Mark Forsyth: 13 Techniques to Improve Your Writing | How I Write
How I Write
Aug 05
Mark Forsyth: 13 Techniques to Improve Your Writing | How I Write
Mark Forsyth: 13 Techniques to Improve Your Writing | How I Write

How I Write
Aug 05
Shownote
Shownote
Learn more about Alpha School at https://go.alpha.school/howiwrite Mark Forsyth
has spent years studying how great writers piece words together. People like
Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde, but also musicians like the Beatles and Taylor
Swift. For him, it all comes down to figures of rhetoric: timeless tools you can
use to make your writing more memorable and enjoyable.
I asked Mark to break them down for me one by one: What is the tool? How does it
work? When do you use it? Why is it good to apply? You'll find that these tools
will make you a better writer.
You'll have a lot more fun when you write because you'll be so much more playful
when crafting words. About the host Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer,
teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest
opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody
can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many
people publish their writing online as possible. Follow me Apple:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470 YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv X:
https://x.com/david_perell
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Highlights
Highlights
This episode explores why certain lines stay with us long after we hear or read them, examining the patterns, sounds, and surprises that give language lasting power.
Chapters
Chapters
How Polyptoton Turns Repeated Words into Memorable Phrases
00:00The Patterns of Repetition That Give Language Rhythm and Force
11:19Why Writing Needs Beauty, Imagination, and Just Enough Rhetorical Spice
20:38How Anaphora, Puns, and Paradoxes Make Familiar Ideas Stand Out
36:26Why Performance and Context Matter More Than Pure Literary Analysis
51:58Finding the Music in Poetry, Shakespeare, and Storytelling
1:03:42Transcript
Transcript
David Perell: Mark Forsyth has spent years studying how great writers piece words together. People like Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde, but also musicians like the Beatles and Taylor Swift. And for him, it all comes down to these figures of rhetoric, these ti...