5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I Started as A Writer
Learnings from mistakes.
I have been writing for the last 3 years.
So far, I’ve built an audience of 13k on LinkedIn, 450 on Medium, and written for 20+ people.
As a beginner, I screwed up when I had no idea what, why, and how to write for. While scratching thoughts, I just did as thought it would be right. But 80% of those were assumptions that led to writing for the wrong people and misalignment of my goals and work.
But now, things have gotten much better as I know my priorities and direction in this writing journey.
Here are the 5 lessons I learnt from my experience to help the newbie writers:
1) Creativity doesn’t flow in rigidity always
Routine.
Yes, it’s worth it.
But the perfect day, being productive every time doesn’t exist in the flow of creativity.
I pushed myself when my mind said no to work. The result? Hampered work quality.
It’s because your mind wants space to think and wander. Your mind will not work according to you every time but you have to adapt to work as your mind commands.
For this, I started listening to myself more and being in harmony with the body signals.
For example, my mind is processing over one thought. I leave whatever doing at that time and start thinking, writing, and questioning to uncover that single thought/idea.
While having a routine is great, give yourself the freedom to go beyond that pattern, to find a new rhythm, and to give new exposure to your mind.
2) Be honest about what you create
In the beginning, my scenario was:
Writing about happiness even when I was feeling distressed.
Writing about productivity when I was lazy and procrastinating.
When there is a misalignment of what you pen and feel, your audience finds a lack of relatability with your content.
So, writing isn’t about portraying yourself as perfect, expert, and flawless.
But it’s about showing your human side, real and raw.
That creates a memorable experience for your readers and gives them the feeling of relief that others also go through down situations. That makes them come back and read you over and over again.
Embed emotions (real ones) that your audience can relate to, feel better, and remember you as a person.
3) Not only read more but also think more
Mere reading is like putting ingredients in the pan without giving it steam or heat.
Your thinking to process those consumed ideas warms them up to get the prepared dish.
Think over it. Ask questions. Uncover the layers. Add the spices of your perspectives.
The more you think, the better you write.
4) Learn from specific people rather than all
My mistake was learning from every Tin and John from YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, and X.
I messed up.
I was learning but didn’t know what, how, where I was going to. No traction was there.
The problem with it is that you assume you’re growing but those assumptions aren’t always right.
So, now I created a list of the creators I’m learning from mentioning the categories of upskilling.
Specificity wins.
It’s time-saving when I’m aware of my learning sources.
Less is more — learning in a limit to execute better.
5) Open the doors to feedback
Feedback is for improvement, refinement, and growth if we don’t get offended by them.
What helped me the most in my journey so far is getting feedback along with the rejections.
What I learnt while building online for the massive growth is:
Make friends online, interact in DMs, and receive feedback from them.
“Feedback is the breakfast of champions.”
The journey of getting better depends on the steps we take every day.
There’s no finish line in writing.
The further you go, you’ll find more areas to learn, improve, and change.
It’s about beginning and upgrading along the way.
So, shake ideas in your mind, play your favorite music, have your favorite drink, and write a draft not for perfection but to deliver a message.
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I’m a LinkedIn personal branding strategist and copywriter. I share insights based on my experience and learning. Want to get practical LinkedIn approaches to achieve your business goals?
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