I went to a SILENT DISCO at a music festival last year. Was I the last person to hear about these? Hundreds of people dancing in total silence, with a silent DJ who looks really into it.

You can hear everything if you put on the wireless headphones they give out. It’s also fun to take them off.

After about 15 minutes of dancing, you’re ready to go.

It’s a nice metaphor for editing.

Editing feels stupid at first. No one knows what you’re doing over there—they can’t hear the music. But they can tell if you’re into the music, and that’s what counts.

Writing is like the secret music in your headphones. Editing is like dancing.

Editing is best in short bursts, and in the right mood. You need to keep it loose, but dance with intention, my friend.

Want to grab a pair of wireless headphones and try it?

INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOUR 10-MINUTE SILENT EDITING DISCO:

Pair up with a friend so you don’t have to dance alone.

Start your dance mix, set a timer for 10 minutes, and start EDITING. But only for 10 minutes.

Then take a nap. (You can only DISCO twice if you take the nap first.)

Use these questions to guide you. Make tweaks, but don’t get pushy. Keep moving. Do the easy parts first.

1. When you wrote this, did you allow yourself to write 4 pages for every 1 page of copy you intend to use? Or were you trying to force the outcome to happen too soon?
2. Read it from the perspective of three of your favorite clients, and report back.
3. Send this to someone who gets you. Say you only want to know the parts that moved them or that sparked their curiosity or excitement.
4. Did you write this in a bad mood, or from a fearful place? Time to delete. Remove all but one of the explanations you find. And see if you can cut that explanation in half.
5. Anything else just feel off? Embellishments that ring false, or phrases that sound defensive or aggressive? What’s behind that? (Write about how you want it to feel, but don’t try to wordsmith it just yet. How can this feel true?)
6. Are there unnecessary words? Sections? Can something be cut & used as a blog post instead? (Are you trying to do too much convincing within the sales page itself, without using other types of content?)
7. What’s the simpler way to say it? Is that simpler way the truest way for you to say it?
8. Does your call to action provoke their curiosity?
9. What’s the one thing you want them to do? Is every element on this page serving that intention, or are you packing it with more stuff in hopes there will be something for everyone? Do you need to break this up into sub-pages or a series of emails or posts?
10. Did you use bullet points, or did you intentionally not use bullet points? Either way is fine, as long as you thought about it.
11. Did you do the scanners a kindness by incorporating headlines and bolding places to catch their attention?
12. Do the headlines make you want to read what’s beneath them?
13. Does anything in here provoke a “duh…” response from your people, and how can you tweak it so it doesn’t?
14. Does anything in here provoke a “huh?” response from your people, and how can you tweak it so it doesn’t—without over-explaining?
15. Are you playing hard to get, or are you falling all over yourself to persuade them?
16. Does this incorporate insights from customer interviews and testimonials?
17. Does this take a new approach or say it in a way no one else is saying it?
18. Is there a clear problem this solution is solving?
19. Is the problem presented in a way that gives the reader a mini-epiphany about the nature of the problem?
20. Is the problem something one might actually feel proud to have (or at least RELIEVED to read about, like someone finally gets it?) Or, are you making the problem sound shameful, condescending, embarrassing? Is this a smart-reasonable-intelligent-creative-person problem? Or an unsophisticated-person problem?
21. Are you pandering to the audience by telling them they’re smart and creative? (As if they don’t already know.)
22. Where is the surprise, and can we move it to closer to the top? Maybe so it’s the headline? What’s the most surprising thing you can say about this? How could you reverse what’s expected?
23. Does the first sentence leave them feeling incomplete and needing to know what you mean by that? This is good.
24. How are your transitions? Does it transition smoothly from one point to the next?
25. Do the headlines incorporate problems & benefits?
26. Did you address the most important objection?
27. Did you cover the benefits they already want—sneaking in a couple they never would have thought of?
28. Did you give proof points, if possible, for the benefits? Can you track them down–or ask for support?
29. How do you feel about it overall? Are there parts that just don’t feel like they’re grabbing you, for some inexplicable reason? Like they make sense and they’re correct, but they’re just not pulling you in?
30. Type-os?

Commenting policy: If I like your comment, it will be approved. I don’t always comment back, but I will nod my head and tent my fingers and say, Ahhh, yes yes yes. Your comment need not bother with fancy footwear or rational undergarments. But it does need to feel comfortable—both for you to write and for others to read. If it doesn’t feel comfortable, and if I decide I don’t want it taking up people’s brain spaces, I will let it softly float away. Perhaps one day it will return to you, and you can tuck it into bed.

You know something is finished when it feels true.

(To the intention and the spirit and the potential of the experience.)

And when it feels complete.

(It answered enough burning questions for a certain someone to feel ready to do the next, tiniest, baby-sized thing.)

And when there’s an a-ha moment in there somewhere.

(Epiphanies, lightbulbs, and Huh-I-never-thought-of-it-that-way moments. For best results, the insight will concern all of this DRAMA they’ve been having.)