Reading time: About 3 minutes
If you want to become a better writer, it might surprise you to know some of the simple steps you can take…
As a writing coach with 45 years of experience guiding thousands of writers, I’ve discovered a number of obvious — and not-so-obvious — tips to improve your craft. Here are seven pairs of obvious and less obvious strategies that will help you become a better writer.
1-Conquer procrastination
Obvious: Procrastination is the thief of time. Make writing a priority by scheduling dedicated time for it.
Not-so-obvious: Procrastination often stems from fear or from feeling overwhelmed, not from laziness. The solution is not to punish yourself by making the job bigger the next day. (i.e., “I didn’t write for 30 minutes today, so I need to write for 60 minutes tomorrow.”) The solution is always to make your job smaller. Even if you need to write something really long — say 100,000 words — then start with just five to 15 minutes a day. And if you have difficulty doing that, cut your time in half. And if that still doesn’t work, cut it in half again, all the way down to one minute.
2-Fuel your inspiration
Obvious: Reading a terrific piece of writing can help make you feel like writing too. Collect a file of great short pieces of writing (say, fewer than 2,000 words) and browse one of those pieces just before you sit down to write.
Not-so-obvious: Mindmapping is a powerful tool for inspiration. If you’re struggling with this technique, you may be approaching it incorrectly. Check these links on my website for practical tips on getting started. Email me if you’re having problems with it, and I’ll send you some more suggestions.
3-Prioritize rest
Obvious: Having time for fun in your life — visits with friends, movies, theatre and music — will help feed your ability to write.
Not-so-obvious: Sleep is extremely important for creative people. Everyone needs at least seven hours and perhaps as many as 10. It is not a sign of weakness to require sleep. Instead, it’s just a basic human need. The writer and academic Jim Collins (author of the business bestseller Good to Great) tracks his sleep patterns, and if he doesn’t get at least 70 hours of sleep every 10 days, he doesn’t even try to write because he knows he won’t have the creative juice for it. Honour your body’s sleep requirements.
4-Minimize distractions
Obvious: Email, social media and our phones distract many of us. Figure out ways to sideline these distractions while you’re trying to write. A report, essay or blog post shouldn’t be interrupted by an email or a call about the upcoming election. Keep that stuff shut down when you’re trying to write.
Not-so-obvious: Consider time-blocking. By planning what I’m going to do every half hour for every business day, I’m able to keep myself focused on my goals. And the benefit of this system? If I’m ever short of time for the day, I decide, in the morning, what I’m not going to do. Before time-blocking, I would have done the easiest work first and run out of time for the tougher stuff later.
5-Get some accountability
Obvious: If you want to do something challenging, do it with a friend. Runners understand this need. As do gym enthusiasts. Doing anything with a friend makes it more fun and enjoyable. The same applies to writing. Of course, you don’t need to write in the same room, but writing in concert with a buddy can help you achieve more.
Not-so-obvious: Friends and family might not be enough. Often, they cut us too much slack. If we say we couldn’t write because we had a poor sleep the previous night, they’re likely to say, “Oh, no! How awful!” rather than hold us to account. Reporting to someone at more of a remove may hold your feet to the fire more effectively. At least, that’s what people in my Get It Done group tell me.
6-Track your progress
Obvious: Writing down your goals is a step that many of us fail to take — even though the evidence shows that goal-writers are almost 50% more likely to achieve their goals, simply by writing them down.
Not-so-obvious: Do more than just write down your goals. Track how much time you’re able to spend writing and editing each day. (I provide a form at no charge on my website, here.) Once you start keeping records like this, you’ll intuitively understand how long it takes you to write or edit anything, and this will make planning your time in the future so much easier to do.
7-Cultivate a reading habit
Obvious: If you’re a great writer, by definition you’re already a deeply committed reader. But with online streaming, it’s way too easy to get sucked into watching too much (often bad) television. Always have at least one book on the go and keep it close by: put a Kindle or paperback in your purse or backpack, and load an audiobook onto your phone. Make reading your default position. (And, yes, audiobooks “count” as reading!)
Not-so-obvious: Set bigger, longer-term reading goals for yourself. My goal for the last decade has been to read at least 52 books each year. Round about May, I could see I was getting into trouble for 2024, so I started upping my game to make sure I’d be able to achieve my goal. Having this goal never strikes me as onerous or burdensome. Instead, it’s just my way of ensuring I get enough reading time. Here’s the link to all the books I’ve read since 2010.
You may have noticed that none of these tips relates to syntax or structure. Instead, they relate to how difficult it can sometimes be to persuade ourselves to write.
But if anything is true it’s this: improvement comes through consistent practice.
To become a better writer, write more frequently and intentionally.
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Need some help developing a better, more sustainable writing or editing routine? Learn about my three-month accountability program called Get It Done. There is turn-over each month, and priority will go to those who have applied first. You can go directly to the application form and you’ll hear back from me within 24 hours.
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My video podcast last week addressed how to make editing less painful. Go here to see the video or read the transcript, and you can also subscribe to my YouTube channel.
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What strategies do you use to become a better writer? We can all learn from each other, so please, share your thoughts with my readers and me in the “comments” section below. If you comment on today’s post (or any others) by Oct. 31/24, I’ll put you in a draw for a digital copy of my first book, 8 1/2 Steps to Writing Faster, Better. To enter, please scroll down to the comments, directly underneath the “related posts” links, below. Note that you don’t have to join Disqus to post. See here to learn how to post as a guest. It’s easy!
