avatarLiu Xing

Summary

The article outlines the key habits of highly effective writers, emphasizing writing for the reader, continuous skill improvement, and perseverance.

Abstract

The article "3 Habits Of Highly Effective Writers (And How To Become One)" delves into the practices that distinguish exceptional writers from the rest. It underscores the importance of understanding and serving the reader's needs, rather than writing solely for oneself. The author emphasizes the necessity of analyzing reader feedback and statistics to refine one's writing approach, ensuring that the content resonates with the intended audience. Additionally, the article highlights the significance of daily writing practice, learning from other writers, and maintaining an open mind to enhance one's craft. It also touches on the virtue of gratitude and the unyielding determination required to overcome the inevitable lows of a writing career. The author acknowledges their journey's infancy on Medium but expresses a commitment to the continuous development necessary to achieve greatness in writing.

Opinions

  • The author believes that writing with the reader in mind is crucial for success.
  • Effective writers should analyze their work's performance metrics to gain insights and improve their writing.
  • Writing every day and studying the work of others are seen as essential practices for honing one's writing skills.
  • Perseverance, fueled by gratitude and a refusal to give up, is considered a key differentiator between good and highly effective writers.
  • The author values the opportunity to share ideas with the world and views each step of the writing journey as significant, regardless of immediate success.
  • The article suggests that while talent and skill are important, the willingness to learn and adapt is what truly separates the best writers from the rest.

3 Habits Of Highly Effective Writers (And How To Become One)

What makes a writer good? What turns a good writer into a great one, and a great one into a highly effective one?

Photo by Sergey Zolkin on Unsplash

I’ve been on Medium for less than a month, but I’ve always been a writer.

So, I’ve always wondered:

What makes writers who have millions of followers different from a small writer like me?

Turns out, a lot of things. Some writers on Medium have hundreds of thousands of views, and others have written best-selling books. I would be lying if I said I didn’t want to be just like them.

Write For The Reader

When I write for myself, I don’t think about a target audience. But online, writing to the public, writing is about serving the reader.

What does the reader want, and what can I offer them?

I’m still searching for the answers to this question, and I know it is essential to finding success as a writer.

No one wants to read an article that has no value to them. This is not my journal, but rather a platform to share experience and knowledge with anyone in the world.

Thinking Of An Audience

I’ve heard and tried this method, so I think it might help you as well.

Our writing can’t appeal to every single person on this planet. Figuring out who is likely to read the article, and what they want from it is crucial. For example, when I wrote this article:

I thought of one person as my audience:

  • 25–30 year old person
  • Likes writing
  • A new writer on Medium
  • Is interested in improving/ my experiences

This isn’t necessarily an accurate description of the people that eventually read it, but it helps me shape the article in a way that best helps this imaginary reader.

Figuring Out What Works

I’ve been learning to analyse my Medium statistics, and use them to my advantage.

They aren’t just numbers on a screen. They’re clear insights on how to improve my writing.

Some articles have a very low read ratio. I can conclude that:

  • The title is interesting enough
  • The introduction can’t hold the readers’ attention
  • The reader didn’t get what they were expecting

Knowing this, I can go about improving my title and introduction. After more trial and error, I can figure out what the reader wants.

Improving The Skill

Photo by KAL VISUALS on Unsplash

There are good articles and bad articles. That’s a fact.

To be a highly-effective writer, your writing has to be good. I would say good writings has the following characteristics:

  • Clear, organised message or idea
  • Good use of language and few errors
  • Well formatted
  • Has value for the reader

I’m trying to improve my writing to these standards, and this will take practice.

Write Every Day

It’s practically impossible to become a great writer without gaining enough experience and practice.

Knowledge and expertise needs to be accumulated over time.

I write every single day. Not always a full article, but at least a few paragraphs. Since starting this habit, I think I’ve become a better writer than before.

Not highly-effective. But better, and improving.

Sometimes, I just write in my journal. I pen down thoughts, reflections and ideas I have. That’s all writing.

Studying The Craft

When I first started writing, I didn’t know how to write a good title, or an eye-catching introduction. Even now, I’m still learning.

So, every day, I spend time reading other writer’s work, and reading tips on how to write better articles.

Our minds are like a parachute. They only work when they’re open.

Highly effective writers are always learning, finding ways to make their writing better. That’s what can separate an excellent writer from a great one, and a great one from a good one.

Perseverance

Photo by Olli Kilpi on Unsplash

There’s one simple thing that differentiates those great writers.

They’ve simply put in more hours, written more articles and gained more experience. And most importantly, they’ve never given up.

I have only been on Medium for less than a month. Many other writers have years of experience more than I do. Naturally, they’ve amassed more followers and write better articles.

Gratitude

I’ve seen my reads and earnings fluctuate a lot. The lows are demoralising, and they have me questioning whether writing is for me.

I see stories of writers who gained thousands of followers in their first month, and see how much better they are than me.

I forget why I’m here to write in the first place.

Yes, the number of followers, earnings and reads are all at the back of my mind. But that’s not the most important thing.

Isn’t it crazy how I can write anything, and share it with the world? Even if it’s only a few people reading it? That’s amazing!

Never Give Up

I plan to write on Medium for years. I love writing, and sharing my ideas and learnings with the world.

Letting the low-points in my journey completely derail me would be quitting. And I am not a quitter. Eventually, hard work pays off, and the tiring climb up the mountain is worth the view at the top.

Grit is the key to success.

Writers who have hundreds of thousands of followers didn’t get there without grit. Otherwise, everyone could have achieved that level of success.

I remind myself:

  • So what if I got a lot of views today? If I stop writing, I’ll won’t have that many views tomorrow.
  • So what if I got no views today? Tomorrow might be the day one of my articles goes viral.

Things change, and you’ve got to stick around to see that change, turning dreams into a reality.

Conclusion

I’m a writer in progress.

There’s something that differentiates highly effective writers from small writers like me. The three points above might be that difference, so I’m going to work towards that.

We can all become great writers. It just takes time, grit, consistency, and an open mind.

I hope you found this article insightful. Thanks for reading!

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Writing
Writing Tips
Self Improvement
Productivity
Habits
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