Most new writers follow the traditional writing advice, such as:
- Find your niche
- Write for one person
- Write daily
- etc.
This advice should be retired because there is no single perfect writing strategy that will make you a better writer.
When I began writing online, I sucked (like most of us do). Nobody read my articles, and the pain of not getting the outcome for the tremendous amount of work I did was extremely tough.
Later, I realized I was making a significant mistake that led to those results. The problem wasn’t in my writing; it was in my habit of trying to write perfectly.
I would find the best idea and write the perfect headlines. I made sure that each sentence was well-written. I would spend hours researching just to finish my 1500-word essay.
The problem wasn’t in the effort, but in my “desire” to achieve a perfect outcome because I was making the effort.
The outcome: disappointments all over the place. For the 2 hours I spent writing and perfecting an article, I wouldn’t even get 20 views. And it was almost the same for all my articles. Only a few would receive 50–100 views.
The best decision I made was letting go of perfection.
I loved writing, but because of my inner need to get the perfect outcome for everything I wrote, I struggled.
So, I made a shift that was a game-changer. I stopped expecting and started acting. It means I didn’t think much about ideas, niches, or audience categories. Instead, I wrote about everything and anything that came to my mind.
Also, the most significant shift was letting go of my desire to get perfect outcomes.
Instead of focusing on something I couldn’t control (views, likes, followers, etc.), I began doing what I could control (writing more, engaging with the audience, and learning).
Write, no matter what.
The goal now wasn’t to get 10,000 views. Instead, it was to finish my 8:00 a.m. article. The only thing I knew that mattered was showing up and giving my best.
The rest wasn’t in my control. There was no point in thinking about how many views my article got and how much money it made. The more I gave value to these metrics, the more I suffered. It also impacted my future writings.
My goal was to write and to take one step at a time.
Hit publish and focus on writing the next piece — that’s what I did. Then, things started to change. Momentum grew.
I was able to create a large volume of work. I wrote daily, so my articles reached out to more people. I saw the metrics grow by not focusing on them.
That’s when it hit me that writing (or any creative work) isn’t about the outcome; it’s about the effort. The more you focus on doing the work, the less anxious you will be about the results. And when you keep going and repeat the process over and over, you improve. The results will show up without trying hard.
Do this to get better at writing.
Focus on writing. That’s it.
Pick a time that’s suitable for you to write. Make sure it’s uninterrupted. Make sure you’re caffeinated and ready to go.
Then, just write — no editing or overthinking the outcomes. Do your best and write. If you need to correct a sentence or a typo, do it later. For now, just focus on getting the thoughts out. Keep writing until you are happy with it.
Then, edit as if your life depends on it. You can do it after a few hours or the next day. That way, you get a fresh eye to look at your writing.
If you do that every day for at least 21 days, your writing will improve 10x, and you will see massive results.
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