Editor’s Choice — Top Writing Advice: Give Four Candies for the Price of Three

Read the best writing advice from our top writers

If you sold four candies for the price of three, your customer would love to revisit your store in the future.

The same principle applies to writing.

How can you apply this advice? How to provide more value? Joe Fassler interviewed 150 writers and came up with the seven most common tips for writing. He has collected all of his conclusions in his book Light the Dark: Writers on Creativity, Inspiration, and the Artistic Process.

Good writing practice is not formulaic, but Joe Fassler identifies some definite qualities:

1. You have to make time to write. “You probably have time to be a halfway decent parent and one other thing,” David Mitchell, the creator of Cloud Atlas, explained to Joe. If you want to become a good writer, follow what he said: “Neglect everything else.” Defend the mood in which your imagination works.
2. Stephen King spends “weeks and months and even years” on his first sentences. William Gibson believes that the first line represents the whole work. Michael Chabon said, “The seed of the novel — who would tell the story and what it would be about — was in that first sentence, and it just arrived.”
3. “The writing I tend to think of as ‘good’ is good because it’s mysterious,” Aimee Bender told Joe. “It tends to happen when I get out of the way — when I let go a little bit, I surprise myself.” Let the story show you the way — observe and notice what your work needs.
4. When you repeatedly edit your drafts, your eyes fail to see every detail. Jesse Ball, at such times, uses his ears. “Sound gives us clues about what is necessary and real,” he told Joe. “When you read [your work] aloud, there are parts you might skip over — you find yourself not wanting to speak them. Those are the weak parts. It’s hard to find them otherwise, just reading along.”
5. The writing process is supposed to be difficult. It never gets any easier. Elizabeth Gilbert talks about ‘stubborn gladness,’ a term borrowed from the poet Jack Gilbert. It says you have to remain cheerfully engaged no matter how hard your writing becomes. “My path as a writer became much more smooth,” she replied, “when I learned, when things aren’t going well, to regard my struggles as curious, not tragic.”
6. Most of the writers put an inspiring quote in front of them — at all times. For Jane Smiley, it was, “Nobody asked you to write that novel.” Mohsin Hamid walks six miles daily, inspired by Murakami quotes that link physical exercise with creativity. Russell Banks is inspired by “Remember Death, the ultimate deadline.”
7. Great writers try to find joy in their work. “The joy of being an author is the joy of feeling I can do anything,” Neil Gaiman says in Light the Dark. “There are no rules. Only: can you do this with confidence? Can you do it with aplomb? Can you do it with style? Can you do it with joy?”

These seven tips should provide you a framework to do your best work.

Since your early work will not pay you much, it is a good idea to give your readers content with more value. The value they find in your work will draw them to read your future stories.

Here is a list of curated work by our top writers — writing advice that can help you a lot:

32. 19 Things I Learned About Writing From My $699 Medium Coach

Eva Keiffenheim, MSc is an entrepreneur and education specialist. Her writing style is honest, clear, and pleasantly engaging. She is an outstanding writer and an inspiration for newbies.

Benjamin Franklin once said,

“An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.”

This spring, I followed the advice and invested $699 in a medium coaching program. Until April, I hadn’t written anything except for 150 pages of academia and 1350 pages in my bullet journals. Since April, I’ve published 16 articles on medium and filed the resignation for my 9–5 job.

31. Does Writing Ever Become Easier?

Zul Bal writes to collect, capture, and curate ordinary beautiful ideas. She is an exceptional writer. Her charming style is conversational and highly engaging.

It is stories like these where I use these words: Well-written stories take less time to read.

This 4-minute read seems like a 1-minute read. Don’t miss it. And don’t forget to read her other work.

I’ve been writing for about a year now. I struggle to write today as much as I struggled back when I first started.

How come? Will it ever get easier?

I wonder if I just don’t have it in me to become a writer who can write effortlessly. I slog through the process. Finishing an article that has a coherent structure and complete thoughts often feels like a miracle.

30. 6 Proven Ways to Generate Article Ideas

Kristina Segarra is the author of this brilliant story. You must have missed it, but every writer is looking for such pieces.

As a writer, I’ve been there. I knew I wanted to write. But what will I write? Every time I sat down at my desk, I felt frustrated because I wasn’t able to write anything. Not even a word. I knew I had ideas somewhere in the back of my mind, but I didn’t have a magic wand to let them out.

29. This Is How Startup Thinking Will Accelerate Your Writing

U-Ming Lee is a business and finance writer. His choice of words and arrangement of sentences is excellent. He is trying to present a new perspective on your writing work. Do check his other work.

I‘ve lost count of the times people throw the advice to “treat your writing like a business” around. It’s a Medium cliche.

I get that the advice is meant to get new content writers to become more disciplined with their process. However, I think it’s misguided.

“Treat your writing like a business” is the sort of advice that leads to more questions than answers. Chances are, a new content writer already intends to treat their writing as a business, they just don’t know how!

28. I Tried Writing True Crime

Sarah Lyall-Neal, PsyD is a business coach, speaker, and psychologist. She is an excellent writer as well. Her writing style is frank, direct, and engaging. She is talking about how writing true crime gave her a new respect for her favorite content creators. Don’t miss this one.

If you were to ask any of my friends what I geek out on the most, they would likely say true crime. I am a sucker for true crime podcasts, TV shows, and books. What can I say? I love a mystery. There is always someone out there who knows the whole story, finding them is the hard part.

Turns out I’m not alone in my love of true crime content. A study completed by the University of Illinois found that if given a choice of violent reading material, women were more likely to choose true crime, whereas men were more likely to choose non-fiction books about war or gang violence.

27. Change is Working For Me

Garry Lee is an ex-CEO and he is always thinking of helping others. He is an exceptional writer. His style is simple, direct, and engaging. Check how what worked for him, may work for you as well.

When I left my executive role earlier in the year, my goal was to have a more flexible and fulfilling work life. In the intervening 6 months, I have started a new company, consulted for some really lovely organisations, started as a Non-Executive Director, taken on freelance writing and even started an e-commerce store — this is what I learned and why I love it!

26. Why and How to Publish Stories As Frequently as Possible

I wrote this piece to explain what happens when you publish your 401st story — don’t you want to know?

If you think you can not publish more stories, then you may not be the person who wins the ‘online writing game.’

Tim Denning published seven stories in one day — who was counting? One post in each of the top seven publications. He publishes his articles as frequently as he can, and so should you.

Publishing a story — the pressure you feel about putting yourself out there in front of all those people — pushes you to be more creative. It becomes a challenge to write something people may want to read.

25. Why Your Writing Matters — And How It Can Transform Lives

Clément Bourcart writes about business, productivity, and personal development. He is a superb writer. In this masterpiece, he is going to convince you to never quit. A must-read.

I was listening to a recent interview of Barack Obama, for the publication of his new book, “A Promised Land”.

In it, he described how having the potential of “touching somebody’s life” is such an incredible position to be in. And a life-enhancing experience.

Writing — your writing — can do just that. It can touch and transform people’s lives.

24. Writing Isn’t a Job. It’s a Religion

Dustin T. Cox writes about movies, books, culture, politics, and the intersection between them. He is an excellent writer. His writing style is honest, direct, and engaging. Do check his other work.

I was raised a Southern Baptist. That means I was conditioned for fundamentalism — the SBC was and is deeply dogmatic. While I have long since left the church, that conditioning is to some extent permanent.

That means I tend to frame things with religious logic — I take an all or nothing approach to most aspects of life. While I have had mixed results in most areas with that mentality, it has served me well as a writer. I admit no compromise; I refuse to ‘sell out.’

That unbending attitude allows me to write with energy and conviction; I put the work before myself and it shows. For me, writing isn’t a job — it’s a religion.

23. The Power of Words: How Uplifting Content Benefits Your Brain

Simona is passionate about sharing insights from science to help bring more mindfulness, joy, and self-compassion into the lives of others. She is a brilliant writer.

Her writing style is simple, direct, and engaging. Follow her, read her stories, and wait for her future work. She needs your energy.

The words you read or listen to have a physical effect on your well-being. From changing your brain’s functioning to shaping the molecular structure of your cells, being more conscious of the words you choose to consume or speak can bring many benefits to you and others.

Just as we are affected by the words we take in, so do the words that we share with others (whether verbally or in writing) have the power to benefit them on a physical and mental level.

22. Improve Your Chances of Getting Into a Big Publication By Editing Like a Cambridge Exam Student

Alexa V.S. wrote this piece in a way that totally makes sense. I am sure most of you missed it — here is an opportunity to learn more about editing from someone who knows what she is saying.

I am, though, an English teacher specialized in the Cambridge exams. Following the official rubric, I’ve corrected hundreds of student essays, letters, reports, proposals, reviews, and articles. Considering four points — content, communicative achievement, organization, and language — I’ve helped countless learners achieve their goals.

21. My Technique to Have Something to Write About Every Day

conny manero is an author and a contributor to various magazines. You’ll find her friendly style very engaging. She is a superb writer and you should follow her. You’ll enjoy reading this story.

I received an email from a friend the other day stating ‘I haven’t posted more than one article in the last month. What can I do to get going again?’

I’m sure my friend is not the only one who is short on inspiration. I’m sure that all writers, at one time or another wake up and wonder what to write about that day. Perhaps they lay there looking at the ceiling or the wall and draw a blank. Or they sit at their computer, wanting to write something, needing to write something, but nothing comes to mind. If you try my system you’ll have something new to write about every day, even two or three times a day.

20. What Every Writer Should Stop Doing — Eating Their Marshmallow

Naf Beltran writes in bursts fueled by coffee. You’ll like the story and do not eat your marshmallow — take it slow. Relax. Don’t miss this one.

I can feel the rush inside me. I have to write every day as part of my writing challenge.

Don’t procrastinate, I will tell myself. But wait, shouldn’t I at least fix my bed first, before heading to my laptop?

Sometimes the ‘I’ wins, the writer wins, or the ‘id’ wins, the one who can’t delay the gratification of seeing his story done and finished.

I have to be honest. I have been writing one story a day, and if I can squeeze in another story after I finish, I will write some more.

19. How To Instantly Create Better Content

Jim Woods has published more than 1000 articles on Medium and he writes books. He is not only an excellent writer but also a wonderful human being. To get writing advice — that can help you deal with the initial phase — he is your mentor.

The bar for posting content online is at an all-time low. If you have a phone, you’re posting content. It’s that simple. So how can you create great content that grows your business or builds an audience when EVERYONE is posting content?

It’s not as hard as you think.

18. Way Too Many Writers Make It Too Easy for Readers to Click Out of Their Articles

Boateng Sekyere writes engaging pieces on self-development. His style is, well, engaging. If you have not read it already, go ahead and read it. It will help you as a writer.

Writing from a reader’s point of view, he notes that sometimes writers don’t help their cause, they leave the reader little choice but to find a way out. Enjoy.

No force, no power, no human can rend asunder the bond between writer and reader. That’s what I’ve seen when I wore the cloak of a writer and played the role of a reader.

But sometimes, as a writer, even after you sprinkle the right amount of spice into your article — enough to whet their appetites and water their mouths — you realize only a few of them want a bite. Sorry, but it happens to every writer.

17. How To Clean Up Your Writing

MaryJo Wagner, PhD is a non-fiction writing coach with ADHD. She loves reading, writing, the mountains, Bach, and Willa Cather.

Her writing style is informative, calculated, and pleasant. Do check her other work.

Your readers don’t like reading typos, misspelled words, or other mistakes in your writing. Careful proofreading helps you find and correct common errors.

“The Ultimate Proofreading Checklist” guides you through errors many of us make frequently, even though we know better.

Despite my years as an editor and countless hours spent getting paid for proofreading, I’m sloppy with my own stuff. And I’ve paid the price.

16. Let Your Words Rise: Why Patience is King in Writing

Lindsay Brown is a mother, writer, and user of too many hashtags. She is a splendid writer. You’ll love her style.

Three years ago, my husband and I were in the process of opening a bakery. I had no idea how to bake. Friends of mine had gone as far as to say that I was the worst cook they had ever known.

This sentiment is not ideal when opening a bakery.

Luckily my husband is a red seal chef, and he was willing to take on the task of teaching me. My first lesson was in baking bread. The ingredients were easy. As long as you have flour, water, yeast, and sugar you’re set. It’s the process that’s important when it comes to crafting artisan loaves.

15. What I Learned From a Year Dedicated to Writing a Novel

Luke Beling lives in Hawaii and finds joy in his stories. He is a superb writer and he is sharing with you his personal experiences. If you read this story, you are definitely going to read his other work as well.

I began 2020 with a simple mission: write a novel. I settled on a manageable word count per day (250) and started a story that had long been brewing under the surface. I’m a short-term goals oriented type of person. It’s difficult for me to stay with projects, ideas, or pursuits that span over months. I like to get things done immediately, then move onto the next task. Writing a novel wasn’t only out of my comfort zone; it was out of my universe.

“Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way…”

14. The 3 Rules of Writing Engaging Articles That Attract an Audience

Dayton Parks wants to inspire you. His style is simple yet full of suspense. Don’t miss this excellent story.

Dayton Parks has also written, “The 3 Rules of Writing Engaging Articles That Attract an Audience”. In this engaging story, he shares how he attracts readers and has them coming back to read more.

With Medium’s over 100 million readers, there are a lot of opportunities for writers to get published and attract readers. But just writing article after article without a human element won’t work. You need to write engaging articles that draw readers to you. And the strongest method of attracting readers is by creating an emotional connection.

13. 3 Incredibly Simple and Effective Ways to Boost Your Writing Success

Dawn Bevier is a teacher and a writer. She is an accomplished writer with a compelling voice. Follow her. Read her. You’ll love her work. Promise.

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.

12. 5 Writing Tips From a Published Academic Writer

Ana Writes is a 23-year-old kid. Master Student. Likes to talk a lot.

But she can write well too. Her writing style is frank, honest, and very engaging. She is very new to Medium and needs your love. She is going to be a big name on Medium.

It is from Illumination’s Mirror.

As a graduate student, my main priorities are reading and writing. I basically get paid to do research and then write about it in a way that it can be understood by people who are not familiar with the scientific concepts.

During my 3rd-year of college, I was the only undergraduate student in my program who had a published article. My writing skills stood out to a professor and he added me to an existing project regarding pedagogical research and turning that research into writing.

11. Running & Writing — The Mantra for Success Isn’t Too Different

The Maverick Files has written this wonderful piece that asks questions and explores possible answers to achieve success in writing.

This is the biggest reason why the first step towards any new skill or hobby is the hardest one to take.

Why should I even do this? Is there any benefit to doing this? Will I be good at it or am I even cut out to do this? Am I missing out on anything by not doing this? Why change?

Countless questions that have no real answers. The only answer is: If you never try, you will never find out.

10. This Is How Much I Made in My Freelance Writing Career of 6 Years

Cheshta Mann is a freelance writer, mentor, and entrepreneur. Her writing style is simple, honest, and charming.

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” — Arthur Ashe

In my freelance writing career, I have been constantly asked about ‘how I made it into the writing industry’, ‘how much do I earn?’, ‘where do I find my clients from?’, ‘is it easy?’.

Becoming a freelance writer and working on international projects was never a part of my plan. After completing my MBA in Financial Management in 2014, all I wanted to have was a white-collar job, a stable lifestyle, and a sense of financial security.

9. How To Get Started With Your Freelance Writing Career

Another one from Cheshta Mann.

After completing my MBA back in 2014, I started my freelance writing career with no specific intention of sticking to it in the long-run. I know an MBA choosing the freelance writing path might sound a bit off to some, but yeah, I wanted to give it a shot until I had found a full-time job in my field.

Eventually, I found that freelancing gave me peace of mind as well as the flexibility to choose my hours and work for myself. So, I ditched the idea of doing a full-time job then and focused on expanding my writing business.

8. 2 Powerful Writing Tips from Malcolm Gladwell

Daniella Mini wants to help us know ourselves. Her style is simple, direct, and engaging. If you read her story from start to end, you’d want to read all her stories.

Last December, I came across a Masterclass promotion on Facebook: access to all classes for a year for $85.00. I jumped on it, and it has turned out to be an outstanding gift for the whole family.

I’ve been listening to the Writing classes of course. There are 13 of them. So far, I’ve listened to 3 world-class authors explain how they approach their craft and been mesmerized by what they have to say.

7. 5 Ways How Writing Can Recharge Your Soul

Paul Myers MBA is a top writer in Business, Ideas, Future, Innovation, and Leadership. If you read this story, I can bet you’d like to read his other stories as well.

Are you writing right now? I hope not, only because you should be reading this article. Or maybe you’re doing both.

Do you agonize about not being able to write? Many authors do, some even record depressive experiences, spun through whining journal entries to express the torment of not being able to assemble a single sentence.

We call this writer’s block. A label that writers use when we can’t seem to get the words out, let alone string them together in a coherent fashion. Writer’s block is a generic term that means something different to every writer, but it happens to everyone from time to time.

6. How To Shift Your Writing Into The Big Leagues.

Tree Langdon is a merchant of dreams. She loves to connect the specific to the universal in poetry and fiction, exploring worldview plots. She is an outstanding writer. Follow her, read her, and wait for her next story.

Every business goes through many stages, from inception to success.

It can be a struggle for the owner to adapt as things change over time. Growing pains occur, as what began as a small one-man show expands into a larger shop with employees to manage.

There are stages every business goes through. Becoming aware of what they are is part of the solution.

These stages can be applied to your writing business.

5. The Most Underrated Writing Tip That Beats ‘Write Every Day’ and Improves Your Writing

Boateng Sekyere is a photographer and an excellent writer. His writing style is charming, direct, and very engaging.

I read if I wanted to become a better writer, I had to write every day. In response, I had written at least one 1000-word article each of the last 18 days. After conquering my fears, I submitted one of those pieces for review.

Three days later, an editor gave me some good feedback on it. He apologized for leaving thirteen comments on my article, while he pointed out what I did wrong. Valuable feedback. But even better, a real turning point.

4. 49 Lessons I Learned After 2 Years of Writing on Medium

Sinem Günel is an entrepreneur, coach, and dreamer. She writes about personal growth and business. She is an excellent writer. You’ll love her style. If you are not following her already, here is your chance to correct that mistake.

Exactly two years ago, on the 20th of July, I heard of Medium and published my very first post. After that first story, I wrote more than 350 posts on Medium.

While I never considered starting a blog or becoming a writer, I’m now making more than $5,000 per month through writing on Medium. Additionally, I published a German book and wrote content for some amazing brands and publications outside of Medium.

3. 4 Writing Lessons From John Fante — The Great Unknown Writer

Alvin Ang is a martial artist, entrepreneur, and an exceptional writer. He has thousands of followers.

His writing style is full of charming suspense that makes his pieces very engaging. He has some writing lessons to share.

Don’t miss this one.

I read Ask The Dusk by John Fante some weeks ago, and I’m still reeling from the experience. By God, Fante is the best writer that nobody knows.

He has been called “the most criminally neglected writer of our times” and I am inclined to agree. I, like so many others, only got introduced to Fante because of Bukowski’s high praise of him. Bukowski discovered Fante as a young man, and the Italian master’s rogue writing inspired him to no end. Bukowski famously said that,

“Fante was my God…here, at last, was a man not afraid of emotions.”

2. 8 Must-Have Apps Every Writer Needs to Build a Writing System and Become Prolific

Omar Itani is a writer and sea lover. He writes to make sense of this beautiful thing called life.

He is an outstanding writer. You’ll love his flowing, simple, and engaging style. Do check his other work.

What makes you a better writer? The number one piece of advice we receive to that question is “write consistently, and write every day.” I agree that does make you a better writer, but there’s one other thing that no one tells you: If you don’t build yourself a writing system, you’re going nowhere as a writer.

1. Waiting For Your Big Break is The Worst Way to Succeed

At number one, it is Thomas Oppong. He is one of the superstars of Medium. His stories have been featured at Forbes, Business Insider, and other top publications.

Read his stories to learn to write well. His writing style is almost perfect — a writer who has already achieved what most of us wish to reach.

Most people are waiting for a big break — the day, week, month or year everything falls into place. They live with the stubborn illusion that one day they will make it big without embracing the real work.

It’s the worst way to live or aim for success. Waiting for the next big break in your career is probably holding you back.

The best way to succeed is to embrace the work ahead and proactively plan the steps and actions you need to get closer to the life you want.

Napoleon Hill once said, “Do not wait: the time will never be ‘just right’. Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command and better tools will be found as you go along.”

This post is part of the Top 10 Series:

1–2–3–4–5–6–7–8–9–10–11–12–13–14–15–16–17–18–19–20–21–22–23–24–25–26–27–28–29–30–31–32–33–34–35–36–37–38–39–40–41–42–43–44–45–46–47–48–49–50–51–52 –53–54–55–56–57

Final Thoughts

If your story was selected above, please share another one of your stories in the comments with a brief introduction and a short review that can convince a reader to read your piece. (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. Dr Mehmet Yildiz, the Chief Editor and Founder of Illumination and Illumination-Curated, read, highlighted, and applauded every good story when he started his publications. He still reads almost all of the good ones. I try — and fail daily — to read all of the masterpieces.

Dr Mehmet Yildiz has kindly allotted the top 10 series a full shelf on the front page of Illumination-Curated and Illumination:

If you find any mistake, typo, or other error, please leave a private note for correction. Thanks.

Happy New Year!

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

You can read my curated stories here.