The Best Piece of Writing Advice I’ve Received

Also, the best piece of writing advice I have to offer.

I don’t want to be a sucky writer, do you?

Wait, one moment, I have something to confess.

I haven’t found one sucky writer on Medium. I challenge you to find me an example of sucky writing. I’ve seen articles I disagreed with; I’ve seen articles that I didn’t understand; I’ve seen articles that tried too hard. But I haven’t seen any sucky writing. Prove me wrong.

Please don’t publically call them out, but instead, send me a private note on this article. I’ll make it my mission to help that writer. But again, I don’t think sucky writers exist here.

Back to my point: I don’t want to be a sucky writer. I do what I can to not suck, mainly because I like positive attention more than I like ridicule.

That’s why articles about making millions on Medium are so popular. We want to emulate success. I especially appreciate articles that talk about the writer’s first few months on the platform. That’s where the most significant hurdles are found. Once you get going, keep the momentum.

I’ve gathered some great (and some ‘meh’) advice.

Some of my favorite pieces of advice

These things have helped me in the last few weeks. I share them with you.

Write every day. Notice I didn’t say publish every day or even to finish an article every day. Setting goals is great, such as writing 200 words or writing 1,000 words. But if you are going to make a daily goal, smaller is better…trust me. But no matter what, write SOMETHING every day. It keeps the creative juices flowing. It’s a lot harder to stop and start up again.

Unlimited creativity. Several authors quote James Altucher’s idea of making a list of 10 ideas every day. Altucher says that if you can’t come up with 10, then make a list of 20. Similar to writing every day, you are keeping your creative muscle in shape. Don’t judge the ideas; focus on getting the ideas out from within you.

Try different things. Boxing yourself into a niche may work, but you’ll probably get bored. Writing shouldn’t kill you. Yes, sometimes it can be a slog, and you have to make yourself do it (see writing every day), but it shouldn’t drain you dry. Try writing different things: comedy, drama, poem, research, a song, etc. Mix it up. Like sex, it keeps it fresh.

Know the rules (and when to break them). I’ve read a lot of books on grammar and writing (see not wanting to suck above). Guess what? I’ve broken MANY of those rules. Mainly, I want to entertain, and I want to use my unique voice. It’s a Grammarly nightmare. I end with prepositions; I splice with commas; I use passive voice. Am I going to win the Pulitzer? No. Am I keeping myself and my audience entertained? I know the answer to part of that question and hope I know the answer to the other part.

The best writing advice — ever. Hashtag.

To be a successful writer, you need to write. The reason you don’t write is fear.

If instead of writing, you are playing Cyberpunk 2077, or you are binging Netflix (I did four seasons of Survivor in two weeks!!!), you aren’t lazy. You’re scared.

This past week I’ve lost 5% of my followers, got a judgmental text from my dad, and received 12 rejections from publications on Medium. Does it bother me?

Yes. Yes, it does.

It hurts. It sucks. I move on.

Embracing the hurt is something for another article. This article is about the best piece of writing advice I’ve received.

Write to an audience of one. Imagine that you are writing something for your biggest fan. Don’t overthink what the editors or the critics are going to say about your writing. Don’t try to guess how many claps, shares, or follows it gets. Simply write to your one friend.

My imaginary friend’s name is Fredrico. He salivates over every piece of my writing. Sometimes I give him pieces of advice. Sometimes I give him philosophy. Sometimes, if he’s especially lucky, I will give him a piece of pop culture piece of shit from outer space.

Fredrico loves all of it. So I keep giving it to him.

Find your Fredrico.

Now my greatest advice for you

I didn’t read this in Stephen King’s or Anne Lamott’s books on writing (though both VERY good books).

(Okay, I didn’t finish Lamott’s book, but it is still on my shelf, and it was inspiring for the first few chapters. I still love her. It’s me, not her.)

If I were to write a book about writing (subscribe, like, and follow for more!) I would build up anticipation and then 300 pages later reveal my greatest tip ever. Hashtag.

Meditate.

When you are overwhelmed, meditate. When you are bored, meditate. When you are stuck on #9 of your ten-point list, mediate.

I liken meditation to an old NES system, where if things start getting fuzzy or aren’t playing right, open the lid and blow out the dust. Boom! Works perfectly.

You don’t have to be Gandhi and sit on top of a bed of flaming coals and nails for ten hours to be effective. 2 minutes will do you right.

Warning: it’s addicting. There is no goal in mediation. You will not accomplish anything on your to-do list while meditating (unless you have meditation on your to-do list). But you’ll find you get more shit done with a clearer mind when you incorporate mediation.

In summary

Write to an audience of one. Find your Fredrico, and spend some time meditating with him.

Ryan DeJonghe is the owner of YourEnergyHealers.Org, an online collaborative of Reiki energy healers offering services over video. He also likes to write stuff people enjoy reading. You never know what he’ll say next.