How to Write Like David Brooks

For those of you who are aspiring editorial writers, have we got a deal for you! For this post only, we are offering a free class on how to write like David Brooks. Mr. Brooks is an Op-Ed columnist for the New York Times and he has also...ah who cares, he's an op-ed columnist for the New York Times for god's sake!

Now starting off the correct was is the key. Here are 3 simple steps that will turn you into a famous NYT columnist in no time.

Step 1. Arbitrarily divide society into two distinct groups with catchy names. Examples: gradualists vs. confrontationalists or spreadsheet people vs. paragraph people.

Step 2. Choose an Issue to write about.

Step 3. Casually make some sweeping generalizations that allow you to discuss your chosen issue only through referring to your two arbitrary groups.

You're Done!! Now, go home and try this out!

Here are a few examples:


#1: There are two sorts of people in the information-age elite, spreadsheet people and paragraph people. Spreadsheet people work with numbers, wear loafers and support Republicans. Paragraph people work with prose, don't shine their shoes as often as they should and back Democrats.

#2: The debate on how to proceed in Iraq is not between the hawks and the doves: it's within the hawk community, and it's between the gradualists and the confrontationalists.