5 writing tips from Abraham Lincoln

Not one for soaring hyperbole, Abe kept even his writing honest—and to the point. His style and preparation methods hold valuable lessons for writers of all levels.

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One way to improve your writing is to read good writers.

Occasionally, if you are lucky, you come across a book on how a great writer writes. Such is Lincoln’s Sword by Douglas L. Wilson. No American president’s writings are as well known as those of Abraham Lincoln.

His First and Second Inaugurals, and the Gettysburg address survive in part for the music of Lincoln’s words, but that music served a purpose: His style served the content masterfully.

Here are a few things any writer can learn from Abraham Lincoln, as revealed by Wilson:

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