“Start right before you get eaten by the bear” from Wes Kao

Study Hall 06

I hope you’re having a good Sunday. “Start right before you get eaten by the bear” from

Wes Kao

is one of my favorite newsletter headlines and topics. It’s the focus of Sunday Night Study Hall this week.

🪄3 Learnings

• “Aim for the minimum viable backstory” – Get to the point. Remove unnecessary details.

• “Good context vs useless context” – Put the ask at the top. Focus on only what matters. Link to the rest, if necessary (for writing).

• “Cut backstory”: Skip the long bios and life stories. Begin with the point you want to make.

📅 3 Actions To Take This Week

• 1️⃣ Write, Then Delete: Remove extra words

• 2️⃣ Ensure the Ask Up is Up Front

• 3️⃣ Draft Bulleted Talking Points to Practice Saying What Matters Most

📚Follow-Up Resources:

• 📰 Wes Kao’s Newsletter: A treasure-chest for Operators’ best practices

• 📕 ”Several Short Sentences About Writing” by Verlyn Klinkenborg

• ✏️ “On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction” by William Zinsser

For Study Hall inspiration, here’s a photo of Lower Library, Worcester College, Oxford University, UK.