4 writing tips from my favorite authors

Writing every day feels like a muscle cramp that just won’t go away.

I've been writing online for 2 years, yet I struggle.

You're thinking it. I said it.

And with all the bad advice lingering around Twitter and LI, it gets even more frustrating.

But I promise you, if you find the right mentors (like I did), it will get easier drastically.

Now, I won't say you will start producing 4000 words every day and become an overnight Twitter star.

But it will make the process bearable.

Let's dive in:

1. Scott Solves – Does it solve a problem?

"Calculate 9024 x 2045 = ? in your head.

Can you do it? I know I can't. But I'm sure if you wrote the problem down on paper you could solve it.

This is why it amazes me why so few people actually write down their thoughts when exploring a personal problem.

Scott H Young"

This captures the essence of why I write.

Writing down my thoughts makes the problem tangible. It now exists on the papers. It might not be the perfect way to describe the problem, but it's at least a start.

Somehow, it also gives me the illusion that the problem is off my mind. It gives my problems a physical home to exist.

My problems are usually about business. That would mean fixing client retention, improving lead generation and improving quality.

So, I write thoughts on the problem in an unstructured way. Like why it bothers me. How it is making my life unbearrable and what I think will possibly solve it.

Then, I would return to it in 2-3 days, and my mind is already building on the foundation I made earlier.

I'm making progress.

Even though it's hit-and-miss, it's still way better than leaving it hanging in my head.

It takes a heavy burden off my chest, which is more than I could ask for.

Also, some of the best content I wrote came from this process.

2. Clear's curiosity – Do you care about the topic?

" Write about what fascinates you. You don't need to be an expert. Curiosity leads to expertise.

James clear "

Many times, early in my career, I wrote about topics I had no fucking interest in.

So why did you write them? To go viral, of course.

Sometimes, it was bad entrepreneurial advice. Other times, it was a breakdown of trendy topics.

But I failed to produce anything good—every single time.

I simply had no interest in the topic. My greedy mind forced it upon me, so I never conducted quality research on it.

It didn't solve my problem, and the research never went past Google's page 1.

But then I started writing about a topic that excited me.

Boredom. Becoming a better learner and building personal brand.

Every time, it hit home.

It may not have been a big success in terms of monetization, but it was definitely something I was proud of.

3. Ryan's research – Have you researched thoroughly?

" If you want to be able to make compelling case for something — whether it's in a book, on a blog, or in a multi-million dollar VC pitch — you need stories that frame your arguments, rich anecdotes to compliment tangible examples, and impressive data so you can empirically crush counter arguments.

But good research doesn't magically appear. Stories, anecdotes and data have to be found before they can be used.

Ryan Holiday "

Experts often tell you just to start writing.

I don't agree with the advice. I believe in knowledge-transforming writing and not knowledge-telling writing.

Knowledge telling is what kids do when you tell them to write. They write their running thoughts in no order. It's like spitting your consciousness onto paper. On the other hand, knowledge transforming is actively persuading people using research, stories and anecdotes.

But this has to be found before you sit down to write. You don't magically stumble upon a great idea. You have to work hard for it. You have to do research. You've to do the boring work.

Find scientific studies, presentations, infographics, videos, statistics and facts.

You should have an outline before you sit down to write.

That's why I tell my ghostwriting clients to do their niche research themselves.

Or give me a good source to pull the data.

It maintains the quality.

4. Cal's concentration – Have you blocked out all distractions?

"The more comfortable you are concentrating intensely for long periods of time the more successful and productive you'll be as a writer.

My advice is always to start with training your cognitive fitness before diving into your first big writing project just like you'd train your cardiovascular fitness before trying to run a marathon. In other words, National Novel Writing Month would be a lot more successful if it was preceded by National Don't Use Social Media Month.

Cal Newport "

This one is a little personal cause I'm a productivity nerd.

But it has profoundly changed the quality of my writing. Who knew that simply installing an app blocker (freedom) would double the words I produced?

Earlier, I used to write with 9 tabs open, in which I'm talking to one creator in Twitter DMs. In one, I'm watching a podcast, and in one, I'm trying to write.

I suffered from attention residue and context switching.

One kept the previous task running in the background on my system. The other is the root cause of producing shallow work.

Now, I've been clean for 14 months. ( I promise)

I simply live in a no-distraction world. I have a specified time when I use social media ( between 6 pm and 10 pm), and the rest of the time, I stay in a deep zone.

All the research happens inside that tiny slot ( if the data is on youtube or any other social media platform.)

The writing happens throughout the day.

Instead of taking breaks from focus, I take breaks from distractions.

To conclude, Good writing comes from:

1. solving your own problems

2. playing with your curiosity

3. doing thorough research

4. blocking out distractions

Have a great writing session.