Tag Archives: Writing Tips

8 Ways to Train your Brain to Write Everyday

July 8, 2017 By in Blogging Tips Tags: , , , , , , , , , , 28 Comments

As a freelancer, writing forms a major part of my work activity. To keep Fashion and Style Police up and running, I need to make sure that there is a steady flow of content everyday or almost everyday. I also have to do a good amount of writing for my clients, so I am always writing.

 

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What has helped me in creating content consistently is my habit of writing. Let’s face it. No matter what medium you use in your business, writing will always form an important place in your life. This is a skill that does not come by chance. The greatest bloggers or freelancers we have now are diligent writers. They make it a point of duty to write everyday.

If you’ve not been the type who writes consistently, then this post is just for you. Here are 8 ways you can train yourself to be a real content machine.

 

Set aside a specific time everyday to start writing

Sometimes it is only when you have a specific time of the day to write that your creative juice flows. If you are the type who wakes up early in the morning, then let writing be the first thing you do before anything else. The same goes for if you are a night person. Or you can get super specific by setting a particular time in the day like 2pm everyday.

 

Keep your writing materials near by

You may have the desire to write everyday, but when you know that you have to walk a distance before you can write something down, there’s a high possibility that it will cool you off completely.

Keep your writing materials close to you so that you can be more motivated to write. Put a notebook and a pen near your bed or make use of the notepad on your phone, that is what I use 90% of the time.

 

Get an accountability partner

Having someone who can keep you accountable will help you write more often. Tell a friend who can keep you accountable and check on your progress everyday. This will keep you on your toes everyday. You wouldn’t want to disappoint that friend of yours, would you?

 

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Come up with a list of things everyday

I heard about this tip and it’s quite effective. Come up with a list of 10 things everyday. For example, “10 ways to sleep well” or “10 travel ideas you can try out”. These lists will help you push your mind to build content around your ideas. No matter how long or how short your list is, it will get you in the mood of writing.

 

Keep a journal

A journal is where you write events that happen to you on a daily basis. What better way to get in the writing mode than by keeping a journal? Write something about what happened during the day. It’s not always a must to be able to write something relating to your business everyday. It could be on personal things. The idea is to keep writing.

 

Have 30-day challenge

Challenges get you in the competitive spirit. The idea is to be able meet a target. What makes this effective is, if you could make your 30-day writing challenge public. Share your progress everyday with your friends on Facebook or Twitter and even on Instagram. When you share your progress with your audience, it keeps you publicly accountable.

 

Mark your calendar

This is an easy exercise that will keep you going in your writing efforts. Have a spare calendar. Each time you write something, take a red marker to put a big X on the day. Try this the next day and then the next. The aim is to not break the chain of red Xs. Since you do not want to break the chain you will be more eager to write. It works!

 

Aim to write a certain number of words everyday

Start with 100 words a day. 100 words a day should take you less than 15 minutes to write. Train yourself to write 100 words everyday. Do this for 30 days. Before you know it, it will be a part of you. The day you skip this exercise, roll it over to the next day. For example, when you miss one day, that means you will have to write 200 words the next day. That will serve as punishment whenever you miss a day.

 

Do you write everyday? How do you train yourself to write?

How to Write Faster

December 15, 2016 By in Blogging Tips Tags: , , , , , , , , 43 Comments

As freelance writers and bloggers our business revolves around how many articles we put up either for ourselves or for our clients. And the more you write, the more money you make.

If you want to stay on top of your game as a freelance writer or blogger, then you need to learn how to write fast. The faster you’re able to write, the more articles or blog posts you’ll be able to churn out and of course, increase your income.

 

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Writing fast is tricky. But with a lot of practice you’ll be able to train yourself to increase your speed. So if you have been wondering how you can get more work done fast, then these tips will help you.

  1. Do your research first

It’s so much easier writing about something you know very well than writing about something you’re not familiar with. That’s why before you start writing anything at all, the smartest thing to do is to research and grasp all the major concepts relating to the topic you’re about to work on. This will help get the creative juices flowing such that you won’t have to struggle writing on the topic.

Here’s a note of caution: you don’t have to go overboard with your research. Restrict yourself only to the relevant things relating to the article. Don’t get carried away with all the information out there. Stick to the topic as much as you can.

  1. Draw up a very detailed outline

Outlines are like maps. They will help guide you in which direction the article will go. The reason why outlines help you to write faster is because you won’t have to stop and think about what the next paragraph or section of the article will be about.

With an outline, you know exactly where you are going and the main points the article will touch. With a detailed outline your work is half done.

 

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  1. Quit editing as you write

As important as editing your writing projects is, editing is one of the reasons why you don’t write fast. There’s no problem with editing. The main problem is editing as you write.

If you want to write faster, you need to train yourself to write without editing. Leave all the editing later after you have finished writing the article. This way, you will focus more on getting the project done and less time fussing over whether it is constructed well or not.

  1. Time yourself while you write

When you know that the clock’s ticking and that you’re running out of time, it creates a sense of urgency which will naturally push you to increase your writing speed. Get a stop watch and challenge yourself to write a 500-700 word article in 45 minutes, then start reducing the time week after week until you achieve your desired speed.

Don’t get discouraged if you fail to meet the time limit. It’s all part of the practice. With time you’ll be able to get more work done within a short period of time. The idea is to take it one step at a time.

 

What do you think of these tips? Do you have any writing tips to share?

Why You Should Write Everyday

October 4, 2016 By in Blogging Tips Tags: , , , , , , , , , , 69 Comments

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As a blogger and freelance writer, writing takes up a major part of my life. My business practically runs on writing! Writing consistently has not only helped my business grow but it has also helped me grow as a person. What many people don’t realize is that writing has a lot of benefits. But to get the best out of writing, you need to write regularly, and when I say regularly, I mean everyday.
Writing 2-3 times a week or whenever you feel like it, will not give you the full benefits writing has to offer. Just to let you know why I set aside time everyday to write, I’ll share with you why it’s important to write daily.
1.    It helps you improve your writing
This is an obvious result of writing. “Practice makes perfect.” It’s also true when it comes to writing. As you write everyday, you find yourself strengthening your writing skill. You’ll find your writing voice and unique style. It also helps to increase your proficiency in writing and your writing speed, which is great when you have to write multiple articles in a day.
2.    It helps you grow an audience
Writing everyday helped me grow my audience from zero readers to the thousands of readers I have now. When you write everyday and publish your writing online, more and more people get to see what you’ve written. As you show up everyday, more and more people start to look forward to your posts, and before you can say ‘bow-wow’, you have a following.
3.    Writing gives you clarity
Writing helps you to see things in a different perspective. This happens a lot when you journal or when you freely write your thoughts down. Your thoughts begin to align and all the unresolved issues fall in place. You begin to gain more clarity in your life. It helps you reflect on your thoughts and actions. Writing is therapeutic for many.
4.    It makes it easier to come up with new ideas
Writing forces you to come up with fresh ideas. It challenges you to gain deep insights about the things that interest you or events that happen in your life. Gradually, you find yourself turn into someone who is always in discovery mode. It helps you to stay creative and open-minded.
5.    It makes it easier to express yourself
You know those inner feelings or thoughts that you want to say but you don’t know the right words to use? Well, what writing does is to challenge you to find the right words to use. It pushes you to learn new ways to give a voice to your deep feelings and inner thoughts. As you keep up with this writing exercise, it becomes easier for you to express yourself and you’ll learn new words and phrases that will make your writing more meaningful.
Writing is a process. When you keep up with it, you’ll wish you had started it sooner. The effect of writing does not lie in the number of words you write. It lies in how often you write. So you can write 300 words or 1000 words daily, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you write daily, when possible of course.

Do you write daily? Do you find writing therapeutic?

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