Very few things bring people as much meaning as building. Whether it be a brand, a business, or a portfolio… we humans love building. That’s why we’ve seen the rise and fall of empires, the growth and collapse of multinational corporations, and the advancement of the arts and sciences. In this episode, I’d like to suggest that rather than thinking of building something specific first, start by thinking of the body of work you would like to create. What would you like to leave behind? In this...

In this episode, I share with you three ways to use writing as a means to achieve more happiness and wealth. Writing, in its essence, is a tool for business success and personal development. It's a craft you can use not only to communicate with other people but also to understand yourself. I personally recommend writing every single day—regardless of how much you write. A simple journaling practice can make the world of a difference in your life. Visit www.triviumwriting.com to learn more...

In this episode, I talk about a writing paradox you may have never thought about. Writing is a skill necessary for success, yet its economics are far from great. Why? Because there are more writers than there is demand for writing. Still, writers can make a great living by choosing a profitable industry and by honing their craft. The people who truly make fantastic money from writing, however, are those who have expertise outside writing. After all, writing is an amplifier. It amplifies what...

ChatGPT is a free, new, and revolutionary AI technology that generates “original” text within seconds after being prompted by the user. Since its release in November 2022, people have been contending that ChatGPT is bound to replace writers. But what are the implications of using ChatGPT? Might ChatGPT be a scam? This is the question we answer in this episode, and the answer might surprise you. Visit www.triviumwriting.com to learn more about writing, read our blog, and grab our resources....

I was at a bar on Friday. And as is often the case when meeting new people, I was asked what I do for a living. So I said, as I commonly do (unless I decide to be cheeky), that I write books and help others do the same. So far so good. But my interlocutor was a curious one. So I was pressed to give more details and was asked one very interesting question. "Léandre, can anyone write a book? What is the level of skill needed?" I wanted to share my answer here because someone might need to hear...

In this episode, I interview Maida Celedón M., a life coach based out of Toronto, Canada, who recently published her first personal development book, The Road to F*ck It: An Unapologetic Guide to Standing in Your Power with Trivium Writing's help. During our conversation, we talked about the book writing process, personal development, coaching, and what led Maida to write this unconventional book. The Road to F*ck It takes a bold approach to personal development. Straightforward, narrative,...

Have you ever wanted to become an author? If so, this episode is for you as we interview Dr. David Diehl, a retired educator from Houston, TX, who worked with Trivium Writing on his very first book The Umbrella: Your Personal Guide to Weathering Life Storms. During this interview, we talk about Dr. Diehl's book, which is all about creating better ways of thinking to navigate life situations. We also discuss the process of going from an idea to a published book. To purchase your copy of The...

To be persuasive, you should avoid certain words and phrases. One of them is the phrase "it's interesting to note that..." The reason this phrase hinders your persuasion is that it forces a conclusion onto the reader. Your readers are capable of making their conclusions, and if they come to the same conclusions as you do, they will be persuaded. But if they feel you are pushing your conclusions onto them, they will not hear you out.  Visit www.triviumwriting.com to learn more about writing,...

There is a large difference between speaking and writing as far as persuasion goes. When we speak, we can use tonality and body language to show confidence. But when we write, we have to double down on the power of our words themselves, and we can do so by revising and editing our words. Visit www.triviumwriting.com to learn more about writing, read our blog, and grab our resources. Get your copy of Write a Book That Matters today.

Can any type of content be persuasive? The short answer is "yes," but it depends on the writing goal. In Trivium Writing's Architecture of Writing methodology, there are 4 writing goals: description, narration, narration, and persuasion. These 4 goals contribute to content being persuasive, but in the end, for content to be persuasive, there must be an intention for the content to be persuasive. For example, a biology textbook isn't persuasive; but Darwin's On the Evolution of Species was...

From time to time, you will find yourself faced with an unconvincing sentence. The rest of the text may be persuasive, but one sentence in particular sounds off. To fix an unconvincing sentence, you have to ask yourself the following question: is the problem inside or outside the sentence? In other words, is the problem the words or the content? If the problem is inside the sentence, you must revise the words and choose them more carefully. If the problem is outside the sentence, then you...

How can you tell if a sentence is persuasive? Sure, you can know if a text is persuasive. But how can you tell if one sentence in particular helps the text being persuasive? The answer lies in the certainty of the language. Some words and phrases such as "I think" and "I believe" insert doubt in your writing. Unless you actually doubt what you are writing, in which case you perhaps should not be writing it, do not use doubtful language. The more doubt you insert into your writing, the less...

What's interesting about Hollywood movies is they follow a specific structure. Not only that, we can know the structure and have studied and still feel emotionally compelled by it. Why is that? That's because humans are completely wired for story. We understand the world through storytelling, and we crave stories. So, when writing and communicating, make sure you are telling stories. Visit www.triviumwriting.com to learn more about writing, read our blog, and grab our resources. Get your...

The other day, I was reading the New York Times nonfiction bestseller list and noticed something particular. What was it? It was that the top 5 books on the list all had one thing in common: their title was one word only. Of course, that fact does bear significance: it means these words are very strong and capable of drawing the audience in. In this episode, we look at these book titles and how powerful a single word can be. Visit www.triviumwriting.com to learn more about writing, read our...

It can be hard to stay focused and productive when working on a long piece of writing. One thing I have noticed about myself is that varying where I write helps me a great deal in staying focused. I enjoy being in different environments, in different positions (sitting, standing), and using different devices. I have three different locations where I write in my apartment, and I also frequently go to coffee shops. I also have three devices I use to write: a mac mini, a Macbook, and an iPad....

Not very long ago, I was reminded by a lawyer that the written word is more persuasive than speech. I should know better since I talk about the importance of writing every single day to anyone willing to hear me out. But I may be excused this time as I was under pressure and looking to avoid a legal dispute. What had happened? I was speaking with an attorney hours before a scheduled meeting with the other party. When I told the attorney I thought I should simply speak with the other party...

I was driving down in Toronto when suddenly I was struck with a sense of sadness and nostalgia. What had happened? I was driving by an avenue where an ex-lover was living when we were seven years ago. I associated that specific corner of the city with the heartbreak that occurred because it was around there I last saw that woman. But how could my emotions be triggered? It was because of the words written on the buildings on that corner. ICICI Bank and Intel. These words, with the image of...

The Word Leader Podcast is back from a longer-than-expected break! Today's episode is an interview with author and social engineer Ben Bressington. Benjamin is a speaker and author of multiple books. His latest book People Ignorant: Unlocking Success, Confidence & Influence. Ben has a Law & Criminology degree from Australia. Ben spent 10 years helping Fortune 1000 companies apply gamification principles to their sales and communication process.  Now he spends his time helping people...

It’s hard to believe, but we have passed the 300th episode of The Word Leader Podcast. We are going to take a short pause until the end of the year, and we’ll be back strong in January 2022. Visit www.triviumwriting.com to learn more about writing, read our blog, and grab our resources. Get your copy of Write a Book That Matters today.

Stories sell, but how do you write a story? Not every piece of information in your hand is a story, but it can become one if you make it so. Remember that a story is made of someone doing something. There needs to be a character and an important action. These two elements create a journey, and the journey creates a change. The character’s action is made in order to solve a problem. But the character can’t resolve the problem right away. He or she needs to change and become better to do so. By...

You don’t need to be in love with writing to be a good writer. You simply need to be observant and analytical. You can identify the patterns of good writing. Learn some writing concepts and identify them in texts you love. Start implementing these patterns in your own writing, one at a time. Slowly but surely you’ll be implementing most of the patterns found in good writing. You can guess what good writing is, but that’s going to take you a long time. Looking for patterns is the perfect...

The best and easiest way to improve your writing is to cut words and sentences. The less words you have, the more impact each word has. The same goes for sentences. Shorter and more concise texts require more from readers. The more engaged the reader, the more power your writing has. When you strike someone’s imagination, you leave a mark on their mind. Less is more, always.   Visit www.triviumwriting.com to learn more about writing, read our blog, and grab our resources. Get your copy of...

You can educate people all you want, but nothing comes close to letting them come to their own conclusions. Your job as a writer is to connect facts, ideas, and stories for readers to make their own minds. You can try to force a perspective down their throat, but you likely won’t succeed. Your job is simpler than that. Connect the right information in the right order with the right transitions, and the truth will become obvious. It will shine. It will glow. You’ll be rewarded as a thought...

Some books contain knowledge that will change your life. Knowledge is power, as the saying goes. But power can kill you, too—or at least leave you incapacitated. Knowledge is empowering if one knows how to use it. There are many unfortunate things about the world we live in, and knowing all about it without the ability to change anything is soul-crushing. You need to grow to handle the truth. If you read more than you grow, you may become jaded and miserable.  Visit www.triviumwriting.com...