5 Things to Keep in Mind Before Writing a Single?Word

If you're interested in writing, you must've heard that writing is a long game. While that is 100% true, there are certain nuances to it.

Yes, writing is indeed a long game. You can't become a prolific writer in days, weeks, or even months sometimes. It takes time and a hell lot of effort. But that is not to say that you shouldn't pick up writing.

Some say that writing is tedious because it's a lifetime commitment and can be painfully slow. However, others say that while books may have a shelf life, writers don't.

As an aspiring writer, I have faced many challenges time and again. Coming up with original ideas, writing consistently, and fighting a writer's worst nightmare- writer's block, are just a few of them.

I'm certain that a lot of people face these problems in writing, especially in the initial stages. Creating original content is hard and overwhelming at times. Therefore, you must follow a system or a set of pre-tested strategies to make your writing impactful.

Let's explore the 5 most important things to know that can help you write effectively and efficiently.

1. Structure Your Writing Before Actually Writing

If you don't structure your content beforehand, it won't be able to stand on its own. In other words, you must follow a writing roadmap for the things you want to write about before getting into the meat and potatoes of it.

This is what Ann Handley talks about in her book "Everybody Writes". She says "Make every paragraph earn its keep. Does every paragraph contain an idea that the one before or after it doesn't? It should."

She talks about terms like Frankenparagraphs and Frankenspeak, which leads me to the concept of Frankenwriting which is unstructured sections juxtaposed together to form a shape that resembles the Frankenstein monster in writing.

The point is to have a clear skeletal idea of what your content will look like before writing. You can simply outline the structure of your content via bullet points or use a free online tool like Surferseo.

Remember what Winnie The Pooh said,

“Organization is what you do before you do it, so when you do it, it’s not all messed up.”

2. Work on Your Headlines

Headlines are perhaps THE most important aspect of written content. After all, 80% of people don't read past the headline of an article according to David Ogilvy's 1963 book, “Confessions of an Advertising Man”.

Writing good headlines is in-and-of-itself an entire topic to be covered. That said, headline writing is yet another sub-skill to learn for every aspiring writer. It takes time, wittiness, and a good amount of head-scratching to come up with something that would catch the reader's attention.

You can make your headlines stronger and more impactful by following these tips:

• Try to give as much time to your headlines as you give to the content.
• Practice writing headlines?every day. (Consistency is key)
• Follow the CUPOD rule which stands for Curiosity, Urgency, Power, Offbeatness, and Directness to make your headlines stand out. Check out this insightful blog post by Wishpond which is the source for this information.
• Keep it Snappy: Remember, Less is More! Anything beyond the 65-character count goes right to cut-off town.
• Digits Do it Better: People love to see those shiny digits and numbers in headlines so make use of them.
• Use Intriguing Adjectives and Phrases: Descriptive and intriguing adjectives can make your headlines more compelling. For example, "Effortless Ways to Declutter Your Home" or "The Ultimate Guide to Mastering Photography" can pique curiosity.
• Pose a Question or Challenge: Headlines that ask a question or pose a challenge are engaging. They invite the reader to think and interact. For example, "Do You Know the Secrets to a Perfect Diet?" or "How to lose weight in 4 weeks?"

3. Intros are Vital

The intro can make or break your content. If people find the headline/title intriguing, the next thing they'll read is the intro. And if that doesn't hook them instantly, they'll certainly skip the rest of your content.

That being said, how do you write a captivating intro? For that, you must know the outcomes of a good intro.

Steph Knapp in a blog post for Zapier shared 3 points to take note of before writing an intro, which are:

1. Spark interest to encourage further reading.
2. Offer a fresh viewpoint on the subject.
3. Clarify what the reader will gain from the article.

I try to remember these three pieces of advice before writing an intro. Along with that, something worth prioritizing is getting to the point ASAP in your intros. This takes us to the next section which is editing.

4. Edit Ruthlessly

Writing without revising is the literary equivalent of waltzing gaily out of the house in your underwear. - Patricia Fuller

Before I go all evangelic about how crucial editing is, I must state that editing while writing is overkill. It ruins your train of thought and constrains your writing.

While editing is technically a post-writing process, it's crucial to know its groundwork beforehand.

Separate the editing process altogether- a lesson I learned very late. I always used to edit simultaneously whenever I wrote something. As a consequence, I got burned out and confused.

Prolific authors like Hemingway understood the art of brevity, meticulously trimming the excess to highlight the essence that propels the narrative.

Thus, the takeaway is - even if your writing is outstanding, it's imperative to embrace the editing process. This means distilling your work to its most engaging and vital form, ensuring that what reaches the reader is not just good, but essential.

5. Write that ugly first draft

Ask a writer what their worst Nightmare looks like, "A blank page" is the reply you'll get almost every time.

I know this blog is supposed to be about the things to do Before you start writing but hear me out.

To have written something is better than nothing. Even if it looks like an ugly mess you must embrace the first draft. This is yet another point that Ann Handley makes in her book.

The ugly first draft or TUFD, may not be presentable YET but it gets the ball rolling. So pick that damn pen and bleed onto the page OR crack those knuckles and just start typing.

If that's too freestyled for you, you can follow a mini-framework (proposed by Kaleigh Moore), as follows:

· Intro

· Background/Segue

· Stats/Points/Ideas/Tips (one per paragraph)

· Conclusion

This form of writing is not meant to be organized from the get-go. However, it's pretty effective in getting you started and culminating all sorts of ideas.

Editing and re-editing your ugly first draft are imperative. The idea is to only do it once you collect all your thoughts in one place.

Bottomline

Writing without a system is liberating and could be a lot of fun at times. You must recognize, however, that you can't make an impact with it. It's for you to read and then work on it so that you can make it presentable to others.

In a world where tools like ChatGPT and Google Bard are being used to generate boundless content, writing has become more convenient than ever. And though you may leverage generative AI to produce content in no time, originality and voice are still the most unique traits of your writing.

In conclusion, you must follow the ground rules to create impactful content. You can apply and experiment with the practices discussed and I hope the points made in this blog help you in your writing endeavors.

Until then, Happy Writing Folks!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Zaigam is a Freelance Writer. You can connect with him here on LinkedIn or follow him on Twitter at @Zaigam_Akhtar