Grammar correctness has a place, but he feels a lack of elegance and clarity when expressing the thoughts. Some helped sell Franklin stoves. Since then, John has written countless winning controls, has generated well over $30 million in sales, and has successfully launched dozens of products. Get a free report about 15 deadly copy mistakes and how to avoid them when you sign up today.]. The man could write like a dream. Others helped sell the leaders of Europe on supporting young America. Word for word. And whats not? Spend at least 30 minutes a day doing this. Where he made mistakes, hed fix them. But for all his accomplishments, theres one thread thats common to all of them. I took some of the papers, and, making short hints of the sentiment in each sentence, laid them by a few days, and then, without looking at the book, tryd to compleat the papers again, by expressing each hinted sentiment at length, and as fully as it had been ex from your Reading List will also remove any Whats common between one article or chapter and the next? You can do this just by digging into the magazines and books you already like to read. And, except for a sore elbow, itll give you a painless education. In addition to his role in writing the United States Constitution, he was also a bestselling author, with his Poor Richards Almanac selling in the tens of thousands per year.. Our writers are from respected universities. I actually have a program on my Mac that helps me do this a feature in the Mac version of Microsoft Office called Notebook Layout. It looks exactly like a school notebook with tabbed pages. Ben Franklin was an incredible writer. The letters, he told Ben, lacked eloquence.. I type in my notes as they come. Even though he was considered, Is this Essay helpful? And he did both. That is, he not only studied the original and copied it, he actually tried to reproduce its key themes from memory in his own words. Not reading them the way you once did, flipping the pages. They also deem them fit to be imitated, should any of them find themselves in similar circumstances. He found, in his early rewrites of others works, that his thoughts got jumbled and confused. So Ben set out to make a change. Take a few short magazine articles. This interest in psychology diminishes as the older Franklin takes up the tale, but it never entirely disappears. I don't know what more you could ask for! Often and a lot. He memorized phrases. A biographical essay on Benjamin Franklin, illustrating some of his many talents and his political career. When I understand the idea Im writing about, I stop to sketch out the outline. Over 20,000 people attended his funeral ("Benjamin Franklin"). And his fame reached even further. Download thesis statement on Ben Franklin in our database or order an original thesis paper that will be written by one of our staff writers and delivered according to the deadline. Ben Franklin put his writing self-improvement system to good use. Post credit: @entrepreneurs, You don't rise to the occasion you sink to, Surround yourself with people who support and exce. When Im researching, my notes come at random. He made notes on the outline and structure of paragraphs. Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin was a remarkably talented man. What Benjamin Franklin Can Teach You About Writing. To settle this problem, he turns to a magazine, known as The Spectator. At one point, he scolded Ben for what he felt was the low quality of writing in letters written to a friend. Another pleasing stylistic characteristic is Franklin's willingness to speculate about the emotions or attitudes causing men to act as they did. 2020 Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Study them for structure. Youll be shocked at how much better your writing will become. to say that Franklin's prose met his personal criteria. Or send an e-mail to signup@jackforde.com. Youll pick up nuances you didnt notice when you were reading it. #hardwor, who can relate? Some versions of the Autobiography do contain complex, unclear sentences, for example: Having emerged from the poverty and obscurity in which I was born and bred to a state of affluence and some degree of reputation in the world, and having gone so far through life with a considerable share of felicity, the conducing means I made use of, which, with the blessing of God, so well succeeded, my posterity may like to know, as they may find some of them suitable to their own situations, and therefore fit to be imitated. Youll be surprised by what you remember. Eight times, Ben Franklin crossed the Atlantic. John Forde's 15-year career as a top copywriter started as an understudy of Bill Bonner and Michael Masterson. And just as Franklin seemed to many of his contemporaries a kind of ideal man-of-the-world, so Franklin's style also fulfills the literary ideals upheld by the eighteenth century: whether long or short, the sentences are compact, the grammatical structures carefully and tightly controlled to make meaning instantly evident, the vocabulary forceful and direct. He also invented swim fins, the odometer, and bifocals. Benjamin Franklin's Life and Decisions . Copyright 2020 Paper-Research.com All Rights Reserved. John has taught copywriting in private seminars and conferences in Paris, London, Bonn, Chicago, Buenos Aires, Baltimore, and Warsaw. Some helped sell Franklin stoves. He was born and grew up in Boston. Others helped sell the leaders of Europe on supporting young America. (He never realized it would catch on.). Either write something worth reading or do things worth the writing, he once said. He's also worked three years as a financial journalist and has written books on wealth building and health, as well as more than 250 articles on copywriting for his popular ezine, The Copywriter's Roundtable. In his lifetime, he wrote thousands of articles, letters, and persuasive pitches for his ideas. And to get Johns wisdom and insights into copywriting (and much more), sign up for his free e-letter, Copywriters Roundtable, at copywritersroundtable.com. His summary of Governor Keith "He wish'd to please every body; and having little to give, he gave Expectations" is not only a beautifully turned English sentence but also an insightful analysis, without the rancor Keith might have inspired in lesser men. And its one of the main reasons we remember so much of what he did today. It could be yours too. By continuing you are agreeing to our cookie policy. But, though Franklin's facts are inexact as often as not, we tend to trust his accounts because of another important stylistic characteristic: his objective tone. Having an outline in advance lets you focus on gathering up ideas and details freely, because you know you have a tool to help you sort them out and put everything into place. Its simple. Then he reassembled them in an order closer to the original outline. While the word is so vague that it covers almost any writing that pleases the reader, most critics end by saying that Franklin's style had grace. Like us on Facebook in October and win FREE subscription to THOUSANDS high-quality essays and term papers, In my opinion Ben Franklin was the most influential of the founding fathers. This was one of Bens favorite tricks. See, before Ben became one of Americas best-known and most influential writers, he wasnt much of a writer at all. Of course, Ben took this exercise even further: I took some of the papers, and, making short hints of the sentiment in each sentence, laid them by a few days, and then, without looking at the book, tryd to compleat the papers again.. Im predicting its the one youll talk about one day when youre teaching someone else how to write. Franklin's Humor. Its amazing how facts and details come together when you have a structure to hang them on. He was and still is one of the greatest people to ever live. bookmarked pages associated with this title. This sentence was actually revised in the copy of the manuscript that Benjamin Bache made, or at least in the version Temple Franklin printed, to fit the style in which Franklin usually wrote: From the poverty and obscurity in which I was born, and in which I passed my earliest years, I have raised myself to a state of affluence and some degree of celebrity in the world. As constant good fortune has accompanied me even to an advanced period of life, my posterity will perhaps be desirous of learning the means that I employed, and which, thanks to Providence, so well succeeded with me. But really reading. Even the most caviling critics have been forced to the grudging admission that Franklin's prose usually stands up remarkably well when compared to that of his peers, and exceptions noted that it is remarkably smooth, dear, and short. It is an amusing commentary on the lesser talents of his critics that they have needed so many words "simple," "clear," "terse," "limpid," "economical," "plain," etc. Even in the last section, Franklin explains his own motives for insisting on dealing with the Proprietors personally, instead of with their cantankerous attorney, Ferdinando Paris. His writing is what helped pass on his legacy as a founding father. Franklin's personal history is like Shakespeare's histories of England true in some aesthetic sense more often than factually accurate. Bedridden at the ripe age of 84, Ben Franklin passed away. All rights reserved. Franklin believed that good writing was smooth, clear, and short. | 1624 Market St #202-92422 Denver, CO 80202 Study them until youve soaked up the core ideas. Ben Franklin put his writing self-improvement system to good use. France, Spain, England, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany he hit them all. The more I research, the more the framework takes shape. In his lifetime, he wrote thousands of articles, letters, and persuasive pitches for his ideas. Mastering the printed word was the key to his success. And it was Ben who came up with Daylight Savings Time, as a joke for a Paris newspaper. I can't think of any person who is more quoted than he is, and he lived 200 years ago! The only warranted conclusion about his style one can draw from such sentences, however, is that Franklin, like all other writers, lapsed into awkward constructions occasionally as he wrote his first draft. So he took his paragraphs and copied them on separate pieces of paper. He started his career as a simple printer apprentice, but went far beyond the printers shop. Again, you can do the same thing. Mastering the printed word was the key to his success. In my mind, there is no other person is history as versatile as he was. Benjamin Franklin, "Learning to Write" To print or download this file, click the link below: Franklin-Learning to Write.pdf PDF document, 142 KB (146286 bytes) It is an amusing commentary on the lesser talents of his critics that they have needed so many words "simple," "clear," "terse," "limpid," "economical," "plain," etc. Its what made him one of the most persuasive diplomats in U.S. history. When Im done, I drag and drop the tabs to reorganize the pieces according to my outline. Although this is not exactly like the copywork method used by Charlotte Mason for younger children, it is a related method of learning from the masters. Before Ben wrote, he read. By hand. Which is why Im evoking the spirit of Ben Franklin in todays article, so he can teach us what he learned. His apparent willingness to acknowledge his own imperfections, and his understated accounts of his own triumphs, make him appear a man who keeps as sharp an eye on himself as he does on others. 2001-2020 Early to Rise Publishing, LLC. Finally, the style of the Autobiography delights as a reflection of the man himself. He noted the general themes in the piece. He did a lot more than just help found our nation though. How do they start? CliffsNotes study guides are written by real teachers and professors, so no matter what you're studying, CliffsNotes can ease your homework headaches and help you score high on exams. Are you sure you want to remove #bookConfirmation# That taught him the style used by the authors he admired. Literally. If you dont have a program to help you do this, try using a handwritten outline and index cards. It could be yours too. Join now to read this particular paper. Who else is ready for the weekend? and any corresponding bookmarks? Well put. Removing #book# The simplicity of the style is so dominant a characteristic, in fact, that the major efforts of some critics are spent pointing out exceptions to the rule. His ideas were talked about in Sweden, Russia, China, and North Africa, all during his lifetime. [Ed. It was Ben who discovered the Gulf Stream. You can take an outline from an article you like and use that to build a new article, even one about a completely unrelated idea. Why not? This site uses cookies to provide social media features and analyze our traffic. In The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Franklin relates how, after his father pointed out his lack of elegance of expression, he taught himself to write more elegantly and expressively. And this happened more and more often as he wrote. Franklin believed that good writing was smooth, clear, and short. Or at least thats what his father thought. Then, on a blank sheet of paper, try to write out the same ideas from memory, but in your own words. But because nobody can prove absolutely that the improvement was devised by Franklin instead of a grandson, the more difficult version is usually printed. The real power of a good solid piece of writing is the part you DONT see the underlying outline. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Sitemap Hed pick out a piece of writing he admired and actually wanted to imitate, and study it, front to back. Benjamin Franklin, born January 17, 1706, was the 10th son of 17 children. Throughout his life he was a diplomat, scientist, "rebel," business man, an author, and a founder of our country. Youll be even more surprised by the new ideas that pop into your head as you write. But sometimes he found that just by rethinking the original ideas, he found ways to improve upon them. I can't think of any person who is more quoted than he is, and he lived 200 years ago! He was also a scientist, diplomat, businessman, and philosopher. Next Just take one of those pieces of writing you admire and copy it. Benjamin Franklin wrote about how he taught himself to write more elegantly and expressively in his autobiography, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. At age 16, Benjamin realizes that his writing is necessary to be improved. He currently lives and works from Paris, France. He invented a precise system for teaching himself to write better, which you can find outlined in his famous autobiography. Writing and changing minds being so important to his success in life, its worth asking how he managed to develop the skill of persuasive writing. to say that Franklin's prose met his personal criteria. The apparent objectivity with which he recalls but never dwells unduly upon a personal insult, or an attempted bribe, or a compliment, or an honor this carefully cultivated illusion of fairness explains a great deal of the trust and consequent admiration the Autobiography inspires. Of paragraphs writing, he once said the main reasons we remember so much what. Know what more you could ask for the thoughts quoted than he, Sweden, Russia, China, and study it, front to back elbow, it pick. Copy mistakes and how to avoid them when you were reading it did, flipping the pages would catch. In my mind, there is no other person is history as versatile as he considered. 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