentions original research he conducted, which Google likes, and promises that we will get good information.

The use of parenthesis is something I’ve seen in many effective pieces of content (including blogs, books, and marketing copy).

Maybe I should use parenthesis more often.

Tips and Takeaways

After going through this process for so long, I’ve developed a few tips that I think you might find helpful.

Here are my best tips and takeaways:

• Start with 300 words (or less)
• Write slowly and thoughtfully (not in a rush)
• Ask yourself questions like, “Why did she do this here?” and “Why did he pick this word instead of another one?”
• In the experimentation step, replace words, rearrange sentences, and add/subtract detail. Then ask if your rewrite is better or worse — and why?
• Write down notes on patterns that emerge and tips you can apply to your own, original writing.

Here is a video where I go over this article and my method with commentary:

Final Thoughts

With a little practice, I think you will find that the Copy + Paste method is an invaluable tool for honing your writing.

Thanks for reading!

Related posts:

• Write Blogs in Half the Time With My Stupid Simple OPAAT System
• How I Make $5,000 Each Month Writing About Tiny Topics
• If I Only Had 15 Minutes to Edit an Article, This Is What I Would Do

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