Eight Habits of Highly Effective Writers

(With apologies to Stephen Covey, of course.) (But lists of habits really do work!)

Photo by Alex Lion on Unsplash

Writing is a mysterious practice, so the best thing you can do is to apply logic and systems wherever you can. You can’t conjure a perfect sentence using some practice or program, but you can create an environment in which the likelihood of you being able to create that sentence is increased. It’s a lot like using the right equipment when you cook or play a sport. The equipment can’t provide the inventive twist in a dish or the soaring backhand that wins the game, but setting up the best possible situation for yourself helps foster those inspired moments. So here’s a checklist that can point you in the right direction:

1. Read, read, read. Most importantly, read the writers whose work you admire, and examine it closely. Try to figure out what qualities make the work successful. Dissect it. I was just looking at a Joan Didion piece and noting (not for the first time) how so much of her mesmerizing tone is the result of stringing together long sentences that seem to spill off the page. It made me remember that as a technique, and try it now and then when I feel my piece is too choppy.
2. Write, write, write. This might sound horribly obvious, but I want to hark back to a column I wrote a year…