How to Be a Better Writer

“Easy reading is damn hard writing.”

— Nathaniel Hawthorne

Want to Write a Book (or Anything Else)? Don’t Do It Alone!

We envision authors writing in seclusion. Maybe locked away in a room or an isolated cottage on the beach.

Sure, it takes a lot of time alone to write a manuscript that becomes a book.

But the more I write, the more I play it as a team sport.

For three years, I spent countless hours alone in my office writing Losing Your Job & Finding Yourself. It took longer than I imagined. But no longer than a typical process to complete a book.

After two years, I sent a manuscript and red pen to nine people (my first readers). I asked them to write comments about what resonated, what was confusing, what was boring or repetitive, what made them laugh. I asked them to be candid about whatever they thought would make it better. I am forever grateful for the time and attention they put into the feedback they provided.

The manuscript I sent out for feedback was far beyond my first draft. I lost count of how many revisions I had made before sharing it. And, while my first readers had it, I was already re-working many parts. I received their marked-up versions over the next three months. Several people provided in-depth critiques and suggestions. There was no doubt about it. I had to pull it apart and put it back together differently. I worked on this puzzle for most of another year.

The best part of this story is how the book was transformed from the manuscript I shared to the version I published. The most common feedback from first readers was that the first 90 pages dragged. Then, at a certain point in the story, the pace picked up and reading became a breeze.

Flash forward. Many people soar through 235 pages in one or two sittings. I’m thrilled when they say it flows from beginning to end. My quest had been to create an effortless immersion, with inspiration, insights, and information.

The big takeaway? Everything we write gets better with input from others. Putting our egos aside to treasure their gems is well worth it.

Most of us get attached to the words we write. We rarely ask for feedback and our instinct is to get defensive when we get it. Many people find it hard to be gracious when someone else makes their pages bloody with a red pen (or track changes).

But the words we send out in the world could be so much better.

I’ve been writing and editing for over 30 years. Every day, my appreciation grows for how much better content becomes with input from others. Ideas are clarified, paragraphs flow, sentences are tighter, repetition is gone, errors are eliminated.

As a business writer and editor, my favorite activity is co-creating content with others. Regardless of who writes the first draft or two, magic happens when we think together to shape and sharpen ideas, words, sentences, paragraphs, and pages.

Refining words with others is a creative process that gives life to our ideas. At its best, writing together is a mind-meld with access to infinitely more brain cells.

You’ll be amazed by the quality of content you can co-create.

No Such Thing as Perfection

I used to say I had passion for perfection in writing. Recently, I realized it’s the ongoing process of perfecting that matters. Perfection doesn’t exist. Like any fine craftsmanship, the more skilled we become the more nuances we see. The more we know our work can always be better.

My satisfaction in writing comes from moving words around and cutting those not needed. This is a never-ending process. I might think a sentence is great today, then rewrite or delete it tomorrow. Almost always, I can use fewer words to say what I want to say.

Three editing concepts provided insights and inspiration when I was tempted to walk away from writing my book Losing Your Job & Finding Yourself. These still guide me as a business writer and editor who never has enough red pens.

Writing and editing are different processes and skills

• Let your words flow and fix them later
• All writers need editors; others see things you miss

Great writing happens in rewriting and editing

• Famous writers expect first drafts to be bad (aka vomit or garbage)
• First drafts are for you; rewrites are for your readers
• Writers and editors create magic when they respect and trust each other; both must check their egos at the door

Less is almost always more

• Cut unnecessary words
• Identify and stay focused on your main message
• Consider whether you have multiple key messages or story lines that would be better as separate pieces

So, next time you feel insulted or defensive when a colleague gets out their red pen, think again. Open your mind to putting different words in different places and cutting words that aren’t needed.

One of the best ways to become a better writer is to read, read, and read some more. While absorbing content, pay attention to how it’s constructed. What makes your reading experience a smooth or bumpy ride? Why do you get immersed versus stay on the surface? Apply these observations to improve your writing.

Besides devouring books on writing by writers, the Internet is a vast ocean of blogs and resources for writers. I use these and others to continually hone my craft. I hope you find them useful, and please share others you use.

4 Tools to Become a Better Writer

WordRake: Tighten, tone, and clarify your writing by eliminating extra words. This Microsoft Office add on “rakes” Word and Outlook copy for words that can be cut and simplified.

Hemingway App: Make your writing bold and clear by strengthening descriptions, reducing passive voice, and simplifying sentences. The basic app is free. Added features are available in a version to purchase.

Grammar Girl: Get the answer to any grammar question with a full explanation of what’s correct, incorrect, and optional.

Merriam-Webster: Use the dictionary to verify when to use one word, two words, or a hyphen. Use the thesaurus to find synonyms and related terms for ideas you want to enhance.

5 Websites and Blogs to Improve Your Content  

Copyblogger: Learn from content marketing experts about how to write compelling content that engages audiences. Sign up for a free membership to access this ever-growing collection of blogs, e-books, and other resources.

Enchanting Marketing: Attract and keep your audiences by adding sparkle to your writing. Take advantage of this free goldmine of practical tips to improve for every aspect of your writing.

Write to the Point: Learn the fine points of clear and compelling writing from Gary Kinder, author and creator of the WordRake editing tool described above. Subscribe to this free weekly blog and access archives at your convenience.

HubSpot Blog: Upgrade your writing and content marketing skills with thought leadership offered through free blogs, webinars, and other resources.

The Writing Cooperative: A place on Medium.com where experienced and aspiring writers help each other write better.

6 Books on Writing by Writers

The War of Art, Steven Pressfield

The Art of Memoir, Mary Karr

The Forest for the Trees, Betsy Lerner

On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft, Stephen King

You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One), Jeff Goins

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, Elizabeth Gilbert

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add,

but when there is nothing left to take away.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Writing my first book stirred up creativity I didn’t know I had. Words flowed out of my head faster than my typing could keep up.

Every time I stepped away from my computer, new images and metaphors popped into my head. Lots of new ideas came to me in the shower and in my car. Decades of research on creativity have shown that our brain works differently when we do routine tasks that we don’t have to think about. It’s like being on automatic pilot so our brain is freed up to do other things.

We enrich our writing by tuning in to our creativity. Images and metaphors engage readers at an emotional level. The more senses we tap, the more people connect with our story. It’s powerful to give them pictures to see, sounds to hear, textures to touch, flavors to taste, and aromas to smell.

These images and metaphors inspire my creativity. I hope they do the same for you.

1. Let your words breathe.

Like a fine red wine, words get better as they age. Once captured, step away. Then come back to refine and infuse them with new flavor. It’s normal to like something you write today, only to rework it tomorrow.

2. Let ideas marinate in your mind.

Ideas are formulating even when you’re not aware you’re thinking about them. Trust that this is happening, especially if you’re struggling to write something. The words will come when you and they are ready.

3. Dive deep vs. skimming the ocean.

It’s a common mistake to write with multiple messages, concepts, or story lines. It’s like trying to eat the whole elephant instead of taking one bite at a time. Rather than covering many topics superficially, consider diving deeper into one idea at a time.

4. Stay on the main highway and avoid off-ramps.

Identify your primary message or controlling idea and avoid going off in different directions. Rather than distracting yourself and your readers with extraneous material, challenge yourself to give full attention to one concept.

5. Refine your writing so it’s elegant, beautiful, seamless, and useful.

A brilliant colleague compared excellent writing to the precision and artistry of elegant dentistry and plumbing. Your metaphors for writing could be anything you know enough about to appreciate the nuances others don’t see.

6. Fine tune content like an audio engineer.

Changing, deleting, and moving words around is like calibrating levers and dials on an audio mixing console. Editing is an iterative process that gives some messages a little more emphasis and some a little less.

7. Master the fine art of subtraction.

Artists of all types—writers, designers, photographers, sculptors—know they are done when there is nothing left to remove.

8. Sculpt beautiful content, as if from stone or clay.

Early drafts are rough and shaped with large tools. Fine details of later drafts are sculpted with precision instruments.