Beixi Li

As I’ve been experimenting with a new platform, my writing has changed to adapt to this new style. I’ve been able to write in a new medium that requires conciseness and values directness. But just as importantly, I’ve been able to learn from Emily’s style of writing. She has a very unique, dry humor tone, and writes in lists, tweets, and blogs. She is the quintessential millennial typing away at the computer while I may err more towards the millennial still chasing after paper books. But as we’ve worked together and shared our writing, I’ve seen my own writing change. My reflection for Ann Arbor Awesome is, for once, briefer than hers and filled with pictures. Hers, on the other hand, is unusualy longer than mine with more prose than pictures. We’ve managed to absorb a little bit of each others’ writing style and, I think, have come out stronger because of it.

 

The three biggest takeaways I have both from working with Emily and from writing digitally are:

 

 

 

 

 

1. Conciseness is Key: It doesn't matter what you're saying, if you can say it in fewer words and still get a point across, you've hit on something.

 

2. Lists are Your Friends: Writing in a list sets the mindset of prioritizing and really picking out the main, important points. It's the glorified outline and the new world web thrives on it.

 

3. Visuals are Essential: In a world that has shorter attention spans and a digital medium that is hardly just text anymore, the ability to capture audience attention with visuals is crucial. Throwing in a picture personalizes the writing, creates a tangible memory imprint, and gives people a break from the block of text staring back at them.