What?! There Are 5 Different Levels of Becoming a Successful Writer?
I was reading about this concept that I found interesting so I thought why not share it?
This straightforward concept cleared a lot of air about writing online. It helped me a lot personally. And I hope it will you, too.
The other day, I was reading this new eBook by Nicolas Cole called Snow Leopard, which is (in one sentence) about how to become successful as a writer.
I wouldn’t say I agree with everything he said, but I particularly found this topic “5 levels of becoming a legendary writer” interesting and helpful.
He talks about how a writer can rise up in the pyramid of content creation to unlock the pot of gold. (I took those last words from somewhere else.)
So, without any further ado, let’s get into the title of this article and find out what those 5 levels are.
Consumption
Is this even a level, you ask? Yes, it is.
To create content on a particular topic, you have to consume a lot of content to educate yourself.
And that’s what the first level is, content consumption.
But most people don’t do this the right way.
We all have done that doomscrolling that we always end up regretting, haven’t we? Or watch YouTube Shorts or Instagram Reels for hours.
That’s called ‘Unconscious Consumption’ or ‘Content Overdose.’
And 90% of the internet is those types of people. We have to rise above that. So make sure to eliminate that unconsciousness factor first.
Be in control of what you consume and if you want to consume it. This is the first step.
Curation
Or what I am doing right now.
This is when you create an outlet to push what you have learnt (or are learning) into the world.
You start sharing. You start adding value. You start creating.
A popular writer on Twitter and one of the co-founders of Ship30for30, Dickie Bush, started his writing journey by summarising and sharing his learnings from his favourite podcasts.
You can start curating content on your favourite topic right away. It’s easy.
It’s easy because you have already consumed a lot of content on the topic of your interest in the previous stage.
You can start by curating a list of resources, the best people to follow, a list of opportunities available, etc. Just start.
Tim Ferriss is a good example of curating content at scale, with consistency.
Obvious Connection
This is where you start to connect the dots. Your listicles start to make sense.
You tell a story by making obvious connections between facts and opinions. And because in the previous stage you have curated a lot of content, you know how to build obvious connections.
You can write how-to articles simplifying how to become fitter instead of writing about resources available online that can help you in weight training.
The former is a way of making obvious connections, as opposed to the latter, which is curating (resources).
In his book, Cole gives the example of Gary Vee. He is a master at making obvious connections and hence is very popular as an entrepreneur and creator. His stories revolve around being successful, lifestyle and finance with “get sh*t done” at the epicentre.
Non-obvious Connection
This is when you start to observe the insights that no one else is paying any heed to and hence you can bring something totally new to the table.
Making a non-obvious connection is when you can connect two very distant things, sometimes even across niches, and provide a new perspective to your readers.
Your growth as a non-obvious connector will be slow because no one wants to stop scrolling and invest their brain power. But you’ll make a deeper connection with your readers and your writing will remain timeless, unlike either of the above levels.
You will also become almost impossible to replace, as you have your unique voice and your readers know your value.
In his book, Cole gives an example of Nassim Nicholas Taleb.
He is an essayist, statician and a former option trader. I had first heard about him in the book The Almanack of Naval Ravikant. And I have followed him since.
Though most things he talks about go above my head, I have seen many people mention his work continuously. His following is small, compared to, say, Gary Vee, but he is highly praised for his work in the field of statistics and probability.
Category Creation
This is the ultimate.
Creating your own category. Or owning the category you write in. Your name becomes synonymous with your niche.
One example that's budding inside of my head that I’d like to share is of James Clear.
We all know which category he owns, don’t we? Habit-building.
One more example can be Ryan Holiday. He owns the category of Stoicism.
Owning a category gives you unlimited leverage. Not only do you have a big and loyal follower base, but you are also the first name that gets highlighted when someone wants to learn about your niche.
Becoming successful as a writer is nothing but climbing this pyramid. But first, you had to become familiar with this pyramid and what the different levels are. I hope this article helped you with that.
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