Don’t think you’re a writer? Think again.
Every text, email, and happy/angry customer review you send is content.
Now, if you make content for a living or want to make a living doing it but can’t seem to find traction, this is the article for you.
Name an inventor who's remembered for their mistakes. I'll wait.
Thousands of experiments could blow up in their face, but it takes a single win for them to go down in history. Content creators should take this to heart.
You'll make a thousand writing mistakes before you go viral. I know because I still make tons of mistakes. Even my most "viral" pieces have something I want to improve on. Every post is a lesson. It's not about what you do right, but the mini failures you can learn from. There are reasons people ignore your work.
Here are five of them.
You're not writing for publications
Lately, there's been a lot of hubbub that publications are dead and that writers don't need them anymore.
I think that's a steaming heap of Colorado oysters. Publications put your work front and center in the eyes of massive audiences. I tested the theory myself. I posted a story without a publication, and it got eight views.
Then I posted this about LinkedIn through a publication, and it broke 1,000 views in a week. It's worth the small amount of effort it takes to find the right publications for your stories.
Not only that, but when you submit to a publication, you have to center your content around a specific topic. Knowing an editor holds the key to your article's success is enough to keep it laser-focused.
You're not following the trend
When I first started blogging, I frolicked through the meadows of topics.
I wrote a couple of startup stories that did well; then, I lost my focus. I started writing about "writing" too much for someone without much authority. I did it because it was easy, and honestly, I didn't have any unique stories to tell.
As a result, my views plummeted, and I tried to write even more "writing" stories to make up for it. I bought myself a one-way ticket to burnout station. Eventually, I stopped writing purely with my feelings, and I used real-time data to figure out what people were talking about.
Google Trends is a great place to start. I scroll down to "Recently trending" and pick topics I'm relatively knowledgeable in. Then I read a few articles and quoted experts on the subject.
Be a journalist and take a unique angle on your story. Edit and submit your story to the right publication and watch the views pour in.
Your grammar sucks
But there's an easy fix.
Use writing software like Grammarly or Hemingway. Neither of these tools is free, but the time they save you is worth the money. Not only does Grammarly point out the mistakes I never would've noticed, but it helps me write faster.
Grammarly helps me embrace flow states. I make tons of mistakes while I type. It would take me days to write an essay back in college because I would edit while I wrote. Now I just let my hands do the talking. I throw typos all over the screen, like Connor McGregor throwing the first pitch at a baseball game.
When I forget about editing while I write, I enter the flow state, which allows me to reach peak writing performance. In the flow state, I don't care about my mistakes. I write. It's simple in concept but harder to execute in real life.
Other than that, you should use writing software so big publication editors will take you seriously.
You aren't writing consistently
I'm a believer that anyone can make it as a writer.
It just takes a few years to get comfortable with yourself. That's not too much to ask for, is it? Writing every day isn't in the cards for everyone. Unless you do it out of the pure joy of writing your thoughts down for others to read, writing isn't something people are naturally inclined to do.
I do it for two reasons. First, I see massive potential. I know one day I can make a small business out of it. Second, I learned to love writing. I look forward to the 30–45 minutes I set aside for myself to type away.
I'm probably the eleven thousandth person to say consistent writing is essential. Everyone says that, but not everyone tells you how to improve your consistency.
The trick is to make writing effortless. Like I mentioned before, flow states are one way to make writing easier. Writing three stories every week isn't that crazy of a goal when you learn to publish one story weekly.
I was once there, and now I can publish seven stories a week if I want. It's a matter of putting in small bits of effort os more extended periods.
You think you know everything
Go ahead and hop off your high horse.
We're all in the same boat here. Some are here to read; others are here to write. Be both those people. There is a lot to learn from writers who've been at it longer than you.
You don't have to read a ton to become a better writer, but you should definitely pick a few muses and read everything they put out. My favorite bloggers each have a unique style that resonates with me. I aspire to be like them but in my own way.
I'm not saying you should be a copycat. Just because one author writes about Bitcoin doesn't mean you should take the same story and write about it too. Instead, take a different angle. You can write about the same topics but use your voice and sentence structure. I've dealt with plagiarizers, and it isn't fun.
Be inspired, not Command-C.
To sum things up
You're here: that's step one.
People love to talk about their dreams of becoming a writer. They all want to produce a book, but either they don't know what it will be about yet, or they know but don't have the time to write a single word of it down.
Remember this: nobody cares about you. You're just like the thousands of other hopeful writers who signed up on a platform hoping to be a prolific god of words. Nobody will care about you until you make them. That means you have to put massive amounts of time, energy, and effort into your craft. The sooner you integrate solid writing habits, the better off you'll be.
But, regardless of your skepticism, enjoy the moment. You'll look fondly on your time as an underground writer once you make it.