3 Incredibly Simple and Effective Ways to Boost Your Writing Success

This trio of tips will get you farther faster

I’ve been writing for quite a while. I’ve thought about giving up so so many times. But there’s an inner Yoda inside me that says, ”Keep going, young Jedi. You have the power, but the Force is not mastered easily. Learn more, you must.”

And it’s been exasperating at times. And tiring. And disappointing. But I have attained so much information by pushing forward. I’ve begun to learn the “writing ropes,” and I’m growing now both as an artist and as a marketer of my own work.

Unfortunately, some of the truths I’ve come to comprehend about writing are unpleasant ones, but I know that only by accepting them will I continue to make progress. After all, self-deception is the biggest enemy of the writer, so I’m hoping to save you some time and anguish by sharing some important wisdom on some of the things you must do to be more successful as a writer.

You must be more patient

So often as writers, the minute we finish an article, we need immediate gratification and validation. So we pull the trigger. We go for the easy win. We scour the internet for publications that tell us they’ll get back to us in a week, two weeks, a month at most. Then we immediately hit the submit button.

And it’s a big mistake that successful writers avoid.

Why?

Because they know that many times there’s a reason these publications are so quick to let you know about the status of your article. They understand that these publications may be just like you, impatient and desperate to improve their readership by flinging every article submitted onto the front page to see what sticks. They may be impatient to grow their publication because it’s floundering so badly they fear it will go belly-up unless they publish massive amounts of articles at one time.

As a result, these publications may be indiscriminate. And while it’s still a “win” for you as a writer to see your writing in print and know that someone, somewhere will read it, it’s still not the smart move to make. And here are some reasons why.

Being patient will make you a better writer

Let me use an example from my job as an English teacher to help you understand. If I give a perfect grade to every paper in order to avoid hours of schoolwork at home, I’m not teaching my students anything. Wait, I take that back. I am teaching them something, and it’s not beneficial. I’m teaching them to believe their skills are better than they are. I’m giving them a false sense of success, and what’s worse, I’m indirectly reinforcing the belief they’ve learned everything they need to know.

And this may be the same inaccurate version of your own work that comes from submitting to the “sure thing” publication. No growth. No learning. And honestly, less exposure and readership in the long run.

The truth is if you are patient and submit your work to more selective publications, one of two things will happen. They will accept you and you will have the real “pat on the back” you want, or they will reject you and force you to dig deeper into your craft to understand what you’re doing wrong.

And learning more about what to do right and what to do wrong is absolutely essential to your growth as a writer.

Being patient will get more eyes on your work

In addition, if you do get published in one of these larger, more reputable publications, you writing will get to many eyes, not just a few. And that’s what we really want as writers, isn’t it?

So “go big or go home.” Be patient. Send your writing to the publications that will help you achieve your success in the long-run, those that will truly make your writing more read and make you more talented as well.

You must be more selective

Now, don’t go submitting to The New York Times because I said to try for the “big guns.” If your article is about how to grow a beautiful garden or how to decorate according to the principle of feng shui, it’s not going to make it to the front page. Or the back page either. Simply because that type of article is not what they’re looking for.

Do some research. Find out what publications have large readerships in your subject matter. Then submit to those publications. This way you will have readers who will truly be interested in your topics.

For example, I mentioned before that I am a teacher. I know without a doubt that after twenty-three years in education, most teachers and educators will want to read what I write. The things that interest me, interest them. The worries I struggle with, they struggle with also. And that’s where I’m going to excel as a writer. That’s where I’m going to find a large readership. That’s where I’m going to find success.

And I’m pretty sure that you have topics on which you feel knowledgeable. Confident. Where you can really give the “how-to’s” and “I feel you’s” your readers really desire.

As a matter of fact, I’m also sure that you have more than one area of expertise, so that means you don’t have to limit yourself to just one subject matter. But whatever the topic of your writing, make sure that the publications you submit to are both reputable and focused on the issues of your articles.

You must be you

This has been one of the hardest lessons for me to learn as a writer. I know the big publications that will get my name out there. And I’ve written lots for them and increased my readership. But the problem was that, because I knew they would give me the eyes and revenue I desired, I tried to keep writing what they wanted. And it burned me out.

Even before my hands touched the keyboard, I racked my mind trying to come up with articles I thought these big publications would like. And many times these forced articles were published and give me the benefits I wanted. Because I knew the game. I knew the formula.

But I also knew I was not inspired. And I knew that I could not do this indefinitely if I wanted to truly succeed as a writer. After all, there are only so many things you can talk about if the subject matter doesn’t move you. You begin to run out of ideas. You begin to spend hours forcing yourself to recreate their formula when it’s just not you. And the worst thing is you begin to hate writing.

So please trust me when I say that your “tribe” is out there, that there are people that care about those subjects you feel passionately about. There are people that want to read hundreds of articles on Star Wars. There are audiences who are dying to know more about makeup or philosophy or horses or science.

These are your people, your family. They will be the ones who will keep coming back to read you. And you will not disappoint them because you get them, and they get you. Not only that, you will have less writer’s block and less burnout. You will come to the keyboard inspired, not frustrated.

In short, be you, and you will find an audience of other “you’s.” Publish for these people and I promise you will see more success.

The bottom line:

Bruce Lee said that “the successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.” And if you’ve written for any amount of time, you know that writing is many times an uphill battle. So be a great soldier by focusing on the most important rules of “writing warfare.” Know your strengths. Be patient. And be thoughtful about the strategies that will get you the ultimate victory.