3 Quick Tips To Be a Better Writer On Medium and Beyond

And make some great contacts along the way!

Do you worry as a writer — whether here on Medium or anywhere else — that one day your creativity will dry up?

If you do, you’re probably not alone, and this is near the top of my writing worry list. The thought the ideas and, even worse, the words stop flowing fills me with terror.

I’m trying to avoid using the phrase “Writer’s Block” as that’s a whole other subject for another time. For some such as Terry Pratchett, there is no such thing, with his belief that:

“There’s no such thing as writer’s block. That was invented by people in California who couldn’t write.”

I’m not sure I agree with this assertion and err more towards the view of psychologist Paul Silvia who believes that:

“Naming something gives it object power. People can overthink themselves into deep dark corners, and writer’s block is a good example.”

Whatever your view, anxiety associated with starting, continuing and finishing your writing — and injecting fresh ideas — is very real.

Tips to keeps yourself on track as a writer

As much as I’d like to believe I’m the best writer out there, I know that’s not the case. In whatever walk of life, someone is going to be better than you at something, and that’s fine.

Almost as if it was pointing me toward writing this, I read an article on Medium yesterday about quotes from Buddha, and this one is very apt:

“He who envies others does not obtain peace of mind.”

Rather than being envious of others, try engaging with them in a way that’s comfortable for you.

In the spirit of “practice what you preach”, here are three approaches I have taken. The idea is to keep my writing fresh, to engage with other creative minds, and to share mutual support.

Tip 1 — learn from those who are giants of their profession

In my “day job” I often hear the phrase and plea to “not reinvent the wheel”. The same is true with your writing. How long have authors been writing books and learning their trade? So, why not absorb their advice?

Across the writing communities I engage with on social media, I share what I find are motivating and valuable pieces of writing advice.

Framed with a question related to the tip this generates thoughtful and unexpected discussion about other author’s experiences and how they have tackled a certain issue. This can open up so many new perspectives on how to approach your own writing.

Tip 2 — there are so many ways to be inspired

One piece of famous wisdom from Stephen King is that:

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.”

Few writers would disagree with this. But my second tip comes at this from a different angle and another saying that “a picture is worth a thousand words”.

How about turning this on its head and saying:

“A picture can inspire a thousand words.”

Here are a couple of images — from nature and architecture — that inspire me.

What do you draw from these images is the question I ask the writing communities I’m part of? Every time the responses coming back are rich, diverse and so different to what I’ve taken from them. The flood of ideas inspires me, and I hope does for those engaging with these exercises.

Tip 3 — staying on top of the latest trends

There is a sea of literature out there — no pun intended — on how to improve as a writer and how to balance the production of your work with new and emerging ways to share and promote what you create.

No one person can stay on top of all of this information, but curating and sharing a few of the articles that talk to you can be rewarding.

Recent areas of interest to me have been thoughts on common mistakes writers make, how to write faster and what makes a great author website.

Topics such as these all have a bearing and impact on your ability to write well, your confidence and your focus. I have learnt so much from reading the experiences of other writers that I now draw on.

There really is nothing more affirming than reading experiences and advice from those walking the same writing path as you.

But is it really worth the effort?

This is a fair question, and there is no doubt this effort to engage with other writers takes up time and impacts on how long I have to write — whether on Medium or elsewhere.

From my experience, the benefits far outweigh this one small downside. I continue to learn so much from the wisdom and knowledge of others that I bring into my writing. There is no cost — other than time — associated with anything suggested above. You have nothing to lose as a writer in giving these sorts of things a go.

But here’s the real bonus, and what I didn’t expect when I began this approach. I have a growing list of other benefits beyond fuelling my creativity. Here are just a few:

• I’ve met so many fantastic people and writers
• I’ve read brilliant articles and books I didn’t know about previously
• Writers have read and reviewed my work
• Plans for collaborations on future Medium articles
• Kind offers to work with me to develop their own skills and mutual learning

Whether you believe in Writer’s Block, there are many ways and no shortage of talented people who can keep you on the track to creativity.

Give it a go!

If you enjoyed my article, here are a few more from me that hopefully catch your interest!