5 Tips to Boost Your Writing
Appealing to your creative side is essential to producing high-quality articles.
“[As a writer] you have to have the three D’s: drive, discipline and desire. If you’re missing any one of those three, you can have all the talent in the world, but it’s going to be really hard to get anything done.”
~ Nora Roberts
Thank God for Medium. I know I’ve criticized this site in the past. But who hasn’t vented about their employer? Heck, I’ve worked jobs where there existed not one, not two, but three separate group-chats divided amongst 20 employees, all intended to speak ill of superiors. Criticism leads to growth, to the freedom of ideas, and to the fresh soil from which these ideas grow.
The difficult part comes after you get the idea. On Medium, we write. This is our thing. We write about tech, business, art, lifestyle, poetry, relationships, and sex. We write about personal success, failures, life lessons, and self-reflection. Some of us even get to live off of our writing, but not all of us.
I want everyone on this site to have the real opportunity of being able to live off of our earnings. For this to happen, however, the quality of your writing must be improved. Let me help you.
Appeal to your own senses.
The cool part about being human is that we have a wide range of senses which are naturally processed and translated within our brain. If you follow my writings, then you know that my degrees are in psychology. The basics of my education revolve around understanding these funny feelings that occur because of the chemical reactions in our brain, and most importantly (thanks, psychoanalytics!) how to translate these funny feelings into useable words.
As writers, we can take this a step further. But to do this, we must first access the emotions buried deep within our minds. Here’s the most commonly accepted method:
- Satiate your basic needs. Writing is hard enough as is. To dig deep within yourself, you must eliminate any distractions that may arise, especially our evolutionary traits. The primary distractions you will need to remove from yourself are hunger, thirst, and the need to use the restroom. Get these out of the way and you will be able to move onto the next step.
- Find a calm place. This could be any place you like, as we all have our own definitions of calm. For some, this is a coffee shop. For others, this is their own couch. The importance here, just like the previous task, is that you are free of distractions.
- Silence your inner critic. Now that you have managed your basic needs and found a good place to write, there is one more voice you must silence. This voice comes from within your mind, buried deep beneath your insecurities, and only comes to light when it is time to put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard, but I digress). Many writers use a pseudonym for this very purpose. You must rid yourself of your own criticism if you are to write. I have come across countless writers who do not publish simply because they do not believe that they have the ability to do so. I have written articles on this subject here, here, and here. My next tip might be what you need to get past this stage.
- Write about what interests you. Some people have particular difficulty with this step. Many would say “I have no interests.” Which is obviously nonsense. Even those lodged in the deepest depths of their depression still have interests. If you’re an accountant, then write about accounting! Write about that movie you saw the other day. Write about how uninspiring it was, or about how boring your commute to and from work is. The topic does not matter. Just write.
- Write on a schedule. This might be the most important piece of advice I can give you. Writing is incredibly similar to working out. It is about commitment and repetition. Writers must commit to writing at least three to five nights a week, for if you don’t write, then how could you be a writer? Writing at the same time every night, even if it is a low-effort haiku or a single sentence, will aid your writing tremendously. Follow this article for more in-depth advice.
“A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” ~ Richard Bach
These five pieces of advice reverberate in my head every night as I sit down to write. They have held me through the earliest stages of my writing and continue to do so until this very day. These five core tidbits are crucial to every writer and must be adhered to, at least in the beginning stages of your career.
Remember, do not push yourself too hard. Writing should be an enjoyable part of your life, not a chore. If it is a chore, then remember to take it easy on yourself. Don’t push yourself past any limits which may make you feel uncomfortable.
As always, enjoy the process. Happy writing!
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