The secret of good writing is to say an old thing a new way or to say a new thing an old way. – says Richard Harding Davis
Writing has always been an important skill. But in recent times, it has become even more important than ever. Whether for academic, career or business purposes, your ability to write effectively will make significant results in your life.
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I need not remind you that winning a scholarship comes with effective writing skills. Great marketing and advertising comes with great writing. And if you are looking to build a successful writing career, you can’t afford not to learn from the best.
You may not be a great writer yet. But there is hope that you can become a better writer than you are.
So today, we bring you 7 secrets of great writers to help you build a successful writing career. Number 4 is the most important secret of great writers.
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- Write every day.
This is one of the earliest advice I was given as I started learning how to be a good writer. Why should you write every day? Because, just like public speaking, exercising, or any other art or skill, writing is a skill that takes time and practice to develop. The more you write, the better you will become. Anthony Robbins at a point read somewhere that great public speakers speak every day. He then said to himself, “I will speak every day and more than once”. Start a blog or start writing for blogs on freelance or for free. The idea is to put yourself in the position where you have to write every day.
If you have a blog that you can update every day (and still write quality posts) do so. If you only update your blog once or twice a week, write short sentences on your social media accounts as often as you can.
- Have an idea Journal.
Sometimes we wish to write but encounter writer`s block. The pros have tactics to handle this better than most of us. They keep an idea journal. There are times when ideas flow through your mind and if not written down, they simply disappear. Jot them down. As you read other blogs, walk on the street, discuss with friends, you`ll find writing ideas flowing in your mind. Jot them on a note or an app. I use Evernote for this. This will help you to write more and better.
- Don`t wait for an idea.
Sometimes your mind is blank and there seems to be nothing coming out that your keyboard can smile at. Other times you have some writing ideas that seem not good enough. What great writers do is to sit down and start writing (yes, even if you are just ranting).
Don’t wait to be struck by an idea. If you`re a writer, you sit down and decide to have an idea. That is the way to get an idea. Sometimes your fingers can help your brain to get an idea of what to write.
- The Best Writers Steal from others
I stumbled upon this phrase years ago and it changed my life as a writer, “Great content are not written; they are assembled.”
There is a similar saying to that. “If you steal from one author, it’s plagiarism; if you steal from many, it’s research.“ Steal in this case refers to research.
You cannot be a great writer without being a great researcher. The difference is that dumb writers steal a story (copy and paste) while the great writers steal more than one, absorb them, digest them and reproduce them. We writers are so lucky in this generation. You ask me why? I will tell you. For Napoleon Hills to write a hundred page book, he had to spend two years traveling and researching his topics in various libraries. You can write a better content in one week without leaving your room. Thanks to Google. Take advantage of this and become a better writer.
- Learn how to market your writing skill.
Just as musicians have to learn how to market their talent (or remain broke), writers have to see writing as a business and so learn how to market their writing skill. I love it when the popular American author, Robert Kiyosaki said, “I am not the best-writing author. I am the best-selling author.” Best-selling authors, sometimes are not the best writers. Note that. As writers, marketing is one of those subjects you must invest your time in learning. Your blog, your ads or your books will not sell, except you learn how to market. Great writers understand this. They write well and market well.
- Don`t write words, write images.
I know you have heard this more than once, “a picture speaks one thousand words”. This is so because human beings think in images (so to say). You think about this. You can remember something that happened to you five years ago easier than you can remember what someone told you last year. Even when we do remember what someone said, we remember it in term of the images the words project. We think and remember things as images. Write in images. How? Tell stories. Quote people. Use practical examples. This will keep your reader glue to your writing.
- Write the way you talk.
You`re probably not writing an academic report. Then, let your formality be minimized. Neil Patel, the blogger at Quick Sprout claims that the reason why two of his blogs did not grow as Quick Sprout is because the writers he employed there are not writing in conversational tones. Write the way you talk. Ask questions and answer your questions. Input some non-formal tones such as, “think about this” “give me a minute”, “okay, see this” etc. Your readers will flow easily with your written content.
Ultimately, there are numerous opportunities for writers today than ever. But the truth is that most writers today do not take time to sharpen their skills. If you follow these 7 secrets of great writers, you can stand out from the crowd.
What other attributes do you see in your favorite authors? Let us know in the comment section below.
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