The Writing Routine that Allows Me to Post Every Day
Sharing a strategy for determined & consistent content creators
If you want to make it somewhere big as a writer on Medium, you must write a lot! Consistently.
The more pieces of work you produce, the more value you have to offer readers. More articles also mean that you have more practice crafting your writing skills.
Daily writing and publishing have allowed me to gain 200 followers and 10,000 views this month. Not by any means do I have the number one writing formula for a Medium account to take off.
What I do have, however, is a system that allows me to piece together quality work in two hours or less. (Mind you my articles are around 4 to five-minute reads).
I Start by Handwriting My First Draft
I go about transferring my article from a notebook to Google Docs, and then finally Medium.
But before I start, I put my noise-canceling headphones on and get into a comfortable position at my desk with a college-ruled notebook and my MacBook Pro side by side.
Early in my writing career, I used to free-write random words and topics at the top of my notebook page and decide on what to write about based on my free association.
Now that I’ve seen the kind of writing that people enjoy the most, I write down “future article ideas” in my phone notes.
Having a rough sketch as to what you’d like to write about can save you hours on end, especially if you are facing a burnout or writer’s block.
Once I select the topic, I’ll form a title for said article. I will usually adjust my title two to three times before deciding on the one I want to use.
After my title is set, I’ll start writing and head-bob to my music and get into a flow state of mind.
Once you get on a roll with your writing, try not to allow any distractions to break your focus.
As I handwrite my article and come up with good ideas I want to incorporate into my article, I’ll write them on the margins.
After about 30 to 45 minutes or so, I’ll be finished with my writing. What comes next you might wonder. It’s time to transfer the writing to the internet.
Transferring Handwritten Content to Google Docs
Each time I transfer my work from one place to another, it is productive since I subconsciously end up proofreading my writing three times.
As I type up my article on Google Docs, new ideas come to mind while the bad ideas are removed. Everything essential in writing slowly but surely gets cleaned up.
I am picky with the way my work is presented. So on Google docs, I always use the “Alegreya Sans” font when typing up my work because it’s clean and it isn’t Arial (no offense to Arial users).
Beneath my size 14 bolded title, I will write a 12 font unbolded subtitle for the article.
Once I finish typing everything up and feel satisfied with the readability and clear the entire piece of errors, I transfer this work yet again.
Finally! This article has made its way to the big dance. Medium. I begin by copy and pasting the entire Google Doc directly to Medium and begin using all the curation guideline fundamentals.
Google Docs to Medium’s Story Page
In a Medium mindset, I am more able to find effective places to place headings, subheadings, bolding, and much more. Through reading articles throughout the day, I have been able to find many new ways to use Medium’s story features.
One of the final things I do is find a cover photo for my article using the copyright-free platform, Unsplash.
I only utilize one image in my articles because in one publication’s guidelines they said that “too many images can be distracting for readers”.
Since I agreed with that logic, I only need to search for one image and have done so ever since. I like selecting images with people in them. I prefer the images to be shot in unique locations and taken at very aesthetic angles.
Last but not least, I will NOT submit my work to a publication right away. I don’t add to publications right away just in case the article takes off and gets offered to be published in the big leagues.
Patience with adding to publications has definitely broadened my horizons in sharing my ideas through blogging.
When You Find Your System, You’re Unstoppable
Hopefully, my explanation of my writing routine inspires you to try out new ways to produce well-performing articles.
If you would like further information on improving your writing and blogging skills on Medium, I am currently offering to be a writing coach.
You can reach out to me in the comment section and we can get started when you are ready.
At the end of the day, we will all want to share our work in the fastest and most effective way possible. Finding your own writing routine will give you the speed to produce more content and save you the most valuable resource, your time.
“Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally. It comes from what you do consistently.”
