POP Writing, Writing Exercise From a Legend, Mastering Pauses & More

Ahoj Doctors & Writers.

Welcome to the 10th edition of the newsletter.

Here are 5 ideas to help you become a better writer this week.

Today at a Glance

Question: Are You Building or Sculpting?

Quote: On Mastering Pauses

Framework: POP Writing 

Idea: All or Nothing Is a Myth

Video: Writing Exercise From a Legend

Question: Are you building or sculpting?

This week, we want you to rethink how you view your writing process with this simple question:

Are you building or sculpting?

One adds substance to your words while the other strips away the excess; two separate activities, just like writing and editing.

Remember that every sentence should have a purpose. However, when it's time to put words on a page, it's easy to forget which sentences serve which purpose.

So, to make your sentences sharper, separate the processes with the question above.

Write. Step-back. Re-read. Reduce. 

Quote: On Mastering Pauses

The lesson: Writing, like music, needs space to breathe. A well-timed pause, such as a short sentence, a one-line paragraph, or some white space, lets your readers absorb your message. Too much information overwhelms, but strategic pauses create flow, anticipation, and impact.

Framework: POP Writing

Take a second to think about the writing that’s deeply resonated with you, challenged your thoughts, or shifted your perspective.

Maybe you’ve come up with a handful of books or articles. 

Now think about it once more. 

You’ve come across thousands of pieces of writing in your life, so what makes the ones you’ve thought of stand out so clearly above the rest?

You see, memorable writing is difficult to create. 

It utilizes a perfect balance of entertaining, educating, and inspiring the reader. So today, we’re going to show you a simple 3-part framework from David Perell to make your words stick: POP writing.

1. Personal

This element is all about writing from the heart and relating with your readers. You can use stories, life experiences, and anything you’re uniquely positioned to say. For example:

• I felt…

• I heard…

• I saw….

2. Observational

Teaching what you know is a key part of your writing, which brings us to our second step. Here, you add insights, unique takeaways, and facts that make your reader say: “Wow I never knew that, and now I will never forget it”. For example:

• [x] percent of doctors face [y] problem

• I’ve noticed [x] pattern in [y] audience

• The secret no one told you about [x] is [y]

3. Playful

The last step is to focus on the readers' experience — which ultimately decides the perception of your work. This is where you infuse analogies, jokes, storytelling, imagery, puns, wordplay, or dialogue. For example:

• I was on a walk and [x] happened

• Person [x] stopped, screamed, and said [y]

• Waiting in line for my appointment felt like [x]

Keep in mind that not every piece you write will have the same balance of POP; a cover letter won’t have much room for playfulness, and a wedding invite won’t include any real observations.

So, work on a balance based on what you’re writing, who you’re writing to, and what you’d like them to know.

Idea: All or Nothing Is a Myth

Many doctors we’ve spoken to have maintained a false belief that they don’t have what it takes to write. Be it a lack of time, or skill-set, they think writing in itself requires an alternate lifestyle that just isn’t compatible with them.

But that’s a myth. 

While you work on your real-world responsibilities, you can use writing as a tool to take yourself to the next step. 

You don’t need to choose one or the other.

You can do both, and you can do them well.

In some cases, an all-or-nothing mentality works well, but in this one, it just restricts you from what you can and want to do.

If you’ve found yourself in a similar situation before, think less and act more:

Learn from your favorite writers. Take notes. Simplify what you’ve learned, shape it with your personal experiences in a few hundred words, and once you’re ready, hit publish.

Video: Writing Exercise From a Legend

Ernest Hemingway is an icon in the world of writing. This week’s video discusses his favorite writing exercise and how you can put it into practice.

A quick tip: Watch this video, revisit the POP framework above, summarize what you’ve learned, and give it a shot the next time you write.

Alright, that’s all for this week.

We hope you found this edition helpful.

As always, feel free to hit reply with any thoughts, feedback, or questions—we’re here to help.

Happy writing!

– Adi and Pranav