The Ultimate Guide to Writing: 10 Commandments for Writers
Sometimes I think I should have chosen an easier career than writing, like… medicine.
Writing involves creating something from scratch and requires skill from its creator. Even before we start writing, we already have a battle to fight, like finding time throughout our day.
During writing, we have to fight to concentrate, and we have to be original to be recognized only by our writing.
And when we finish the work, we still have to be our own salespeople.
Faced with this difficulty of the writing career, I thought I could create 10 commandments for writers that would apply regardless of your current level.
1. Be disciplined with your planning
Regardless of whether you write once a week or every day, you must stick to your past self who set a writing goal. So have a writing schedule and stick to it regularly.
Personally, I have a hard time writing at night, but you may be an owl who can only write at that time of the day.
If you fail in the first commandment, it will have a domino effect on all the others.
The words won’t get written without you.
2. Speak clearly and concisely
Here, it is better to keep it simple instead of wanting to be the new Hemingway.
Just present the ideas in a way that is clear to follow and read. By doing this, your work will be more easily understood and comprehended by your reader.
Strive for cohesion between sentences. You need to connect your sentences to make a good paragraph; don’t drop an idea into the text and not use it. Each sentence contributes to the overall development; undeveloped ideas only hinder and confuse the reader.
Try to think of your article or book as a collection of well-developed paragraphs. Get an overview of the structure and organization of the text. If each paragraph is well developed and well written, it is likely that the text as a whole will also be of high quality.
3. Adapt to the audience
Discover who your audience is.
The more you know about your audience, the better you will be able to adapt to them. It could be their age or the niche they are part of.
If you are communicating with a younger audience, it is interesting to use more carefree language, but if you are talking about a business subject, you lose credibility by doing so.
By adapting, you can create an easier connection with the reader because you create a certain empathy with whoever is reading.
4. Have a journal to track your progress
I commented on the importance of a journal in my text.
A journal is important to track small changes that you will only notice over time.
It also has importance when you are having a creative block; the journal is a great place where you can get some help from your past self and get some inspiration.
5. Share your work with other writers
I have always had the mentality of keeping all my ideas to myself. I am slowly changing this, but I still remain conservative about it.
Writing is a lonely thing, and nothing will change that, but the part that precedes the writing doesn’t have to be.
I’m not saying do whatever you’re told, but just by talking, you end up coming to conclusions you wouldn’t come to on your own.
Here on Medium, I like to comment on the posts I like. It may be a small gesture for the person who comments, but for the writer, it is something well received.
6. Have your signature
The more you write, the sooner you will be able to find out what your writing style is.
It is something that is only developed over time.
To find your signature, you need to expose yourself to new styles and techniques. This demonstrates the importance of a reading of various subjects for a great writer.
In an ideal world, you would be great in all genres and styles, but naturally, you will find your signature and your own style of writing.
7. No fear to cut
This is the final part of the job — proofreading and cutting.
In the revision process, you need to detach yourself from what you have written so that you can have a critical mindset toward the whole.
Check if the information you have added is accurate. It doesn’t matter if the original source contains errors, if it is present in your work, the responsibility lies with the writer, and this affects your credibility.
During the revision process, it is also worth checking if it is worth rearranging the order of the text to make it easier for the reader to understand.
When it comes to cutting, be ruthless. When you’re writing a sentence and realize it’s too long, don’t be afraid to cut it.
8. What do you bring to the table?
Why should someone read your text? What will be the impact on your reader’s life? Do you have useful information or do you just want to be read?
When the reader realizes that he is faced with something he has already read, he loses interest. Who wants to read something repeated?
9. Handle criticism constructively and professionally
The moment we write, we are subject to the interpretations of others, and we don’t have total control of these interpretations and opinions of others.
If you know how to deal with criticism, you have everything to gain, because it can be valuable in making you see something wrong with your text.
However, not all of them will be polite or productive, but even these are positive; because in time you stop caring and become shielded from these comments.
10. A writer must write
This is the most important thing: a writer must write. Stop thinking that in the future you will be better, or that you need to learn a lot until you start writing.
You will never be your “ideal self” and your writing will only improve if you start writing as soon as possible.
Writing is a skill that must be practiced constantly.
Conclusion:
It is normal to get discouraged with the writing routine; sometimes we may think that we should have followed another, more stable path where tasks are already set for us and we just have to fulfill them.
But at the same time, writing is unique in that it requires us to create something from scratch, it is also rewarding when we publish something that has taken so much work.
Be patient with yourself, and following these rules will make you a better writer.
