Editor’s Choice — Top 10: How One Simple Realization Can Make You an Unstoppable Writer

Let’s have a peek at our top 10 stories today

When you see the Great Wall of China, what do you think? It’s a wall. No, I mean besides the wall. Like when was it built? Who constructed it and why?

Wonders like the Great Wall of China are not built in a day. The construction period is from 220 BC to 1644 AD. It was built to protect clashes between warring feudal states as well as to collect duties and taxes. The last parts were completed by the Ming Dynasty.

Do you see the point?

Everything about the wall is overwhelming. You and I could never have guessed it by looking at the finished product.

Great things develop over time in short bursts of intense activity.

If you wait until you are satisfied with your masterpiece, your story will probably never be published.

When you are writing, your progress will stop many times. And the final result will never be perfect.

So what’s the one thing you can do to become an unstoppable writer? You can choose to see your work as a process that takes time.

It is vital to know this. A 2-minute read does not take 10 minutes to write, and a 10-minute read does not take one hour to complete. How long will a piece take to finish? That depends on the topic, the intended audience, and how confident you feel when you write.

I know how floating just above a topic feels. You just cannot penetrate the surface. Soon your words become shallow.

When my words feel superficial, I stop writing. Imagine failing to open a bottle without a bottle opener — but a simple tool opens it in a second. When you want to write about a topic, read a related piece — think of it as a mind opener — before you brainstorm.

As soon as your mind opens, the topic opens up in all its depth.

If you start writing now, you’ll feel words will flow better. But still, you’d face challenges. If you continue the process, your story will come out just right.

Think of a baby — it is an incredible thing. It creates itself in nine months. The process starts with an intense burst of action and ends in labor — another spell of short and intense bursts.

Writing is not as good as a baby, but you can learn from the process. Think of your pain while writing as a natural part of giving birth to your little darling. Just remember, nobody would hang you if you murdered these darlings during editing.

And murder you must if your piece does not come out the way you intended. But you can correct the sentences with your surgical editing skills.

From starting a piece to finishing it, writing is a process that takes time. The process is nonlinear and unpredictable. But if you keep at it, nothing can stop you from creating a masterpiece.

Here is a list of our top 10 stories today — by writers who enjoy the process of writing more than others:

10. This is how to read more books

Richard White is a writer, marketer, and thinker. I share my thoughts on life, work, reading, fitness — and training for my first marathon.

When it comes to readers, there are 3 broad categories:

1. Avid readers

2. Non-readers

3. People who want to read more but “don’t have time”

Numbers 1 and 2 on that list know where they sit and are probably happy with how much they read (or don’t read).

9. Writing Should be an Act of Joy

Pat Austin Becker is a consumer of life, ELA teacher, Louisiana ambassador, avid reader. Author of Cane River Bohemia: Cammie Henry and her Circle at Melrose Plantation (LSU Press).

She is an exceptional writer. Her writing style is easy to read, honest, and very engaging. She is new to Medium and needs your love.

Writing is a lonely, solitary craft. We labor over every sentence, every word as we fine tune the perfect tone, and balance the right message.

Some of us are morning creatives, others night owls. But all of us, I dare say, do our best work alone. At least initially. How many times have I been at work fine tuning a thought when someone comes in the room and starts talking to me, only to see my thoughts disappear into vapor, gone forever? At some point you have to share your work, solicit feedback and input, perhaps. But, initially the words come from you.

8. The Best Books I Read Last Year

Holly Amann is a Poet. Runner. Adventure enthusiast.

She is a fine writer. Her writing style is charming, honest, and engaging. She is new to Medium and needs your love.

If you’d have asked me how many novels I read four years ago, the answer would be around none. It’s not that I didn’t read, but I was studying poetry relentlessly and mostly only read poetry. I know that any writer should not be limiting themselves to reading one genre, but I was mostly drawn to poetry and struggled getting into some novels.

7. Would You Sell Your Soul to the Devil?

Drama Llama loves theatre, performing & literature, and sharing stories through the art of expression. U.K. BA (Hons) 1st Class Drama, Theatre, Performance & Dance Studies.

He is a superb writer. His writing style is informative, direct, and engaging. Don’t forget to check his other work.

Written by Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus was first published in 1604 and thought to have been performed, prior to publication in 1588.

Studying medicine and theology the doomed protagonist John Faustus gives up his scholarly studies to delve into the world of magic instead. Selling his soul to Lucifer for twenty-four years of supreme power, he soon realises the deal he made with the demon Mephistopheles, did not quell his thirst for knowledge.

6. 4 Quotes About Self-Doubt That Will Transform Your Writing

Dayton Parks is a fine writer who has been published in The Ascent, The Writing Cooperative, Illumination-curated, and Writers’ Blokke.

He is an excellent writer. His writing style is charming, easy to read, and very engaging. Do check his other work.

I’m immersed in self-doubt. Sitting here, staring at my laptop’s screen, I think about the words I’ve written. I wonder if I should reveal something as personal as doubting myself to the world? I ask myself if people will read the first 5 words of this story and say, “Who cares”. I wonder if they will stop reading. I question my opening sentence and ask myself, “Is there a better way to start my story?” I considered deleting the small amount I’ve written, and then one of my favorite quotes comes to me.

5. I Had an Easy and Comfortable Job. That’s Why I Knew I Had to Quit

Jade Revell is a historian and freelance writer with special interests in Richard II, food history, and a little bit of everything else.

She is a wonderful writer. She connects on an emotional level — a rare quality. Don’t miss this piece. She is new to Medium but she is going to a star soon.

“Never give up on something that you can’t go a day without thinking about.”- Winston Churchill

On paper, I had it all. I was living with my lovely boyfriend and had a very easy, reasonably well-paid job in a library at a world-renowned institution. I had great hours and generous leave in one of the world’s most beautiful cities. Why was I so dissatisfied?

4. My dad was a killer and it’s America’s fault

Yia Vue is a writer, producer, and world citizen.

She is a fine writer. Her writing style is honest, personal, and beyond engaging. Don’t miss this masterpiece. It may go viral.

My dad passed away in 2018, but if you’d had met him, you’d have not thought that he was very threatening. Even in his later years, he still had a full head of dark hair sprinkled with grays. He was still handsome with a charming lopsided grin that had caused my mom a lot of stress in their younger years.

3. Lessons Nature Teaches Us Everyday

Maria Denisa Dascalu is a content writer, a vegan, and a multilingual person.

She is a superb writer. Her writing style is charming, easy to read, and thought-provoking. She is new to Medium and deserves your time.

Nature is alive and it teaches us invaluable lessons every day. It brings novelty to our lives because it looks different every season and it changes every second. I am amazed by the fact that we’re living on such a beautiful planet. And on a deeper level, I feel connected with everything above and below the sky.

Because we’re part of it, nature can have the power to help us understand life better. But we have to pay attention to its greatness and be receptive.

2. 3 Ways To Open Up to An Abundance of Fun and Delight

Trista Ainsworth is an abundant minimalist. She write on abundance, joy, and an expansive world.

She is an excellent writer. Her writing style is simple, direct, and engaging. Don’t forget to check her other work.

All great celebrations break away from the mundane. ― Jessica Marie Baumgartner, The Magic of Nature: Meditations & Spells to Find Your Inner Voice

This past Saturday, we planned a little Valentine party here at home for the three of us. We planned on getting Italian food from our son Adam’s favorite place. However, on Friday, a snowstorm hit our area.

1. 3 Classic Must Reads: 1 Novel, 1 Biography And 1 Poem

At number one, it is David Gerken. He is a meditation and mindfulness teacher. He is a dad of three precious kids. Former Washington, DC political aide and writer for THE WEST WING.

He is an outstanding writer. His writing style is honest, profound, and extremely engaging. Do check his other work. Follow him, read him, and wait for his next piece.

The novel, The Grapes of Wrath, you’ve probably heard of. The biography, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, and the poem, Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, maybe not. All three are powerful, compelling and enduring explorations of the human condition, the one criterion all classics must meet. All three touched me to my core.

This post is part of the Top 10 Series — you can meet 500+ top writers with these links:

1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–10–11–12–13–14–15–16–17–18–19–20–21–22–Curated 23–24–25–26–27–28–29–30–31–32–33–34–35–36–37–38–39–40–41–42–43–44–45–46–47–48–49–50–51–52 –53–54–55–56–57–58–59–60–61–62–63–64–65–66–67–68–69–70–71–72–Curated 73– Curated 74–Curated 75–Curated 76–77

Final Thoughts

If your story was selected in the Top 10, please share another story with a brief introduction and a short convincing review — in the comments. (Please write the review in the third person and start it with your name.)

I must have missed something today. I cannot read every story on Illumination and Illumination-Curated. I try — and fail daily — to read all of the masterpieces.

I am inviting you to join our private Facebook group for Illumination writers. Also please follow my publication — positive minds.

Iꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ꜰɪɴᴅ ᴀɴʏ ᴍɪsᴛᴀᴋᴇ, ᴛʏᴘᴏ, ᴏʀ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴇʀʀᴏʀ, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ᴘʀɪᴠᴀᴛᴇ ɴᴏᴛᴇ ꜰᴏʀ ᴄᴏʀʀᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. Tʜᴀɴᴋs.

To be included as a top 10 writer, read these curation guidelines carefully.

You can read my curated stories here.