If you think writing is a competition to see who can use the biggest words or post the most often, I have some news for you. You’re playing the wrong game.

In a world obsessed with metrics, it’s easy to treat your keyboard like a scoreboard. But great writing isn’t about beating someone else. It’s about reaching them.

The Myth of the Writing Scorecard

William Zinsser, in On Writing Well, makes a point that every writer should tattoo on their brain: Writing is not a contest. You aren’t competing with the person next to you or the influencer on your feed. Your only “contest” is with yourself—to be clearer today than you were yesterday. Zinsser reminds us that when we try to sound “important,” we clutter our work with jargon.

The goal isn’t to look smart. It’s to be understood.

Content is King, but Context is Everything

Back in 1996, Bill Gates famously claimed that “Content is King.” He predicted that the internet would become a marketplace of ideas where anyone could publish. He was right.

But today, everyone is publishing. The marketplace is noisy.

This is where Gary Vaynerchuk’s golden rule comes in: “Content is king, but context is God.” If you write a brilliant 2,000-word essay but ignore where your reader is—or what they care about—it will fall flat.

Writing isn’t about shouting into the void; it’s about respecting the platform and the person on the other side of the screen.

Quality Over Volume

According to HubSpot, long-form content is great for deep dives and SEO, but it only works if it provides massive value. Don’t write 1,500 words just to hit a word count.

• Be clear: Strip away the “clutter” (Zinsser’s favorite word).
• Be human: Write for yourself first. If you’re bored, your reader is definitely bored.
• Be useful: Give them “one provocative thought” to take away.

The Finish Line

Your writing doesn’t need to be the “final word” on a subject. It just needs to be your word.

Stop looking at the competition. Focus on the transaction between you and the reader. When you stop trying to win, you finally start to connect.

This blog was produced entirely by Google Gemini. It is an experiment to see how AI can function when given a specific prompt. See the gallery of images below showing the creation process.

Read the human generated post “Writing Without a Scorecard“.

References:

Carmicheal, K. (2020, June 9). The Ins and Outs of Writing Long-Form Content. Blog.hubspot.com. 

Evans, H. (2017, October 28). “Content is King” — Essay by Bill Gates 1996. Medium. 

Vaynerchuk, G. (2016, March 1). Content is King, But Context is God. Gary Vaynerchuk.

Zinsser, W. (2016). On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction. Harperperennial.

Google Gemini