My dear friends, I recently launched Intelligent Writing, a free weekly LinkedIn newsletter about writing in the age of AI. Thousands of people subscribed within its first few days, a response that confirmed what I've felt for some time, which is that writers and professionals alike are struggling to understand a landscape that’s shifting unbelievably fast. I know some of you are deeply interested in AI. Others are wary of it. I understand both positions. And that's why my purpose in the newsletter isn’t to push anyone into becoming a raving AI enthusiast. My responsibility as a teacher, however, is to make sure those of us who care about writing understand what is happening, are able to remain professionally relevant, and aren’t left behind while others decide how these new machines will shape the future of communication. AI output, while sometimes impressive, is already becoming easy to recognize. And not in a good way. Often, the words, tone, punctuation, rhythms, and metaphors feel too slick, too orchestrated, to be genuinely engaging. As a result, AI-generated writing is starting to be seen, by many, as less valuable than prose that is felt as being shaped by a human hand. Some people I know now even refuse to consume anything that smells like it was machine-written. Part of the reason for that repulsion is that AI is being used carelessly, or irresponsibly, by those who have little knowledge of the craft we in this community hold dear. Ironically, it's my belief that the best equipped to thrive in this new world will be the ones who understand equally well the capabilities of AI and the craft of writing. Indeed, those who reject AI completely face the risk of falling behind in important ways, while those who neglect deepening their understanding of craft risk losing their voice, style, and individuality to non-sentient, non-feeling machines.

During my years writing and editing for The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and Bloomberg News, I tried to understand what the best editors I worked with were doing. Five habits of mind emerged from observing them and practicing the craft myself. They underpin what I teach in A Crash Course in Writing Well. Each habit begins with an aspiration. You may hear echoes of the following five aspirations in some of your favorite essays, speeches, op-eds, and nonfiction. 1. Comprehensible They strive to make the writing easy to understand. This means removing unnecessary complexity and making sure readers can follow the reasoning without having to work too hard. Simplicity and clarity are essential here. 2. Authentic They strive to make the writing sound honest. They remove jargon, pretentious language, and artificial posturing while preserving the writer’s personality and distinctive way of expressing ideas. 3. Beautiful They strive to make the writing flow well. They smooth out the rhythm and improve structure. This is the quality I call elegance. 4. Engaging They strive to make the writing hold attention and evoke a response. They use colorful details, vivid language, and well-chosen examples to help readers feel the significance of what they are reading. This is where evocativeness matters. 5. Effective They strive to make the writing achieve the purpose for which it was written. Whether the aim is to inform, persuade, teach, or inspire, every passage should contribute. Even a beautiful sentence may need to go if it distracts from that purpose. Through practice, these five aspirations — comprehensibility, authenticity, beauty, engagement, and effectiveness — become editorial habits. They are the gold standard I absorbed from exceptional editors who were unwilling to stop at prose that was merely serviceable.

You need to have watched some of my courses to be able to answer the following three questions accurately: 1. What are the four ingredients of good writing?(From Secret Sauce of Great Writing, Writing With Flair, and A Crash Course in Writing Well) 2. What are the four levels of writing mastery? (From Ninja Writing) 3. What are the four dimensions of exquisite prose? (From Editing Mastery) As always, don't look at other people's answers until you've had a go yourself :)

“At night in this waterless air the stars come down just out of reach of your fingers." John Steinbeck wrote this vision of the southwest desert in 'Travels with Charley'.

Really looking forward to meeting those of you who can make it on Sunday! Ahead of the call, it would be great if you could aim to solidify in your minds your long-term writing goals and any specific challenges you face -- so that you're better equipped to ask related questions, if you have any. A reminder, too, that you can access the Zoom link by logging into the academy and then clicking on the banner near the top of the Community page that says "#1 Live Group Call." Alternatively, you can get to the link via the Calendar page. See you soon, folks :) Shani