Power Writing Tips - Write Like A Pro!

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3 years ago

Since I've been reading so many amazing/helpful articles written by members of Wealthy Affiliate, I decided to write one based on my area of expertise: writing.

Over the past two years I wrote a novel, currently unpublished, and I have edited about a dozen scientific papers which have been published in peer-reviewed journals. I journal regularly and have also written a couple of short stories which I aim to get published once I get my website humming like a kitten.

Throughout all this I have developed the habits of a writer. I know Kyle says that we don't have to be writers to succeed at affiliate marketing, but thinking and acting like a writer has tremendous benefits when it comes to creating quality content on a regular basis.

When you adopt the habits of a writer, writing great content comes easily, it flows like milk and honey across the promised land.

This article aims to share with you some of the tips of the trade of writers, both my own and from writers who process I've learned from, like Susan Orleans, Simon Van Booy, Isaac Asimov and Margaret Atwood.

Carry A Notebook And Pen At All Times

Writers are always prepared for when inspiration strikes. Ideas are fleeting and fragile, as soon as they make their appearance they need to be caught and captured in the material world. Until an idea is placed on paper it isn't yours.

I can't tell you how many times I've been out on walks when ideas come to me. As soon as one comes I stop, take my notebook and pen out and jot down the idea, be it for a product, short story, a bit of dialogue or, most recently, articles. This has several effects.

It allows me to relax, knowing that if an idea comes I'll be prepared to grab it.
Once I grab the idea, I can relax even more, because I now know that I have material to work on for the next day.
Since I am even more relaxed, more ideas come. Ideas are thrown up by our subconscious mind by a process no one understands yet. What is understood is that the more we relax, the more our subconscious mind gives us ideas as gifts.

Which leads me to the second point...

Take The Time To Relax - This Allows Ideas To Flow

Humans can exist in one of two states; "fight-or-flight" or "rest-and-digest." It's built into our biology, a heritage of our animal nature.

When we are in fight-or-flight mode our physiology directs us to perceive threats in outside world; our pupils constrict (tunnel vision), our breathing becomes shallow and quick, our pulse accelerates and our muscles tense. Also, blood flows from our guts to our extremities to enable us to fight off attacks or make quick escapes. All of this is good for survival, but it's terrible for long-term health and creativity. Makes sense, when we're afraid we are focused on solving challenges now, rather than engaged in creative, long-term thinking.

When we are in rest-and-digest mode the opposite things happen; our pupils dilate, allowing us to literally see the "bigger picture"; our breathing lengthens and becomes deeper; our pulse slows and our muscles. Rest-and-digest is synonymous with growth-and-repair, this is when our brain can learn new things, integrate new knowledge and strengthen connections. It's also when our body heals and recovers from the stresses it encounters.

Books have been written on this subject (Why Zebras Don't Have Ulcers), so I'll just say a couple of more things about it.

Rest-and-digest mode is also our creative mode. Most, if not all, of the geniuses in the history of our species report that their bigges insights came to them when they were relaxed. Archimedes had his "Eureka" moment when he dipped into his bath; August Kekule came up with the structure of the benzene molecule in a dream; Mendelev also came up with the structure of a periodic table of the elements in a dream.

So here's the tip: If you want to create great content effortlessly, you need to relax. You can do this in a few ways:

Go on a walk - this is my favorite by far, walking is regarded as one of the best sources of inspiration by the brightest thinkers ever, including Socrates and Nietzsche. I regularly take walks in the forest to relax, stimulate my imagination and get some exercise.
Meditate - meditation is a powerful way of building focus, relaxing and gaining awareness of our internal states. The more aware we are of our thoughts the more ideas we capture when they appear.
Breathe deeply and slowly - the breath is considered our gateway to the divine by ancient traditions. When we take conscious control of our breath our physiology changes drastically towards rest-and-digest. Conscious breathing is simply one of the most powerful ways we have of relaxing. I do it when I write, when I walk, when I cook and read, anytime I want to ease a little more into the present moment, I breathe consciously.

Which brings us to the final tip...

Read Read Read!

The short of it is, the more you read the more easily you'll be able to write. Imagine you have a barrel for words in your head. When you speak and write you draw the words you use from this barrel. The more you read, the more words will be in this barrel and the more eloquently and elegantly you will be able to express your ideas. And elegant eloquence leads to engagement!

So you need to be reading.

I find that the best which works for me is reading about my niche for at least 30 minutes in the morning, before I start working. This allows me to both learn about my niche while simultaneously prepping my mind to produce an effortless flow of words which I stands at my beck and call.

Additionally, you can read outside of your niche. This is also crucial. When you read outside of your niche you learn about things you never even knew existed! You can then incorporate this knowledge in new and exciting ways into your work. Again, it's a twofer; you stretch your imagination while simultaneously improving your work.

Go Forth And Apply This For Great Effect!

All that's left to say is that I hope you can use these tips to your advantage. Kyle mentions numerous times in the training that people dread writing content. But it doesn't have to be so.

Good writing starts the day before. If you start incorporating these habits into your life you will slowly but surely see your writing skill and volume shoot up!

I know this from first hand experience, which is why I'm sharing it with you!

All the best,

Erick