How to Write Honestly

Exploring the art of writing by necessity

The world is filled with writers. Too, too many of them. But as we grow in the number of writers we have, we have become scarcer in our number of honest writers.

Honest writing is writing by necessity. The majority of writers today – mostly online – write because they can, not because they have to. When you write because you have to, on the other hand, because you feel people need to hear what you have to say, then your writing becomes more relatable, influential, deep, and long-lasting.

Below are three insights for creating honest writing:

1. IDENTIFY AND CLARIFY YOUR UNIQUE WORLDVIEW

Who you are, what you do, and how you communicate with others depends upon your worldview. This worldview is unique to you, to your identity, but it can be shared with and influence others.

Most people (writers included) don’t realize they even have a worldview. They believe that their worldview is everyone’s worldview (or should be), and that most other people simply aren’t following it. By not being honest with themselves – that their worldview is theirs, and not necessarily anyone else’s – they communicate from a standpoint of correcting, and not sharing.

To be an authentic, honest writer, you need to know what you believe. You need to know your values, principles, and ways of interpreting life. As you grow, your worldview will change. But the more you’re in tune with it, the more honest your writing will become.

Identifying and clarifying your worldview is the first step. You cannot even begin to write seriously unless you understand what kind of view of the world you want to share with your audience. And indeed, you can break all the other rules of honest writing and still be an honest writer, but if you don’t know your unique worldview, then your case is hopeless.

2. BE CLEAR AND ACCURATE

Honest writers aim to demonstrate the truth. They are allergic to language that tries to hide the truth because language that tries to hide the truth ends up just revealing the truth anyways (i.e. about its own inauthenticity). And the audience will notice.

Honest writers are picky with words not because they like words, but because, in the end, words are all they have. They realize the power of words to create images and that with the right selection and flow of images, you can make your audience feel something deep and long-lasting.

By clear and accurate, I mean that the images you provide should help create understanding for your audience and not obscure it. To say, for example, “I suffered from an extreme ailment,” only creates obscurity, whereas saying, “I had a stomach ache,” helps eliminate it.

Sometimes what you say will produce a feeling of confusion. Riddles, like “what is black and white and ‘red’ all over” (to be spoken), often do this. And often, after reading a well-written story, you may feel confused as to what it’s about.

But that is still the image you want to clearly produce. The understanding that you want to create in your audience is that we are often lazy in our thinking. We don’t look at things from different angles or as having different possibilities. And in order to really understand the value of something, you have to work at it.

A really good writer knows how to use words to make his audience work without it feeling like work. He knows that writing is not like giving someone candy in an Easter egg, nor is it like giving a novice tools and wood and telling them to go build a birdhouse, but is more like showing someone how to play a game and then letting him or her play.

The ultimate secret to clear and accurate writing is to love and appreciate words, but not to become infatuated with them. Honest writers treat words as if they are valuable and precious tools – but tools nonetheless. The idea is to build something or fix something from them, and that’s it.

3. SAY SOMETHING IMPORTANT

It’s hard to say what’s important or not important since the word “important” seems to be subjective. What I think is important may be different from what you think is important.

But ultimately it doesn’t make a difference whether “importance” is subjective or not. Importance has nothing to do with what you think, but with what you feel. When you feel something is important, you feel the need to say it. You feel like the world is missing something unless you say it.

Many writers today are missing this. They believe that just because they think something is important (either to them or their audience), that they should say it. And this is why we have so many writers who are not authentic or honest. They may be talented. They may be intelligent. They may have good points. But they aren't saying anything that needs to be said.

Your audience can tell the difference between what you think should be said and what needs to be said. They can tell because what needs to be said will affect them in just the right way. It’ll change them. They’ll realize that something was missing before, and now, after reading your writing, the world is made a little clearer.

Of course, I can’t promise this will always happen. You may say something that you feel is important and your audience may disagree. Doesn't matter. Unless you say something you feel is important, your audience won’t be influenced by you – at least not the way you’d like. Your audience will only respond to important writing.

On a side note, important writing doesn’t necessarily mean “serious” writing. Comedians are just as honest, if not more honest, as any serious writer. Importance is not about changing the world (you cannot “change” the world, any more than you can “change” human nature), but about challenging it. About pushing it to think differently.

If you write just because you can, then you’ll find it harder and harder to keep writing and trying to influence others. Day after day, you’ll ask yourself, “Why isn't anyone noticing me?” And you’ll end up feeling even more alone and de-motivated.

Honest, authentic writing – i.e. writing from necessity or purpose – is what makes writing easier. It’s what gives you the fuel to keep writing and still enjoy the process. And fortunately, it’s the only kind of writing that really lasts.