Writing Hacks to Every Creative Writer and Blogger

Over the previous couple of years, I've had folks inquire from me how I write such a lot .

Some of them are just being polite by showing an interest. i prefer it when people do this .

But some have genuinely wanted to understand - they're the parents i really like .

And it's fair enough to wonder. As of this writing, I publish a minimum of ten articles every week . In 2019, I totalled around 240,000 words across my websites. that does not include the ten (and counting) books I even have through my sites and Amazon, or my other projects.

(I do not know what percentage words went into Monster Mind Edukaré - my premium mind training product. But given it's 19 modules, a number of which contain multiple books, it wouldn't surprise me if it's many thousands more.)

Nor does it include any freelance writing gigs I do.

And I didn't wont to be like this. In my younger years - probably my early 20s approximately - i attempted writing a completely unique . i feel it took me two years to write down 40,000 of the worst words you'll imagine.

That was the height of my writing output, too - a pleasant combination of free time, naiveté and pure inspiration.

Now, though?

I write 40,000 engaging and interesting words every few months approximately .

I learned the way to make writing work on behalf of me .

Notice that I emphasise "work for me". this is often not the sole orthography out there. many folks break all the rules I lay out here. If that works for them, that's fine. But what I even have here may be a reliable, robust system that takes tons of the strain out.

If writing may be a hassle for you, give my system a go.

Let me share a part of what I discovered, more or less accidentally , that creates writing hundreds or thousands of words each day easy.

Imagine sitting down at your desk and getting straight into your writing. No goofing around, no bullying your brain into arising with something - you immediately know enough to start .

And beginning is usually the toughest part.

So let's take a glance at the primary of the three steps:

Step 1: Brainstorm & Research
A common rookie mistake is sitting down and your desk and trying to consider something to write down .

It's a mistake for a couple of reasons:

One, thinking up ideas requires a special state of mind to writing. Writing requires an extended , interrupted flow. Dreaming up ideas works best when your thoughts can jump around from one notion to subsequent .

Two, if you stop writing to seem up a fact or quote, you're only making it hard for yourself.

Three, the particular writing phase is that the hard part. you would like it to be as easy as possible - very easy , in fact, you sit down and begin typing immediately.

What this suggests is you come up together with your ideas beforehand, do all the research you would like ... then you walk off .

What this may appear as if for you is up to you.

For my short articles, my notes are usually no quite a couple of keywords. Maybe the article's title.

For longer articles (like this one) or book chapters, I make more notes. Anything from an inventory of the subheadings to a bullet list of relevant facts and concepts .

You might find an excessive amount of structure kills the spontaneity - or simply the other - so I invite you to experiment.

The key's to form subsequent step as easy and seamless as possible.
Step 2: Write
Thanks to your earlier work, you're liberal to sit down and begin writing.

This, quite any step, depends on your personal style.

Some folks got to "warm up" or "get within the zone". If so, i like to recommend writing in long blocks of your time . i do know it isn't always possible, but an hour or two freed from interruptions will do wonders for your productivity.

Then again, a number of you're like me - you'll sit down and begin smashing out words immediately .

If you lose yourself within the flow of writing, great! you will get tons done and it will probably be pretty good.

If you've got to force yourself, though? That's where the Pomodoro technique comes in handy. Unlike the primary group, you would like to be interrupted - so set a timer for 20 or half-hour , and vow to try to to nothing but write until it pops .

No reading emails.

No daydreaming.

Simply writing.

You can save all those distractions for your breaks. pause or ten minutes to goof off, stretch your legs and refill your water. Then reset the timer and return .

Step 3: Edit & Rewrite
Another classic error:

You write a sentence, feeling pretty good. Then you read over it and realise it's garbage, so you delete it and begin over.

After an hour of this, you've got nothing to point out apart from - maybe - two overcooked paragraphs.

In step 2, I said all you'll do is write. that does not mean you'll rewrite. Rewriting involves reading, which may be a bad idea.

Why?

Because editing requires critical appraisal . Writing requires creative flow. If you turn back and forth between the 2 sorts of thinking, your brain will struggle to try to to either.

Besides, it's bad for morale. Not every sentence (or paragraph) you write are going to be gold. That's fine because writing may be a numbers pool . Write enough words and a few of them are going to be good.

Now, I'm not saying you cannot spot typos or fix clumsy wording as you're writing. If you notice a fast fix, go for it. The trick is to not search for them. And to avoid wasting an excessive amount of time fixing them.

The whole point of step 2 is to make something to edit. If you've struggled to write down within the past, this might be why.

The Meta-step: Experiment & Innovate
Give this process a whirl.

See how it works for you.

Sometimes you've got a nasty day, so persist with it and really see how it works.

Then start designing your own system.

Maybe you'll compress the steps - you stumble out of bed with a thought forming in your groggy mind, pour a coffee, then start writing.

Or maybe you would like weeks on the research phase.

Perhaps music helps you focus... or not.

You might write better within the mornings or within the evenings.

I don't know what system will work for you. and that i doubt anybody system is that the only answer. Your tastes and lifestyle will change over time, meaning your system will change with it.

(You're doing well to stay an equivalent orthography after you've got a toddler as you probably did before it.)

And who knows - maybe you'll do away with a "system" entirely. You'll reach the stage where, if you would like to write down , you write.

I know that works for a few people.

If you're struggling to urge the words out, though? i would not start there. Take this technique of mine and stick with it - you will be amazed at what proportion you write.