The ball is in your court if you want to grow as a writer. You can do it, but where will you begin this journey?
The first step is to start to describe what you do in detail.
What do you do?
‘I’m a writer’ is a bit vague. I have no idea what that looks like. You’re a writer of what?
A writer who writes fiction – fiction writer
A writer who writes movies – scriptwriter
If you sell products with copy – a copywriter
You get the idea?
When you start being specific, you become a writer recognized for their work. You will understand the kind of community to join.
Talking about community, let’s get to the main thing.
How to grow as a writer
These are a few ideas that can help you become better at what you do and achieve your dreams.
1. Become better at marketing
Most beginners start by creating something they feel in their bones, an inspiration, anger, or passion. Most times, this doesn’t meet market demand. Many new writers finish writing and realize no one is passionate about the topic as they are.
Sorry.
Usually.
Unless you’re writing in your diary, you expect feedback if you put it out. So, that makes it a kind of product. Therefore, you have to fine-tune it. Polish it. Otherwise, no one will love it that much.
So, learn marketing. It will help you understand and shape your ‘product’ better. You don’t have to get a degree in marketing. Just try to understand the basics.
Most people don’t need to understand marketing to become writers. In this case, their success will depend on working with someone who does, such as a professional marketer or an agent. If an agent or publisher has rejected you, that’s a sign they are giving you feedback on your understanding of marketing. (They think it’s hard to sell or market your book.) So, understanding their (marketing) point of view will be beneficial.
If you want to grow as a writer, learn marketing. It will help you. You can start with some marketing books. Sadly, I have no particular recommendations.
Here is a thing you don’t want to hear: many of the bestselling authors are good at marketing – though it might be a subconscious thing.
How to become better at marketing as a writer.
- Read How to become a rich writer.
- Learn marketing using deliberate practice.
- Join an active community of readers and contribute.
- Study or read about marketing.
2. Read VORACIOUSLY
One of the ways to measure the quality of a person’s thoughts is how much they read.
And quality writing is about having quality thoughts more often. People care about the thinking behind the writing more than your style, so read quality works. Start with some classic literary fiction, then essays and non-fiction.
Read Dostoversky, Virginia Woolf, Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, etc.
- The 20-minute rule can help you read more voraciously.
What really makes a good writer is the quality of how they think. Most of us read good books and wish we could get into the minds of these authors.
Read. Good. Stuff.
3. Fight For Something or A Course
Life is unfair and will remain unfair unless you take a stand. As a writer, you have a weapon to change the world.
You can outrightly defend women’s rights or use your books as a tool for humanity like Virginia Woolf, Margaret Atwood, and Chimamanda Adichie.
Stand for something. Ensure you stand up no matter how hard it is because nothing might change if people like you do not say or write something.
If you follow some of your favorite authors, you’ll realize they and for something important. It could be anything. There is so much unfairness in this world.
4. Challenge Yourself
Is there something that you think is impossible for you as a writer? Why not put it to the test?
Last year, I tried to write one blog post per day for thirty days. I quit on the tenth day because I had to write for others. One day, I will try it again.
You can choose something different. Say, write a novel, or build an audience on Twitter. You challenge yourself, and trust me; you will learn something intricate by doing that, something you wouldn’t have learned if you didn’t start. I once wrote a story about how I started this blog. It’s all about doing something despite the odds. You can bet I know more about SEO, content writing, and making money writing than the average writer who has never tried.
If you want to grow as a writer, you have to really challenge yourself. Then, do it.
5. Partner with people who are great at what they do
Write about people that fascinate you. Work with them if you can. Not only does that give you a desire to write well or something of quality, but it will also help you learn how other great people approach life and their work, and this can be both enlightening and humbling.
You can talk to some popular people and ask if you can tell their story or have an interview. Edit it to make it readable and interesting. Then publish it.
I have seen this work, and become a great thing for both partners.
Examples:
- Felix Dennis and Don Atyeo wrote Muhammad Alli: The Glory Years.
- Cecil Murphy and Ben Carson wrote Gifted Hands.
- Tim Uban wrote a series of articles about Elon Musk.
How do writers become successful?
It’s a bit of everything — learning about marketing, challenging yourself, working with people who can make you famous, and not giving up on it before you make it. The last part might be a bit delusion, but it’s needed if you want to succeed at writing, if you want to succeed at anything.
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