Write of Passage 2021 – David Perell

Publish quality content on a consistent basis​We’ll teach you a systematic approach to collecting insights and turning them into content on a consistent basis.

Create intellectual assets that grow in value over timeYour writing will grow into a body of work with a coherent purpose, not just a series of one-off posts.

Build a following that brings you personal and professional opportunitiesYour followers will help you find excellent opportunities, including jobs, projects, clients, and sales.

Connect directly with peers, colleagues, and leaders in your industry.We’ll show you how to use your writing as an introduction to the most interesting people in your industry.

1. How To Succeed Online In The Age Of Leverage

Why should you write on the internet? We’re living in the Age of Leverage, a time of unprecedented opportunity for creators. Good ideas can be shared at no marginal cost. Your work can spread around the globe while you sleep. It’s time to harness that potential. To kick off the course, we’ll discuss how writing online can open new doors and widen your world.

2. How To Build Your Online Home

Your first task will be to create a website. You’ll receive guidance on how to start, which tools to use, and what to share in your online home.

Your website is a Serendipity Vehicle. The place where your distinct voice emerges through sharing and receiving feedback on your work. There are no quick promises. But consistent production will give you an edge for spreading ideas and connecting with others.

David will explain how he sparked an audience by applying these principles over time.

3. How To Capture Information So That You Never Face A Blank Page Again

Writing is so much more than putting words on the page.

Prolific writing can only happen when you write from abundance. New ideas are born from the experiences you have and the ideas you consume. But you need a system to organize facts, observations, and epiphanies.

In the Information Capture, David reviews how to find, save, organize, and retrieve high-quality information. He’ll share his method for structuring digital notes with Hot and Cold notebooks. With it, you’ll set up your own digital note-taking system, which you’ll add to throughout the course. Your new information capture system will fuel a wealth of new ideas.

4. How To Get Feedback On Your Ideas Before You Hit Publish

No more retreats to Walden Pond. Writing online is collaborative. The internet allows you to test seeds of ideas and gather feedback during your creative process, rather than after. Instead of waiting for inspiration to strike, you’ll learn to generate and refine ideas in your daily life.

You’ll then practice these techniques with fellow WOP students, through live exercises and article feedback. Explore potential ideas, find your perspective, and converge on an article using the power of the internet.

5. How To Write To Compelling Content That Captures Attention

Tired of reading boring pieces? So is everyone. Attention is scarce, and to make an impact, your writing needs to grab readers and make them pay attention. Enter POP Writing. You’ll learn how to blend personal, observational, and playful elements to give your writing distinct flair. Adding stories, metaphors, and original terms will make your ideas fresh and memorable. This lesson will give you a framework to guide your writing long after the course ends.

6. How To Unlock Continuous Creative Flow

Write first, research second. Just don’t tell your high school English teacher.

Writing online means starting before you feel “ready”. No more endless research before you type a single word. Your information capture system turns your life into a continuous process of ambient research. Your growing wealth of ideas becomes the launching point for new articles. Instead of drowning in information and indecision, the information you consume pulls you forward into new ideas and concepts. No more fits and starts – you’ll unlock continuous creative flow.

7. How To Get Your Writing Shared And Read By Interesting People

Writing online can open new doors, but only if people read your writing. You’ll learn how publishing and distribution can make you a magnet for people, ideas and opportunities. Put your writing to work as a beacon for finding and meeting interesting people.

You’ll create a digital postcard to share creative burnt ends. We’ll discuss the importance of weak ties, and the “third door” approach to unlocking new opportunities. As you continue to share ideas, like-minded people will find your frequency and contact you.

8. Breaking through Your Barriers

You know the feeling: you want to write, you feel guilty for not writing, but you just can’t start. Or maybe you’ve finished a draft, but you lack the courage to share it with the world.

Write of Passage is designed to help you overcome your mental roadblocks and share your best work. We’ll spend a lesson focused on how to overcome writer’s block and imposter syndrome. You’ll learn how to design your environment and lifestyle to encourage creative output. And across the five weeks, you’ll be writing and publishing in parallel with a group of supportive peers.

9. How to Build Your Personal Monopoly

Ideas can travel faster and farther than ever before. But what do you want to launch into orbit? You’ll work on developing your personal monopoly – a narrow area of expertise that emerges from your unique intersection of abilities. David reviews how to define and refine your personal monopoly. You’ll then learn how to use that specific knowledge to build a following and gain leverage, hearing several examples of distinct paths carved by online creators. Building off of principles from the previous lessons, you’ll understand how to capitalize on the massive opportunities of the bi-directional media landscape.