Intro
Watching a skilled person in action can be inspiring - whether it’s a chess player, musician, or athlete. It doesn’t have to be a world class performer, just a good whiz and you can see yourself in their place, hear the crowd roar and feel the adrenaline.
The inspiration from a good writer is more introverted and cerebral, still, equally energetic with the scenes it evokes in the mind. Perhaps richer in the content you create from your imagination.
Until the unpleasant moment when you snap back into reality and feel frustrated because that’s not you. Maybe one day, but not today. Hell, maybe never because you don’t think you have “it” in you.
I feel you pain, my dear reader. When it comes to writing that was me just a few months ago. Since high school I had the ingrained belief that writing was not for me, even though I liked reading – one of the essential requirements – my writing class results were below average. Add a massive difficulty to transform thoughts into words and you find someone who learned to depreciate writing.
Even knowing most of high school is unrelated to the real world, the belief in my writing ineptitude and dislike to even try to improve was persistent.
Until a few articles and books gradually started to change my mind. Separate streams of evidence were showing me how wrong that belief was, I began to rethink my stance.
And the penny finally dropped with this quote:
Writing is refined thinking.
– Stephen King
Suddenly that dogmatic belief was shredded to pieces, at last, now free from the shackles of idiocy to work on the craft and improve, I’m making progress.
The same is true for anyone. That’s why I want to share the best tips I’ve found so far. Please keep in mind I am a beginner, but the progress of going from zero to one is exhilarating and there is a lot more on the way.
Read A Lot
Great content will fuel your mind.
Read Articles
Articles are a quick source of inspiration, to create new content and learn to express yourself. Learning how to express your thoughts will be a challenge handled mostly by your subconscious, osmosis for the mind after reading a lot.
Focus most of the time on authors you know are great and leave some time for the unknowns, or those you get through chains of links. It is a reading barbell strategy, for example: 90% time spent on solid authors you trust to produce high quality, 10% for the new and unproven.
The first time writing crossed my mind was on Tim Urban’s AI articles, he is a brilliant writer with an ability to break down complicated subjects into digestible pieces, and lots of witty humor on top!
Back in 2015 when I read those AI pieces, my first thought was a brain-machine interface would be the best solution to the problem. I even thought of writing a quick post about it and point to Nicolelis’s Beyond Boundaries book - but my limiting belief got in the way. Eventually the magnificent Neuralink post covered that and much more. If you get ideas like that, don't make the same mistake, start writing them even if you don’t publish right away.
Another writer who inspired me a lot - one of his ideas was an integral to my first post - is Daniel Jeffries. A crypto celebrity with crystal clear thinking and excellent ideas on ample subjects, he also adds several references to superb books and articles. Everyone on the crypto sphere is sure to draw inspiration from his work.
More recently I found David Perell, whose posts cover a wide range of topics, including writing: My Writing Syllabus is an outstanding list. His podcast is inspiring and he also has a bad-ass writing course – Write of Passage.
Read Books
Read what you love until you love what you read
– Naval
This one should go without saying, is there anyone interested in writing who doesn’t like to read a lot?
It doesn’t matter if it is fiction, science-fiction, fantasy, science or anything else. Reading good books will improve your writing, stimulate new ideas and help you make connections between seemly unrelated concepts.
Good books require more focus than articles. Focus is a breath of fresh air in a world polluted by distractions.
A few books specific to writing also help, but I can only recommend those I’ve read, there are more on my list like Writing Down to The Bones, for now I can recommend just two.
Everybody Writes
The truth is this: writing well is part habit, part knowledge of some fundamental rules, and part giving a damn. We are all capable of producing good writing. Or, at least, better writing
– Ann Handly
If I could choose just one book to become a better writer, it would be this one. Ann Handly created a quick insightful How-To filled with humor. It goes from stressing the importance of writing, to laying several resources for content creation.
Critics say it is a book for beginners, but you get all the most important tips in one place.
On Writing
I never opened my mouth and you never opened yours. We’re not even in the same year together, let alone the same room … except we are together. We’re close.
We’re having a meeting of the minds.
– Stephen King
Books are like magic, they allow telepathy across time. And this one will encourage your own creation of telepathic connections. The first, and longest session, is an autobiography, then it goes on the writing toolbox. Inspiring throughout, it will be worth multiple reads.
One thing to remember before buying books or courses on writing:
You don’t need writing classes or seminars any more than you need this or any other book on writing.
You learn best by reading a lot and writing a lot, and the most valuable lessons of all are the ones you teach yourself.
– Stephen King
Make Note Of Your Ideas
This is a must.
When inspiration strikes, do it right then and there. Inspiration is fleeting and you’ll loose it fast.
If you can’t write immediately, at least note the most important aspects about your idea, enough for you remember it later on. Also write what sparked your insight, this promote awareness and future insights.
Good ideas and content are positive sum with zero cost of production, they catalyze even more ideas. You can select later, but save them first. This is foundational for publishing.
Cherry Tree on Linux is my go to note taking central, it’s a free open source hierarchical note taking program.
My Notes is a simple complimentary app for the cellphone available on f-droid.
Develop The Habit Of Writing
While good ideas accumulate, the fun (or torture) begins!
Remember Mr. King’s rule
reading a lot and writing a lot
Creation is a lot tougher than consumption and resistance creeps in at once. Resistance is a lazy force which permeates every human cortex, we need a system to dodge it.
A good routine is resistance’s nemesis, if you develop the habit of writing as much as you can every day, even if it’s only 50 words at the beginning, resistance becomes manageable. The habit is easy to start and maintain so your progress will compound over time, and inspiration will know where to find you, consistency is key.
Follow the advice of the experts, at least in your n00b stage, don’t try to break the rules when you’re not great yet. Frustration is part of the game, a neat routine wane its effects as well.
The best time for a writing session is at your peak focusing hours, when you feel mentally awake, early morning or evening it’s up to you. A secondary session before sleep can make crazy ideas come out, it’s an extra that will probably get edited, but it can lead to a fresh perspective. Just write clear-headed first.
Good habits start small – those 50 words seem useless but that’s how it grow roots – gradual increments are sustainable, which is better than aiming ultra-high only to fail in a few weeks. A quick practice won’t turn into a chore.
This will reinforce your writer identity, which boosts your process and lead to better outcomes. Far better than relying on discipline alone or sudden bursts of inspiration.
In order to develop killer routines, Atomic Habits is essential.
Here is a video summary.
It is a practical book with several strategies, at least one will resonate with you.
For me habit staking is perfect, e.g., start the habit you need [Write Daily] right after an established habit [Waking Up].
“After [Current Habit], I will [New Habit]”
The more specific and immediately actionable the better. You can stack several habits together which turns the first into a cue to start the next.
Tracking apps make a great combo, I use Loop Habit Tracker, it has to be simple so it doesn’t get in the way. Track if you did your minimum (50 words) and don’t worry about more metrics. Stick to the essential.
Join A Culture Of Writers
I’m not participating in any yet, but joining a group of writers to brainstorm and get feedback should give good results. A Publish0x forum just for authors will be handy.
Kanban + WIP Limit
This combo will drive you to read and write more “at the same time”. Instead of finishing one book before starting the next, or working on just one article until publishing - too serial - take advantage of the brain’s parallel processing capacity, if done right it improves the quality and quantity of your work output.
Another benefit is the creative boost for making connections between different topics, with varied information fresh in the mind the subconscious will draw parallels and create new insights. Single focus on one topic is not conducive to creativity.
This is not multitasking!
Sustained laser focus on each task is essential. Concentrate as if only the task at hand exists in the world. Multitasking is inefficient, but multiple projects allow for a change of pace and get your creative juices flowing.
Be careful not to take too many projects at the same time, like reading too many books or working on too many articles simultaneously. To find your optimal output at multiple projects - Making Knowledge Work Visible goes into details on how to do it.
Creative solitude works well with a break between projects, inner voices in the mind turn clear which sparks new connections and ideas.
Organize your post
Modular Structure
When I started writing, before getting help from book and articles, I was intimidate and overwhelmed, nothing got written for months. I started to gravitate towards making points of what I wanted to cover, very disorganized at first. But it was a way around mental blocks, once all the basic ideas are written it becomes easy to expand upon them.
It’s like building a skeleton for the article, one where you can change the order of topics until they make sense, a small effort to get everything clearer. If you get stuck in any part you can focus on another that will flow better, no need to work linearly.
This is similar to a Mega Outline, an early road map, you’re not sure where it will lead, but you get a general feel.
Like convergent evolution, note taking on cherry tree plus this article structuring is similar to Perell’s Two Screen Strategy.
Start noting your ideas, build an overview of points to cover in the article, work on those points. Sometimes just by expanding on subtopics you get a rough draft, if not, the first ugly draft won’t be far.
Write To One Person
Write as if you have a specific person in mind, a real person you know or can imagine, a good friend perhaps. I’m writing this as if I could send to my “past self” - back when I believed I simply did not have the capacity to write.
Get Feedback
Once you think the article is presentable, send to a trusted friend for feedback. Ask about can be improved, what’s missing or if something doesn’t make sense. Honest and radical transparency is vital here, this is how your blind spots get fixed. It hard to be entirely objective about our own work, just be open-minded and reflect on all feedback received.
So far we have:
Make notes – Write the outline – Build upon – Create the first ugly draft – Work on it until it’s presentable – Get feedback – Fix it – Publish.
One final thought.
Know your WHY!
External motivations usually are the spark to online writers; getting lots of crypto tips, lots of followers and comments. There is nothing wrong with those, they are very rewarding indeed. But external drivers are not sustainable long term and don’t fuel high quality posts.
The motivation from within is far more powerful. When your WHY is clear, external rewards eventually follow. Imagine you lost your memory right before publishing, would your post inspire or resonate with you? This can only happen when you know your purpose behind transferring vague ideas from the mind into sharp words online.
Notice how Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle is analogous to James Clear layers, good ideas converge and good results Start With Why!
Conclusion
Anyone can write better and I hope those tips are helpful, the books and articles responsible for inspiring them certainly are.
Writing makes thinking clear, and clear thinkers are always in high demand. Deep in your mind you’ll find your purpose for a high quality post and the ability to create value.
You can come to the act with your fists clenched and your eyes narrowed, ready to kick ass and take down names.
You can come to it because you want a girl to marry you or because you want to change the world.
Come to it any way but lightly. Let me say it again: you must not come lightly to the blank page.
– Stephen King
Special thanks to:
H.T.Morais and Marco Batalha for the invaluable help with proofreading.
Thank you very much for reading!
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