5 Tips to Be a Better Writer on Medium

Sharpen your pen and spread your voice to the world

As we all spend more time at home, we all get the chance to do things that we’ve always wanted to do. Some may choose to dive into Netflix, some read the books that they love, and some learn several new skills to improve their capabilities.

And some people, like myself, try to dedicate time to writing, capturing our messy thoughts and processing them into stories to share with people who need to hear them.

Writing Statistics

These are the statistics of my published articles in 2020:

I wrote 10 times faster compared with two months before. And I was lucky to be curated a few times and published in some great publications. (Thank you, curators, editors, and SEO!)

If you also want to let the world hear you, these are some strategies that you can consider.

1. Set a Daily Target

Write every day, and do it continuously. Include writing in your daily routine. Morning or night. Long or short stories. Keep the momentum going.

Your writing can be related to any topic, any themes. Encourage yourself to speak your mind and write down all the great stories in your head.

2. Timebox and Focus

For my first month on Medium, I wrote whenever I wanted to. Sometimes I wrote the first half of an article in the morning, and then I slacked around and completed the second half late at night. And during the process, I got distracted by email, WhatsApp, or all kinds of notifications on my computer.

Studies have found out that it takes nearly 30 minutes to refocus after you get distracted. This free-flow writing time slowed down my process a lot, and I could hardly finish my writing within one day.

Because of that, I tried a new approach. I give myself 1.5 hours to write one article per day, including drafting, editing, and formatting for submission.

Timebox yourself, play some music, and turn off all your notifications during your creation time. You’ll find yourself writing a lot faster and smoother this way.

3. Forget About Being Perfect

As writers, we need to have the beginner mindset of not fearing failure. Don’t waste time polishing your best work. Follow Pareto’s 80/20 rule and share your work with the market as long as it’s ready, even if it’s not flawless.

Everything is a prototype. Remember, you can always edit your stories after you post them. Be bold, and be proud of your work.

4. Learn From Other Top Writers

Medium has a lot of great writers who are willing to share their secrets about how they write, including how to draft, edit, format, publish, and promote their work.

Follow those people. Read their pieces. Studying their winning strategies is particularly helpful to learning fast and gain exposure here.

5. Keep Trying

Go for quantity, not quality. Don’t judge yourself, and write as much as you can. Some good work will show up along the way. Have faith in your creativity.

“Do not fear failure but rather fear not trying.” ― Roy T. Bennett, “The Light in the Heart”

Wrap-Up

Effort does pay off here. Your daily commitment will make you grow and become the writer you always wanted to be.

Take small steps, and write regularly. Opportunities will come and knock at your door.

Start today and join me as a writer on Medium. The world needs you — your mind, your head, and words are the stars in the dark sky.