8 Must-Dos For Aspiring Writers

If writing is part of what you do or want to do, calling yourself a “writer” isn’t as simple as putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, now is it?

A big writing project I’m working on (more soon) is reminding me viscerally of this: Writing is hard, and hard work. You know this, so I won’t waste a post telling you things you already know. Instead, I want to tell you my unabashed truths about what it takes to make writing part of what you do and who you are instead of an accidental task on your list.

1. Set Aside Time

Some people thrive on a regular schedule or time of day. I don’t, but I DO take time each and every day that’s dedicated to writing, regardless of what happens (see below).

You make the time to do things that matter, period. That sometimes means sacrificing other things. I don’t watch much TV. I stay up later and get up earlier. I’ve skipped dinner with friends because of deadlines, because writing requires time that simply doesn’t take to shortcuts.

2. Practice the Discipline, Not Just the Results

The process of writing isn’t always about the finished product. Sometimes, it’s about the process of writing, which can be everything from capturing ideas to kicking around a few drafts, to actually *reading* instead of writing.

All of those are part of the discipline of being a writer. Think of it more like immersing yourself in the written word, somehow, in a dedicated fashion.

3. Don’t Quit When It’s Hard

Sometimes, the words won’t come. What separates the Writers from the accidentals is that they gut through these moments, even when they suck. Julien wrote 1,000 words a day even when it wasn’t easy, and even when they might not have been particularly perfect.

Write blog post titles. Write random paragraphs of words. Write private thoughts in a journal or comments on a blog. Write strings of nonsense as your thoughts look for purchase. But get. Words. Out. Explore language and the hard ruts suddenly get shallower and shorter.

4. Stockpile Words

When the words flow, keep writing. That means shoving around other appointments sometimes so that you stay uninterrupted (yes, I’ve done this. Often.).

If you’re in a mode where writing is coming easily and fully, harness it, and harness it now. Even prolific writers get writer’s block, and if you embrace the feasts when they happen, the famines won’t derail you so much.

5. Don’t Mistake Thinking Aloud for Writing

Clever turns of phrase are just that. Meandering streams of consciousness can be cathartic. Expressing what you know can occasionally be useful. But these aren’t always captivating prose.

Writing is about connecting thoughts, understanding when simple language is best, and conveying ideas through words. That takes a level of humility and restraint,  the ability forego wit in favor of clarity, and ruthless editing.

6. Be Accountable to Something

Friends, a book deadline, a regular blog posting schedule. Something that gives you a sense of expectation and urgency. Something that stings a little when you miss it.

And when you screw that up, like I did recently with my blog schedule, don’t wallow and use that to give yourself permission to slack. Dust off, and back in the saddle, cowboy.

7. Learn To Use Tools

When I was a kid, if I didn’t know what a word meant, I asked my mom. Her response was always and forevermore: Look it up.

I had to lug out the big Miriam Webster or OED (ouch), but we’ve now got nifty things like dictionary.com and thesaurus.com. We have smarties like Grammar Girl to keep us on the straight and narrow. We still have classics like Strunk and White. Use them. Words are the raw material for sculpting ideas, so the more diverse your arsenal, the better your chance of finding just the ones you need.

8. Realize It’s Not About You

So, listen. We all write “for ourselves”. But if you hope to make a living in any way related to your writing – be it a blog or a book or articles in a business magazine – get over it. You’re not writing simply for the art, you’re writing for an audience.

And until you check your ego at the door and start understand who you’re communicating with and how best to reach them, you’re writing for sport. Which is perfectly fine and acceptable, but it’s the rare, serendipitous writer that can muse in a self-centered bubble and keep the attention (and a paycheck) for very long.

What Are You Waiting For?

Some of you will think to yourselves or comment here that you don’t do things this way. That you prefer to write when you feel like it, when you’re inspired, to explore your innermost thoughts and feelings. And I say fantastic! Go for it. But that’s writing as a hobby, not a vocation. And there’s a difference.

I don’t happen to believe that someone is or isn’t a writer. Some may have more raw, natural talent to work with perhaps, just like anything else, but good writing is honed.

If your aspiration is to have writing be part of what you do and do well, it requires as much devotion as you would give to any other aspect of your professional development. You spend ridiculous money and time on conferences or seminars to learn marketing skills or sharpen coding chops. If you want your writing to be professionally respected and recognized, the tough love is that you have to invest in this, too.

Quit saying you’re not a writer and be one. You earn that badge by writing. Now, off with you. I’m sure you have some words knocking around in there somewhere.

Tagged as: Blogging, Productivity, professional development, writing