Hemingway Writing Rules for Artificial Intelligence

Hemingway Writing Rules for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Make Sense

Have you ever wished that all the content you’re creating as a niche leader would have a bigger impact than just some search engine optimization (SEO) benefits and conversions? This can easily be achieved when you use what’s known as Hemingway writing rules for artificial intelligence. I’ll share everything I know and use for this with you here.

If you’re passionate about your niche – about the audience you’re guiding – then you want your words to have meaning for the reader. You want them to take it to heart – to enjoy the content you publish, and share it because it’s so insightful.

But for many marketers (especially those who don’t consider themselves good writers), this seems like a goal they’ll never achieve. Instead, they use artificial intelligence (AI) with very little oversight, which often goes against the grain of what the best writers in history recommended.

Ernest Hemingway was a legendary author (not just a novel writer, but a journalist, too) whose writing is known for its simplicity, yet strong impact on readers. He wasn’t secretive about how he did it, and in fact shared the rules he had for writing with others.

These are rules you can now train your own AI tool to abide by, setting you up for the kind of success with your content that other top thought leaders enjoy. There are four basic rules, and below, I’m going to teach you what they are and then how to train your AI to work within those parameters.

Rule #1 – Write Short Sentences when using Hemingway Writing Rules for Artificial Intelligence

One of the biggest complaints you will see in online marketing is that niche leaders will often pack their content full of fluff and filler just to achieve a certain word count. They feel as if a 100-page eBook will be seen as more valuable than a 20-page one will.

So every sentence drones on and on. They choose long metaphors and find 5 words to say what 2 words could do instead. This not only annoys readers because the value they assumed the content would have is lacking – but it combats the learning process.

When you’re trying to absorb information, you don’t want an extra 30 pages of nothing working against you. You want as little content as possible that gets to the point and makes sure you grasp the concept.

Let’s say you’re in the fitness niche. You ask AI to write for you and this is what it delivers as a single sentence:

While incorporating strength training exercises into your fitness routine is undeniably beneficial for building muscle mass and increasing overall bone density, it’s crucial to ensure proper form and technique throughout your workouts to prevent potential injuries and maximize the effectiveness of each exercise.

When you train it to write in a way that’s inspired by Hemingway rules, it delivers something with more clarity – easier to absorb:

Strength training builds muscle and bone density. But proper form is key to avoid injury and get the most from each exercise.

Which one would you prefer to read if you were trying to learn more about strength training? In this day and age, nobody has time to read all of those extra words filling the page.

With online content, you want to write more like you speak, and that means using fewer words and getting to the point. You’re also able to put a stronger emphasis on things that matter when you eliminate words that are not necessary.

It is said that every word is a soldier, and should have a purpose in your sentence. That purpose should never be to achieve a word count. If left unchecked, AI will typically deliver sentences that are long winded.

While the competition is continually throwing confusing sentences at readers, they will be naturally drawn to your content that is based on clarity and valuable information, and your search engine optimization (SEO) results will be excellent as well.

Rule #2 – Use Short Paragraphs

The second Hemingway writing rule goes hand in hand with rule number one. You want to use short paragraphs as you see in this very report. If you look at some content that niche marketers publish, you will see enormous blocks of text, which tend to make the readers’ eyes glaze over.

Even when they first land on a blog post or receive an email in their inbox and see a huge paragraph with 10 to 20 sentences, they instantly feel a burden and want to click away.

Your readers are struggling with focusing on your content already. They are continually being distracted in their home or office, as well as by other content online, and you have a goal of maintaining their attention.

If the content doesn’t flow in a way that is easy on them visually, they are not going to want to immerse themselves in it, even if the content itself is valuable. This is more about structure and format that it is the worth of your words.

Sometimes, when you are using AI tools, you will get output that is far too long for you to publish as is. In this case, you can train your AI tool to structure the text so that each paragraph represents its own thought, and is succinct enough to keep readers moving forward. Your content marketing strategies are crucial to your overall success as an online entrepreneur.

Part of this rule is going to be solved when you apply rule #1, because you will no longer have the additional verbiage that makes your writing clunky and boring. But even if your sentences are already short, you still don’t want to have long winded paragraphs that provide a visual barrier to your audience.

This is why those who teach search engine optimization (SEO) often advise you to have plenty of white space on your pages. The consumer will be experiencing eye strain, and your content has to be inviting and engaging.

Rule #3 – Share Strong Language

The third Hemingway writing rule has to do with what he called vigorous English, also known as strong language. This is not strong language as in curse words, but strong verbs and nouns, along with an active voice.

He always tried to avoid any weak verbiage or phrases and instead chose the strongest option to represent his thought process. If you spend a few minutes visiting various niche blogs that are optimized for income and value to readers, you’ll see that the author often tries to use complex vocabulary and flowery wording.

AI is guilty of doing the same. You have to rein it in so that it is not wrongly trying to impress your readers with words that actually weaken your message. When you think about strong verbs, you’ll often see this on the top sales letters being used by niche marketers.

For example, they would never say their client did their exercises. Instead, they would say their client crushed their workout. They wouldn’t say that strength training is important, but instead that it boosts their metabolism.

The words that are chosen paint more of a picture about what is happening. You could have someone standing there doing exercises in a very weak manner and it wouldn’t be impressive.

But if they are crushing their workout, the image in the reader’s mind goes to a different place where they envision a top performing athlete. This is something that they can then imagine in their own life.

When it comes to the nouns that you are using, Hemingway would advise you to be more vigorous in your language so that you are not being too generic and vague. Using our fitness example, if you just use the word exercise, it doesn’t immediately resonate with your readers.

But if you paint a picture by saying they will take a morning jog to get the heart pumping and muscles fired up, suddenly they are able to understand more clearly how this is going to affect their world.

You want to be as specific as possible in choosing your nouns. Don’t just say strength training – tell them exactly which weight lifting or body weight exercises they are going to use to sculpt powerful muscles.

Many niche marketers don’t even pay attention to what voice they are using. Unfortunately, they often use a passive voice. You want to use an active voice instead. This gives more power to the subject and has a stronger impact.

For example, instead of saying, “Stretching exercises should be performed regularly to improve flexibility” you would say, “Regularly performing stretching exercises will improve your flexibility”

It’s a way of bringing your reader into the scene in a better way so they feel as if they are part of the action. When you are using active verbiage, it helps the reader feel more motivated.

This is a subtle change in writing style that can have a big impact on the success of your content. When you train AI to write in an active voice with strong verbs and nouns, your writing will be more appealing to readers.

Rule #4 – Turn Negatives Into Positives

The fourth rule that Hemingway had is to write in a positive manner, always ensuring that any negatives are written in a positive approach. This has nothing to do with a kumbaya mindset.

Instead, it empowers your language skills to evoke a better emotional response from readers. This is something you have to train AI to do, or if you are using it for editing purposes, to identify and rephrase for you.

When content is created in a negative approach, it’s like a minefield for readers because every time they encounter one of these words, it makes them feel less motivated, less hopeful, etc.

You want them to feel empowered and excited about the possibilities for whatever it is you are teaching in your niche. Positive language is going to help them see what can be achieved, while negative wording can be discouraging.

While consumers in general are attracted to negative clickbait for news, when they are seeking solutions for themselves, they actually turn away from negativity and try to find more encouraging content.

Let’s go back to our fitness example. You might be tempted to use a sentence like this: “If you don’t start strength training, you’ll end up gaining weight as your metabolism slows and your energy levels will crash.”

While you are trying to warn the consumer, what this does emotionally is make them feel discouraged about a possible future they don’t want. That doesn’t always translate into sales and action taking.

A better way to frame this concept in a positive light would be to say: “Regular strength training exercises boost your energy levels and help you feel stronger so that you can achieve anything throughout your day.”

This still shows them that they need to be strength training, but one approach is doom and gloom, while the other emphasizes a fantastic outcome that makes them motivated to take action.

Train AI to Write in a Hemingway Style

Most AI tools are going to be familiar with Hemingway’s writing rules if you simply tell it to write in that style. If yours is not, you can always prompt it with these four rules and instruct it to maintain that style throughout.

You may even want to create a custom GPT if you have access to the paid version of ChatGPT or OpenAI so that you can train a GPT specifically to think and write in the style of Hemingway.

Here are some examples of how to get AI to adhere to each rule, using the same fitness niche as before – and you’ll notice as each prompt is shown, it adds another layer of the next rule so that by the end you have a well-rounded prompt that covers all 4 writing rules:

Prompt Example #1: Short Sentences

Write a blog post about the benefits of strength training routines, with a focus on the positive impact on their daily life. Ensure all sentences are short, using simple and direct language.

Prompt Example #2: Short Paragraphs

Write a blog post about the benefits of strength training routines, with a focus on the positive impact on their daily life. Ensure all sentences are short, using simple and direct language. Structure the piece with short paragraphs, each containing no more than 3 sentences.

Prompt Example #3: Use Strong Language

Write a blog post about the benefits of strength training routines, with a focus on the positive impact on their daily life. Ensure all sentences are short, using simple and direct language. Structure the piece with short paragraphs, each containing no more than 3 sentences. Use strong, impactful verbs and concrete nouns to bring the benefits to life vividly. Maintain an active voice throughout to make the narrative more dynamic and persuasive.

Prompt Example #4: Turn Negatives into Positives When Using Hemingway Writing Rules for Artificial Intelligence Content

Write a blog post about the benefits of strength training routines, with a focus on the positive impact on their daily life. Ensure all sentences are short, using simple and direct language. Structure the piece with short paragraphs, each containing no more than 3 sentences. Use strong, impactful verbs and concrete nouns to bring the benefits to life vividly. Maintain an active voice throughout to make the narrative more dynamic and persuasive. Focus on positive language by highlighting the benefits and improvements associated with the topic. Avoid negative constructions and instead frame challenges as opportunities. Use affirmative and encouraging words to foster a constructive and optimistic view.

One way you can train your AI tool is to share samples of Hemingway’s writing, which in the case of online entrepreneurs would probably be some of his journal pieces rather than his fiction novels or short stories.

Hemingway started out on his high school newspaper (even becoming editor) and moved on to working for the Kansas City Star after graduation. This is where he learned most of his own writing rules, about using short sentences and paragraphs, not using superfluous words, and so on. In many cases, he didn’t even get a byline identifying him as the author.

You can find other authors who abide by the rules to train your AI tool with. You can also train it with a copy of the Kansas City Star’s writing rules – which are far longer than what we’ve discussed here.

There may be times when AI struggles with balancing concise wording with the goal of being factually accurate. You don’t want it to leave out details that are important just to achieve the goal of brevity.

So you may need to specify that all vital details be included in the piece, and not allow AI to simply cut crucial information out of your content.

By training your artificial intelligence tool to embrace the rules Hemingway used in his own writing, your content will be easier to absorb by your audience. Your messaging will be clearer. And they will be more likely to connect with you as a niche leader and take action on your advice.

The goal is not to simply mimic one of the greatest writers in history, but to adopt a style in conveying information where your entire effort to communicate with others is improved.

You’ll find that using Hemingway writing rules for artificial intelligence will make a difference in your content and your results.

NOTE: The ONLY training on using AI – Artificial Intelligence responsibly to build and grow your business and for personal use is from Denise Wakeman and Andy O’Bryan, people I know well and continue to learn from in many areas. Take a look at the training they teach on achieving success with AI an ongoing basis, and please consider coming aboard!

I’m bestselling Wall Street Journal and USA Today author, marketing strategist, and entrepreneur Connie Ragen Green and I would love to connect further with you to help you to achieve your goals. If you are interested in learning how to optimize the syndication of your content, please take a look at my popular Syndication Optimization training course (Use Discount Code INDEPENDENCE) and consider coming aboard to increase your visibility, credibility, and profitability.