Answers · By Sun Yi, creator of the Myth Sandwich

How do I write sound bites?

Short answerThis is a cheat code for writing sound bites.

Step 1. Write the myth the way people say it.

• “People think ＿＿＿.”
• People think working hard causes burnout.

Step 2. Write the truth plainly. Ugly is fine.

• “But really ＿＿＿.”
• But really, it’s doing work you don’t care about.

Step 3. Circle the word both lines fight over.

• burnout

Step 4. Pick one move and fill in the blanks.

• Swap the cause: “＿＿＿ doesn’t cause ＿＿＿. ＿＿＿ does.”
• Move the blame: “＿＿＿ don’t ＿＿＿. ＿＿＿ do.”
• Shrink the fear: “You didn’t ＿＿＿. You just ＿＿＿.”
• Change what the word means: “＿＿＿ isn’t ＿＿＿. It’s ＿＿＿.”
• Hard work doesn’t cause burnout. Boring work does.

Step 5. Cut it down.

• Keep it to 12 words or fewer. Use short, plain words. Remove hedges like “sometimes” or “it depends.”

Step 6. Test it out loud.

• Does it argue with the myth?
• Would someone say “I never thought of it that way”?
• If the answer to either is no, go back to Step 4 and try a different move.

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