Writing Quality = Novelty × Resonance
Pair eye-opening ideas with stories that make those ideas stick
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 3
- Confidence
- 98%
This equation treats strong writing as the product of novelty and resonance. Novelty is the eye-opening substance: ideas that are new, significant, and not easily intuited. Resonance is the delivery that lifts those ideas off the page and helps them remain in the reader's mind, using examples, analogies, metaphors, and stories. Either factor alone is limited. Novel information without resonance can feel like dry trivia, while expressive storytelling without a novel backbone lacks substance. Shapiro operationalizes the equation with two drafts. The first concentrates on finding and expressing novelty. The second adds the storytelling devices that make those ideas land. A final trim keeps resonance from bloating the piece and lets the writer choose a balance suited to their own reading preferences.
Origin
Shapiro described the equation as a framework that more frequently produces successful writing by his own definition, while emphasizing that it is not a universal rule for how anyone must write.
Core principles
- 01Novelty supplies the idea that opens the reader's eyes
- 02Resonance carries the idea from the page into memory
- 03Examples, analogies, metaphors, and stories create resonance
- 04Separating novelty and resonance into editing passes improves focus
- 05The right balance depends on the kind of writing the author wants to read
How to run it
- 1
Build the novelty backbone
Use the first draft to find and state the ideas that make the piece interesting. Focus on what will genuinely open the reader's eyes before polishing the delivery.
Pro tip Treat novelty as the structural backbone rather than decoration.
Watch out Do not mistake bland trivia for a meaningful novel idea.
- 2
Add resonance
Use the second draft to add examples, analogies, metaphors, and stories that make each important idea easier to understand and remember.
- 3
Balance substance and delivery
Re-read for places where resonance overwhelms the novel idea or where novelty remains too dry. Trim or expand according to the kind of piece and reader experience you want.
Pro tip Write the kind of piece you would want to read.
Watch out Overindulging in stories and metaphors can bloat an otherwise concise piece.
In the wild
A writer has a surprising research finding but presents it as a dry statistic. In the resonance pass, they add a concrete example and a short analogy that show why the finding changes a familiar decision.
→ The reader receives both a novel fact and a form that is easier to understand and remember.
Common mistakes
Publishing novelty as dry trivia
An original insight can remain ineffective when nothing helps it resonate or lodge in the reader's mind.
Letting storytelling bury the point
Too many anecdotes and devices can expand the piece until readers lose the concise novel idea they came for.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for writers who have useful ideas but need a repeatable way to improve clarity, interest, and memorability.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for writers seeking a universal rule, because Shapiro explicitly presents it as a personal heuristic.
From the episode
Growth tactics, retention strategies, and becoming a better writer
Julian Shapiro (Demand Curve, Hyper, Webflow, TechCrunch)