There are as many ways to write as there are writers – but there are still some tips and tricks that work no matter what you’re writing! Here’s an outline of what I see great writers doing and recommending, as well as what works for me! See if you have anything to add to this list of tips for the wordsmiths of the web.
Read
You’ve heard it said over and over – a writer needs to be a reader first! But you can’t just let yourself get sucked into a story or article. Make sure you’re looking back and figuring out how the writing tugged at your heartstrings or kept you engaged. Short sentences? Clear organization? Just the right details? Start picking up on those clues.
Get inspired
Figure out a way – or multiple ways! – to keep track of ideas whenever they strike. Jot down notes, or write an email or text message to yourself. Keep track of articles that leave you thinking “I could have told you that,” as well as ones that you find inspiring and helpful.
If you start doing research directly related to what you are planning to write, keep track of what you read. You might be surprised what sticks in your head and what you want to cite or link back to later.
Think
When you sit down to write your own piece, it’s the time to weed through your notes and inspiration and decide what you’re doing. What are you going to write about? Who will want to read it? Where or how will they want to have access to it? A website or blog post might be a better location for a tutorial, while a book or ebook might be a better avenue to publish fiction.
And make sure you don’t trivialize your own knowledge. It’s easy to assume that everyone else knows the same tips and tricks as we do, but that is far from being true. If you’re completely stumped, think about how you might explain what you’re trying to convey to a child, or your parents.
Write
Your words can’t be stuck in your head forever. Sometimes you have to “just do it.” Start writing, even when the sentences sound choppy or you don’t feel like you can get in the groove. Many people even set timers for themselves, and race to see how much they can get written down in 10 or 15 minutes, or turn off all distractions for an hour or two.
Try beginning in the middle, so that you don’t have to worry about writing a great introduction when you’re just getting started. Remember, this is not the time for perfection, just raw material!
Edit
Now that all your ideas and information is on the page, start looking at it with a more critical eye. You might even want to step away and come back to what you’ve written later! Check and make sure all your industry jargon is defined, characters are introduced, and the tone is consistent throughout.
This is also the time to look a little closer at submission guidelines if you are hoping to get your work published by someone else. What is the length requirement (maximum and minimum)? How should you cite or link to your sources? Do you need to add a picture or a bio?
Proofread
At this point you have already made lots of stylistic changes, and everything should be wrapped together. Now you should make sure that you don’t have any egregious errors in your spelling and punctuation. Know your audience instead of clinging too closely to grammatical perfection – you can generally get away with sentence fragments and casual language more easily on the internet than in a trade magazine.
Publish
You’ve read through it a couple times – now is the time to let it go. Post it on your blog or email it to your editor. It’s way too easy to get stuck in the edit/proofread cycle, but good and published is better than perfect and unpublished any day of the week.
Publicize
Now that it’s up, you need to let the world know! Whether it’s a tweet, a share, or an email, find ways to share your work with others.
And as you’re out on the social media networks, be sure you’re responding to what others are promoting, too. Start to build a supportive network of writers or niche experts – this will be a great resource to get you started with some more reading material and inspiration.
And, believe it or not, you’re back to the beginning again! As you make your way through this cycle, you’ll start discovering how it works best for you.
Do you have other tips or tricks?