Daily writing practice — consistency breeds success
Some people practice yoga. Other people practice their golf swing. Me, I practice writing. Every day for the last 511 days (as of yesterday). That’s what you call a daily writing practice.
Why is a daily writing practice important? Two reasons:
- Consistency and
- Consistency
First, consistency: a daily practice makes you better at whatever you’re doing — the old 10,000-hour rule. I’ve written about this a lot (here and here, among other places) so I won’t revisit the discussion.
The second point of consistency, though, is not for you. It’s for your audience. You might call that the Field of Dreams rule. And my friend Melissa Smith is a shining example.
Daily writing practice leads to 1400% more readers
Back in March, her blog had about 250 subscribers. She says she remembers the date well “because that’s when I was sure it couldn’t still be just family and friends.” Six months later — with zero marketing — she’s at 3600. That’s more than 1400% growth. With — did I mention? — zero marketing.
Melissa says:
“When people ask why I have been having success with my blog I tell them the single biggest reason is because I write and publish every, single, day. They would rather me give them magic answers, tips, tricks, and awesome SEO. It’s so much easier and so much harder for them as well.”
I added the emphasis there: Every. Single. Day. No, it’s not magic; just work.
If you show up, people will show up with you. Of course, then they’ll expect you to keep showing up. Meet their expectations and you’ll develop a relationship with your followers, sustained by your daily writing practice.
Melissa runs ThePVA.com — an excellent matchmaking service for VAs and employers like me — but it’s not her work blog that’s attracting so much attention. Melissa is documenting her year as a “Roamer,” a group of entrepreneurs settling in a new country every month. It’s not shiny travel porn, and that’s key to its success. Melissa is a real person writing about her real life. The homesickness. The joy of discovering new places, new pursuits. The friendships she’s forming. It’s like a one-woman Amazing Race.
I don’t know what Melissa plans to write about when her year of Roaming ends. But I do expect she’ll be writing. Once you’ve seen what a daily writing practice can do, there’s no going back. That’s why I hit Day 511 yesterday and why I’ll do all I can to make sure I hit 512 today.
Time to kick your writing skills up a level? Join me for my popular Writing Unbound program this October. A serious commitment, for people serious about change.
Originally published at BennettInk.com.
