The Secret to Influential Writing Is in One Line

Start by telling an honest story

“99 percent of all statistics only tell 49 percent of the story.”

— Ron DeLegge II

Stats are deceptive. They take you to a five-star restaurant, with the best chefs and the most delicious food. Then they shut the restaurant down due to downsizing because they’re the CEO.

I once believed numbers told the whole story. That all success stories hinged on how high (or low) the stats were. But I was wrong.

Numbers don’t tell the whole story. People do.

The stories we tell

Humans carry the mysterious ability to craft stories others relate to. Without thinking twice, they can form words invoking emotion. The response can be life-changing.

I assumed everyone did this. Again, I was wrong. The intent of the creator can be poisoned. As creatures of habit, we are often influenced by other people. And sometimes those habits dictate the effectiveness of what we create.

The best rule of thumb is to keep your creative expression simple and honest.

People digest words easier if they are clear. Free them from fluff and your ideas resonate. Surround them with unnecessary add-ons and your main idea gets smothered to death.

This translates to anything you create.

Start with one, clear line

My words got lost about eight months ago.

Each time I sat down to write, I kept thinking about ways to create a sense of awe. I wanted my words to hit home runs. But they swung and missed.

They lacked clarity. They lacked honesty.

My words reeked of forced sophistication. And my readers could smell it immediately.

When I realized this, I did what no one should do: I walked away. My head was buried in the sand for over seven months. I wrote nothing, neither on paper nor on screen.

The harsh reality of being driven in the wrong direction proved too much for me. But all I had to do was redirect.

Last week, I mustered up the courage to log on to this platform again. An ocean of stories flooded my eyes. Only one stood out.

It was written by Ali Mese. I saw it was a few years old, but I was still compelled to read it.

He talked about the power of a single line. That one effective sentence is more powerful than a hundred full of fluff. It sounded so simple, so clear. And it reminded me of why I started writing.

I already know how to write, I thought. Oh, how wrong I was.

I knew how to put words on a piece of paper. The concept of typing on a keyboard was easy. To keep a reader reading — that was the missing piece.

It starts with the first sentence. Can you leave your emotion, your idea, all on the line in one line of text? Then, can you be as clear as possible with that sentence?

The next objective is to repeat that step until you’ve told your story. Until there is nothing left to give.

When you write like this, you’ll find that there is no gimmick more effective. There are no shortcuts that will cause the same reactions from onlookers.

Your accomplishments won’t be immediate. I’m still learning how to be clear with my words. But now I’m enjoying the process. It’s not tiresome to write anymore.

People respond to (clear) honesty

Building a muscle that says, “I’m going to be clear and open with my words, no matter how long it takes,” keeps your wheels spinning. I recognized this after stepping away from my desk for a while.

But creating this habit doesn’t benefit you alone. Your effectiveness will form connections. Real ones. People will no longer see you as someone selling a product or service. Instead, you’ll be a person who is honest enough to tell a story with vivid color and emotion.

You will find it difficult to pull yourself away from your creative outlet. It’s far easier to let your honesty roam free. And in doing so, you will sustain consistency.

The main idea is to create meaningful work for long periods of time. It’s better to put quality out in the world rather than throw empty ideas for the sake of attention.

People want a correlation between your work and their problem. Give them what lies in your heart. But don’t rush it. Refine it until the point is obvious and digestible.

Choose true success

When you walk away from something you love, it doesn’t mean love is absent. It means you’re distracted. Irrelevant objectives and void goals stand in the way of your success. This is where your future is determined.

Will you keep showing up? Will you get rid of those distractions and set your focus where it should be?

It’s not about competing with other creators. It’s about looking yourself in the eyes and setting the record straight: I will get better. I will tell a true story. And that, my friend, will solve problems.

Success is a choice. You will either choose this path or take a shortcut. But no back route will take you where you want to go. You have to take the long, testing road.

So here I am again, back at my writing desk. My goal is no longer to get the stats up or to get a ton of followers. No, I just want to be honest. So should you.

Take anything you create one line at a time. Rushing it won’t help you. Make effectiveness your goal, and you will never be disappointed.