6 Tips on How to Start Writing, Write Better, and Write More Often
Writing is not easy. In fact, I would argue that it’s sometimes the hardest thing in the world to do, and this is exactly which is why it’s my personal belief that everyone needs to do it. A lot.
Writing is difficult because it can be intimidating. The term “good writer” is elusive even to those who have been writing all their lives because writing is not an accomplishment or a pretty snapshot– it’s a constant flow of words that begins when you first learn to spell and ends when you die.
And in part, it’s this very nature that makes writing such a gift. With each piece we write, whether it be a private journal entry meant for our eyes only, a letter to a friend, a novel, or a poem, we’re engaging and challenging our minds to communicate what’s going on in our heads. No matter the purpose, the minute we put pen to paper or fingertip to keyboard, we embark on a mission to leave a legacy of our most precious possessions: our thoughts.
Benefits to Writing Often
I’m trying to write in this publication at least every other day. I’m striving for daily, and aspiring to multiple posts a day, but I know that realistically I’ll not be able to keep that kind of schedule. But why do it? What’s the point? Here are just a few reasons why writing is good for everyone:
- Prestige. Writers who write often and well are seen as outspoken, assertive, articulate, and three-dimensional. Even if readers don’t agree with the things that writer says, the fact that it’s out there and they’re reading it says something about the author. Being able to garner an audience that knows who you are and where you stand, or what you’re passionate about, or the stories you tell is a powerful tool. And it’s one that anyone can wield for both personal fulfillment or professional advancement.
- Practice. The more you write, the better you get at it. Do you sometimes feel like you don’t know what to write about, or you get stuck in the middle of a piece? Do you also feel like once you do start, you sound stupid or feel like someone is going to judge you? While these feelings may never go away, the practice you get working through these challenges and forcing yourself to put something out there will make writing easier in many different contexts.
- Character building and identity. Writing is also an exercise in self-esteem, believe it or not. Writing something for the world to see, especially something you care about, is courageous. You’re reflecting on and telling people where you stand, and while they might comment wildly and profanely on your position, your piece is still your piece. It’s a statement, a one-way conversation. And you discover a lot about yourself when you have to put it into words.
- Getting comfortable with mistakes. Learning that you don’t have to get it right the first time every time is a valuable lesson in life. So you write something and a year later you change your mind about it. Guess what? That realization and introspection is just one more topic you can write about! And now you have a record of your own development, like looking at an old journal. What you’re doing is validating the fact that you’ve grown, and that’s a great thing.
Tips to Start Writing, Write Better, and Write More Often
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I can’t say I’ve perfected the practice of writing. I’ve started and stopped so many times throughout my life that if I were to be called an expert on anything, I’d be an expert on how to write prolifically for short bursts of time. But with every time that I restart a resolve to write, I feel I get stronger at it. And that brings me to my first of six tips:
- Resolve to start writing right now. Whenever “right now” happens to be, as you read this, resolve to start writing. Even if you’ve stopped a few months ago or a few years ago, right now, just do it. In fact, make it your mission today to type out one article, or write one journal entry longhand, or compose one letter, and then tell yourself you are going to do this every day, or every Tuesday and Thursday, or on Sunday mornings, or even once a month. Create a routine and stick to it for as long as you can possibly go. Tell yourself that if you do take a break, you will remember to come back to this article, read this tip, and start again. Remember, routine writing, even a monthly one, is better than no writing.
- Keep a list of topics that you want to write about, no matter where you are. Sometimes ideas don’t always come to us when we’re sitting at a desk ready to write. Sometimes they come in the car, on a run, in the shower, at work, in dreams… whenever they do strike you, no matter how little they are, write them down. Keep a running list of every idea that you ever have that might be something you want to write about so that when you do sit down, you’ll have a huge list to choose from because you’ve been spending your non-writing time jotting ideas down. You can do this right now: quickly jot down 5 topics you could write about.
- Don’t be afraid to write crap. Whatever routine you’ve subscribed to, stick to it through the good and the bad. Strive for quality, but execute on quantity. Whatever you produce, make sure it comes out like clockwork, no matter how bad you think it is. The reason why you must not be afraid to write crap is because with every 200 words of crap you write, there will be a few gems that you can’t afford to lose by not writing at all. Think of everything you write as originating from a gem of a thought. Even if it comes out all wrong, that gem of a thought is still in there, and the act of writing badly is all part of the process of getting it out. So when you sit down and you don’t know how to start, start anyway and start crappy. It’s the only way to power through.
- Schedule your topics in advance. This takes the burden of trying to think of topics the moment you sit down to write, and you can let your brain ruminate on the topic you’ve planned in advance, leading to an article that has more thought and as a result, more depth. Leverage the list of topics from tip #3 and put them to work by calendaring them. When you know what topic you’ll be writing about next, you can spend your non-writing time thinking about that topic and fleshing it out mentally before you actually start writing.
- Read. Great writers are great readers, so if you don’t already have a habit of reading, try to fit that into your schedule. When I am tight for time, I like to reread old classic short stories. I would recommend getting this book: 75 Short Masterpieces: Stories From the World’s Literature ($7.99 on Amazon). The stories are on average only 3-5 pages long (the book is pocket-sized), but it features writers from all the greats– Dostoevsky, Melville, Steinbeck, Tolstoy, Poe, Huxley, to name a few. It’s an easy way to read works from the great writers in a format I respect deeply. I feel the short story is almost harder to write than the novel because you have to fit just as much substance in a much more condensed form– every word counts. And these stories are wonderful impetuses for those times when you’re feeling uninspired. They certainly make me feel like writing.
- To be not just a writer, but a better writer, you must always edit. If you’re writing for yourself and you don’t necessarily care about being the best writer you can be, you can ignore this tip. But if you want to be a better writer, you must edit.
If you’re lucky enough to have an editor, you know that your articles are going under another set of eyes and for some, you’ll be getting feedback which you can absorb as you will. But if you don’t have an editor or a friend to read your work, or if that editor doesn’t make it a habit of circling back with you before publishing a piece, you’ll have to be your own editor. Not only that, but you need to be your own editor to get better at writing.
Re-read your work, out loud. Using your ear, determine if it sounds good to you and that it flows. Check for red underlines that indicate a spelling error, and fix any sentences that sound the least bit confusing or don’t make your meaning clear. Pretend you’re an OCD writer, and that you must make your piece perfection. It sounds crazy, but that goal of perfection and that tedious obsession with your own words will make you better in the long run.
Everyone has their own reasons for writing, and their own way of going about it. These are just tips that work for me. If anyone else has any thoughts on how to start writing, how to write better, or how to write more often, I’d love to hear them.
Really great advice for writing!
Thanks!