writing advice Archives

7 Ways To Be A Successful Writer, No Matter How New You Are

by Adam Oakley | May 27, 2015 | Copywriting

Call me biased, but writing is one of my favorite things. It doesn’t matter if I am writing up web copy, blogs, book reviews, or short fiction, writing is something I deeply enjoy and I am not alone. There are many people out there who love writing, but there are also many out there who want to get started to see just what it’s all about.

However, it can be tricky when you’re a new writer, and looking for advice is one of the first things you do – hence why you’re here, right?

If you’re new to writing, then this blog is perfect for you because I will be going over some great, first-time writer tips that can help you create excellent content, no matter what.

Many of these are things I’ve learned over time and want to share my little bits of wisdom with anyone making their way in the writing world.

7 Ways A New Writer Can Be Successful

There are many ways to be successful when it comes to writing, but there are a few that I think stand out from the rest. Let’s take a look at what you can do to have a successful writing career whether you are writing a book or focusing on blogging for your business.

Write One Word, and Then Another and Another. This is incredibly common sense, but many new writers get so caught up trying to “be the best” in writing that they forget. When you are starting out as a writer and are looking for excellent tips, the best one to start with is simply to write. Write one word, then another and another until you have a sentence and so on. This is something award-winning author Neil Gaiman is known for saying, and it is incredibly helpful and true. When you focus too hard on getting the best short story, wanting the next Harry Potter franchise or having a stellar content campaign like Disney, you will get discouraged easily. However, if you just start to write and keep writing, you will find that you are able to come up with great content no matter what it is you are writing.

Know Your Resources and Follow Them. Writers all need to have resources, no matter if they are writing fiction, non-fiction, or focusing on writing web copy. Resources help give direction for content and give great, useful information. If you don’t use resources, you can end up saying things that aren’t true or writing something incorrectly. For example, if you are writing a story based in the 1940s, you need to make sure you know the lingo they used. In addition, if you are writing web copy and want to rank with great SEO, you need to know what to do.Following SEO resources like Moz or Copyblogger can help provide you with the information you need. This will help keep you informed about SEO changes, as well as helping you create excellent content for your website or blog. No matter what you are writing, you will be able to find resources and you need to make sure you have access to them.

Don’t Stress if Your Writing isn’t Top Quality Right Away. Writing is like playing an instrument or learning a new language, it takes time to master it. Even then, there will always be something new to learn, and you can’t expect to know it all. When you first start out writing, it isn’t going to be near as good as it could be simply because you are out of practice. Think of this; if you know a small amount of French but never practice it, you are going to have a hard time going around France, aren’t you? However, if you practice French, you will have an easier time traveling the country and understanding the people. The same can be said about writing. Keep practicing, and you will improve over time. When you first write and read your copy, don’t get discouraged if you feel it isn’t top quality or if someone gives you constructive criticism. Keep writing, and you’ll be epic in no time.

Set Aside Time Each Day to Write. When I first started writing, I made sure that I set aside time each and every day to write. This is important because it helped with what I mention in point one – getting in the practice of writing and improving. Before I became a copywriter, I wrote short stories and little prose poems each day just to write, and that helped me work towards a goal of awesome writing. This helped immensely once I started in the content field, and since I was already in the practice of writing every day, there wasn’t much shifting to my writing schedule. Now, I write several thousand words a day, and it helps to grow my writing capabilities. Since you’re just now starting out, consider setting aside thirty minutes each day and bump it up to an hour or more as you get used to it. Work out that brain and your fingers, and you’ll be incredibly happy with the results.

Stream of Consciousness Writing and Writing as You Speak Can Be Excellent. Stream of consciousness writing is a style of writing that is was popular amongst authors such as Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, and Virginia Woolf. It is even still a major part of modern American literature and is something you can expect to read when buying books or even reading blogs. While you don’t always want to write in a stream of consciousness manner, this can help you create excellent written work that flows and sounds natural. Another way to achieve this is simply to write as you speak. Basically, doing these two types of writing will help you write content that is easy to read, flows well, and makes more sense to a casual reader. However, if you do end up going the stream of consciousness route, always make sure to proofread and have someone else look over it to make sure it makes sense.It is wise to know that stream of consciousness might not work as well for web content, as web content needs to have more structure to it. However, this can really help improve your writing if you follow point number four and write every day. Stream of consciousness makes that goal easier to achieve and helps you work on excellent ideas, as well helping you flesh out various points. You might even find you can create great blogs by writing in this format and then going back and making changes to help it be more structured.

Avoid the Urge to Follow Popular Formulas. It can be easy to mimic popular, successful formulas when you start out writing. It seems like the way to go when you want to be successful, but that isn’t always the case. In fact, if you focus on following common formulas, you have a higher chance of learning bad habits, and you won’t improve. You can always gain inspiration from other writers, blogs, and websites, but you should always make sure you make it your own. This will help set you apart from others and make your writing something people prefer. You want to be known as someone who has new ideas, and can make readers think or give readers something to enjoy. You don’t want people to think you don’t have an original idea as that can lose readers quickly. Write original content consistently, and your writing success will take off incredibly.

Don’t Hesitate to Take a Journalistic Approach to Writing. Approaching writing for your business’s blog can be daunting. However, a great way to start creating excellent content, even as a new writer, is to start writing with a journalistic approach. This can give you a great formula to start with, and help you craft excellent material that will get read by your clients, and might even get you noticed by industry leaders. This is even a great idea for up and coming authors, especially if you want to engage with your potential audience via blogs when promoting any of your work. A journalistic approach means that you write the pertinent information first, give more explanation about said information, and then give the general info towards the end. Use this when writing your blogs whether you are writing news content or just writing a plain, simple blog post for your followers or fans.

Write On!

Don’t fret about being a perfect writer just yet. Just focus on writing and having fun, and you will begin to see awesome results from readers. Once you start writing consistently, you will see improvement in your style, more clicks on blogs, and you might just even get published! Whatever your goal for writing is, these tips are sure to help you and give you the best chance possible.

If you are still unsure about writing, especially for your business’s blog, Express Writers can help. We have a great team of dedicated writers who have all experienced the awesomeness of the written word. We can provide you with excellent copy, no matter what it is you’re looking for. Take a look at our services to see just how our team can help you create excellent, written content.

Photo credit: VladimirFLoyd / iStock

How to Write Like Oscar Wilde: Use Elite Wisdom to Conquer Writer’s Block

by Adam Oakley | Feb 22, 2014 | Copywriting

If you’re a writer – and if you’re reading this, you probably are – you have no doubt experienced that infamous bane of all creatives.

It happens when you’re staring at a blank page, screen, or canvas, and your mind is equally empty:

Writer’s block.

It can plague you for a few hours, a few days, or even months. It comes and goes as it pleases. Your flighty muse flits away, and you’re left without any words.

When writer’s block hits, you can easily succumb to it – I know I have, many a time.

Or, you can fight back and get your brain humming once again.

A great strategy to use when you’re fumbling for the right words is to look to the greats.

These writers battled it all: not only writer’s block, but lack of interest, rejection, publishing nightmares, and even their own demons. They came through it all with printed masterpieces.

So, when your muse is hiding, don’t despair. Instead, think about how to write like Oscar Wilde, George Orwell, Ernest Hemingway, Shakespeare, and other incredibly engaging authors that can elevate your muse to new heights. Read our blog for inspiration!

How to Turn Off Writer’s Block and Write Like Oscar Wilde in 6 Steps

In 2013, experts discovered a letter written by Oscar Wilde that had been previously unknown. In it, Wilde gives tips and advice to an aspiring writer over 13 pages.

One of the main points he expounded on in this precious artifact was this:

“Make some sacrifice for your art, and you will be repaid, but ask of art to sacrifice herself for you and a bitter disappointment may come to you.”

Unpacking this tidbit, as well as other pieces of advice from Wilde’s work, gives great insight for getting over your own writer’s block. You may even become a better writer.

To write like Oscar Wilde and other greats, sit up and pay attention. Let’s dive in!

1. Understand That Writing Takes Effort

Image from Quote Addicts

Writing isn’t easy. That’s why there are so many bad writers out there – it truly is an art that must be mastered.

When Wilde says “Make some sacrifice for your art,” he means you’ve got to put in the sweat, the tears, and the pain to come out with something worthwhile.

After all, if writing was easy, nobody would ever suffer from writer’s block. In fact, the skill wouldn’t be so highly prized, and businesses wouldn’t bother paying content writers to write their copy for them.

To put it simply, you need to accept that writer’s block comes with the gig. There will be ups and downs, and if you can’t get with the program, you’ll be “bitterly disappointed,” as Wilde says.

What matters is the act of creating, even if it’s like pulling teeth. After all, you can always edit later.

[clickToTweet tweet=”Beat writer’s block by writing like #OscarWilde with this advice from @ExpWriters!” quote=”Beat writer’s block by writing like #OscarWilde with this advice from @ExpWriters!”]

2. Read Widely and Gather Inspiration

Another famous Oscar Wilde quotes sings to this tune:

“It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.”

If you don’t have inspiration to pull from, your well is sure to run dry. As writers, we read not only for entertainment, but for instruction, inspiration, and insight.

So, to improve your writing, read. Read as much as you can, and read widely. The more of the written word you absorb, the deeper your inspirational well.

But remember: don’t copy. Emulate. Practice. Your own style should emerge from your “research.”

And yes, reading is research. That’s one of the great things about being a writer – your passion and interests feed each other.

Comic from Grant Snider

3. Have Faith in Your Point of View

You’re unique in this world. You have something to say – so say it. According to Wilde,

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”

Don’t be afraid to express an opinion, do something a little differently, or take a leap with your writing. These things are what make your writing yours.

If you’re holding back and it’s causing you to stare blankly at a blinking cursor, stop. Think: what are you afraid of?

Confidence in your unique point of view will take you far in your writing, but remember to avoid cockiness. Nobody likes the snooty writer who brags about their skills.

4. Don’t Fear Failure

A fear of failure can make you want to put your head in the sand and never pick up a pen again.

But, as Wilde says,

“Experience is merely the name men give to their mistakes.”

In short, failure can actually make you a better writer. Failure is experience – you lived through something awful, and you survived to tell the tale. You’re probably a stronger person for it, too. Use that to your advantage!

Failure is never the enemy. Failing to try, however, is.

So, when writer’s block hits, forget worrying about whether your words suck. This anxiety can freeze your brain. Instead, just start. Just try.

5. Don’t Rely on Tired Phrases and Clichés

Using clichés is a good way be unoriginal. These are phrases that people have used in both speech and writing, over and over again, to describe a particular situation, feeling, or person.

This next bit of advice, which comes from George Orwell, is simple: don’t use them! As he says,

“Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.”

Why shouldn’t you do this? Not only is it unoriginal, it’s a lazy way to write. Instead of describing a person, place, or thing in a new way that’s unique to your perspective, you’re falling back on overused descriptions that have long since lost their meaning.

Examples:
“It’s like beating a dead horse.”
“There’s no use crying over spilled milk.”
“It’s like throwing the baby out with the bathwater.”

6. Just Write

According to Henry Miller,

“When you can’t create you can work.”

Even if it feels impossible, just start writing. Get the words on paper, one after another. Don’t just sit there. Write.

If the words sound stupid, good. If you’re forgetting to use correct punctuation, great. If you hate every word you’re putting down, even better.

Open up a blank document in your word processor and start typing. Grab a notebook or journal and a pen, and just scribble. You can even write fragments and ideas on post-its and stick them around your desk.

The point is to get the words out there. You can worry about the rest later – that’s what editing is for.

You’ll never get anywhere if you don’t write through the tough times when the words aren’t flowing. In fact, you may find that the difficult times outnumber the ones where your writing is spinning effortlessly from your mind, like Rumpelstiltskin spinning straw into gold.

If you wait to write until the muse is sitting on your shoulder, crooning in your ear, then you’ll only write sporadically, if at all. And, if you never write unless you’re feeling good, you’ll never become better at your craft.

This infographic from Copyblogger says it succinctly:

How to Write Like Oscar Wilde: Break Through Mental Blocks with Perseverance

Writers write. That’s all there is to it.

They write when they’re happy. They write when they’re sad. They write through mental blocks, and they write through bad days. No matter the circumstances, they keep pushing. They accept failure as experience and keep going.

To overcome your own writing hang-ups, take advice from the greats, like Oscar Wilde, George Orwell, Henry Miller, and more, and run with it.

Remember: writing is hard. You have to forget the fear of failure. You need to have confidence in your point of view. Use your own unique insights. Most importantly, just write.

Share Your Writing Insight and Experience

Finally, once you have acquired your own wisdom about how to write like Oscar Wilde and other great authors, pass it on. As Wilde says:

“The only thing to do with good advice is pass it on. It is never any use to oneself.”

Now that we’ve examined the words of great writers, what about you? What are some practical tips and strategies you’ve used to stave off writer’s block and get back to work? We’d love to hear your ideas!

At Express Writers, we’re always growing our writing skills to bring you the best content to boost your business – check out our Content Shop to find out what we can do for you.