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Assignments for Monday, March 1

Article #1: Your Frequently Asked Question

Prompt: “What is the definitive answer to the question that people ask you most often?”

Answer your frequently asked question and post your Google doc as a reply to this thread.

Some guidelines:
• Pick something you can answer without new research

• Draw on past emails, social media posts, journal entries, brainstorms, or previous writing

• If you’re stuck, ask friends, family, or colleagues for suggestions of questions you’re uniquely qualified
to answer

• Ballpark range = 750-1500 words

Please submit your assignment on Circle before Monday's class.

Remember to share your article draft as a Google doc, and leave feedback on your classmates’ writing by adding
comments to their Google docs.

Your 12 Favorite Problems

What are your current 12 favorite problems? What are the questions that inspire you and captivate you?
These are hard problems and they don’t have simple answers. They are the questions that will drive your
learning. Since much of your writing will go through these filters, these 12 questions will orient the
development of your website.
Example questions include:
1. How do we help individuals put out of work by automation?
2. How can I develop a personal fitness program that’s enjoyable, efficient and effective?
3. How can we reduce pollution while improving quality of life?
4. How do we foster acceptance of vulnerability in our society?

Write of Passage David Perell

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How can I increase my writing output without taking time away from my family?
6. How do I reduce society’s affection for short-term gratification and mediocre content?
7. How can I access the wisdom that is present in my emotions?
8. What forms of marketing are ethical, profitable for the marketer, and useful for the audience?

Please submit your assignment on Circle before Monday’s class.

Module Videos

Bonus Module: WOP Feedback Guide

Please also finish setting up your website, Start Here page, and Info Capture system by Monday. Also,
complete the Initiation Survey if you haven’t yet.

Assignments for Wednesday, March 3

Publish your FAQ article on your website

All published articles will be submitted on the course forum (Circle), as a comment in the Published Articles
space. Add your published link as a comment beneath the FAQ assignment post. Only share the URL to your
published article; do not share as a Google doc.

Module Videos

Watch the Info Capture: Strategic module

Watch the Personal Monopoly module

Assignments for Monday, March 8

Article #2: Your Unique Perspective

Prompt: What’s something you know about the world that other people don’t realize?

Think about a view you hold that most don’t see. What do others miss? This question will force you to break
from conventional wisdom and share your unique perspective. Explain your viewpoint in a 500 - 1,000 word

Write of Passage David Perell

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piece (ballpark range). If you aren’t sure where to start, try having conversations with friends and family to spark
ideas for topics.

Refine your Start Here page

Refine your Start Here page based on the feedback your received on the live session, and the suggestions David
shared during live session 4. Finalize your page and make sure it’s published on your website.

Assignments for Wednesday, March 10

Publish Article #2 Your Unique Perspective & share on Circle

Post a link to the published article as a comment in the Published Articles section of Circle. Use compression
tactics and the feedback you receive this week to improve your article before you hit send.

Module Videos

Watch the Content Triangle module

Watch the FAST Writing module

Assignments for Monday, March 15

The Curation Assignment (Article #3)

What idea or individual deserves more attention? It’s time to summarize, analyze and share your favorite idea,
or the ideas of your favorite thinker. You will choose one of two versions of the Curation Assignment:

1. Idea Strategy
2. Thought Leader Strategy

The Idea Strategy – summarize an idea that you care about. What ignites your soul? What framework or
concept is foundational to your profession? Once you’ve got your idea, gather links to a handful of sources about
your idea (anywhere from 3 to 10). These links can be articles, podcast interviews, YouTube clips, books, or
blogs. Organize your links in a logical order.

The Thought Leader Strategy – summarize the work of a particular thinker you admire. Whose ideas are you
frequently reading about, listening to, or mentioning in conversation? What figure should more people know

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about? Choose your thought leader. Then, gather links to their work (anywhere from 3 to 10). These links can be
articles, podcast interviews, YouTube clips, books, or blogs. Organize your links in a logical order.

Once you’ve gathered your resources, write a piece that summarizes each link you’ve chosen. You are distilling
your big idea or favorite thinker’s work for an unfamiliar audience. The structure of the piece is your decision –
you can write a formal list (see Taylor’s example below), or work your links more naturally into the body of a
regular article. You can even choose a mix of both (see Packy’s piece below). Regardless of style, your goal is to
summarize and convey information. The strongest pieces will include your own interpretation or “twist” on the
topic at hand.

Examples:

The Idea Strategy

• How to Succeed in Internet Business by Taylor Pearson

• How Can Data Science be Used for Social Good? by Ellen Koenig, Cohort 1
• The 13 Immutable Reads for Choosing What to Work On by Vasili Shynkarenka, Cohort 2
The Thought Leader Strategy

• The Domestic Trauma and Horror of Ari Aster by Jackie Williams, Cohort 4
• The Best of Ben Thompson by Packy McCormick, Cohort 1
• On Morgan Housel by Joe Wells, Cohort 3
• The Best of Nick Maggiulli by Lev Naginsky, Cohort 4

Submit your draft on Circle as a Google doc. Make sure to switch the link to “Others Can Comment.”

Assignments for Wednesday, March 17

Publish Article #3, the Curation Assignment & share on Circle

Post a link to the published article as a comment in the Published Articles section of Circle. Use compression
tactics and the feedback you receive this week to improve your article before you hit send.

Write of Passage David Perell

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Assignments for Monday, March 22

How is the world changing? (Article #4)

Write about one way the world is changing. As you write, consider topics you've discussed in recent
conversations. Describe your idea in 500-1,000 words (ballpark), and share your draft as a post on Circle. Make
sure to leave feedback on other articles. Remember, you can interpret this prompt as "How is THE
world changing" or "How is MY world changing”.

Submit your draft on Circle as a Google doc. Make sure to switch the link to “Others Can Comment.”

Assignments for Wednesday, March 24

1) Finish your Writing One Sheet

The fastest way to become an above-average writer is to stop making the same mistakes. Your one-sheet is a
piece of paper that you keep next to you when you write. Use this one-sheet to guide your writing process. It’s
not set in stone. Think of it like an evolving document. You should constantly revise it as you improve your
writing.
Complete your Writing One Sheet. You can print it out and keep it in your writing environment as a reminder. Or,
you can write it by hand.
Writing One Sheet template: DOC | PDF
Past One Sheet examples
Elements:
• Five personal writing tips

• Five personal style tips

• Publishing cadence for articles and emails

• Your writing habit (how often do you write, when do you write, etc.)

• Who do you write for? What do these people have in common?

• What do you want your environment to feel like?

• What state of mind do you need to be in to write well?

• Where do you usually procrastinate and how can you prevent procrastination in the future?

• How will you reward yourself for writing?

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2) Publish Article #4, the Changing World piece, & share on Circle

Post a link to the published article as a comment in the Published Articles section of Circle. Use compression
tactics and the feedback you receive this week to improve your article before you hit send.

3) Module Videos

Watch the Distribution module

Watch the Ladder of Expertise module

Assignments for Monday, March 29

1) Watch the Digital Postcard setup guides (found at the top of the course curriculum):

• Choosing your Digital Postcard platform

• ConvertKit setup guide

• Substack setup guide

2) Set up & send your digital postcard

Add 20 people you know to your digital postcard list. Call them, text them, or email them individually, asking if
you can send them an email occasionally. Please share your Digital Postcard text and sign-up link on Circle.

Below are a few ways of making this request:

For friends and family:

“Hey friends and family! I’m taking a writing course called Write of Passage and my assignment this week is to start a
weekly email [NOTE - or biweekly / monthly] to share what I’m up to. Would you be interested in receiving personal
update emails from me with things I’m writing about, ideas I’m exploring, or places I’m traveling?”

For colleagues:
“Hey team, I’ve started a website and will be writing more consistently. I’ll be sharing those ideas via email with people
like you who matter to me. Mind if I add you to the list?”

For your professional network:

“Hello [name], how are you? I’m starting a blog and recurring email to share my writing on [your industry or area of
expertise]. I’ll send out occasional emails with what I’m working on, what I’m interested in, and any significant
milestones. I’d love to keep you in the loop with an occasional email, no strings attached. Can I add you to the list?”

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For your website:
“Subscribe to my weekly email to receive my best writing on [3 topics].”

Either add them manually, or send them a sign up link to add themselves. Then, send out your first digital
postcard. Remember, most of your time each week should be focused on your writing. Digital postcards are
meant to be a lightweight check-in. Try to spend one hour or less writing and sending your digital postcard.

Menu of Burnt End Assets (potential items to include – less is more!)

• Your latest writing

• Summarize your article
• What’s top of mind?
• Curate your best tweets
• Expand on a simple idea
• Coolest thing you learned
• Article excerpt
• Summarize a paper
• Best thing you read
• Graph of the week
• Recap a conversation
• Summarize a podcast
• Recommend an article

3) Coin a Phrase (Article #5)

It’s time to coin a phrase. In fewer than 500 words, write a short piece on any topic you’d like. Try to incorporate
a story or metaphor. But most importantly, coin a phrase based on the topic you choose. You can refer back to
Live Session 11 for more background on coining phrases.

Submit your draft on Circle as a Google doc. Make sure to switch the link to “Others Can Comment.”

4) Module Videos

Watch the Cold Email module

Watch the Digital Postcard module (optional)

Watch the Personal Monopoly Advanced module

Write of Passage David Perell

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Assignments for Wednesday, March 31

1) Publish your Article #5, the Coin a Phrase piece, & share your published link on Circle

2) Complete the Write of Passage Snapshot & Survey (link to follow via email)

3) Submit any previous assignments that you missed

Write of Passage David Perell