10 Steps to Becoming a Highly Effective Writer

Writing and procrastination might stereotypically go hand-in-hand, but no one has ever written a book by procrastinating. The only way to write a book is to write. It’s a crazy concept—I know. If F. Scott Fitzgerald procrastinated on The Great Gatsby, it wouldn’t have been finished and none of us would even know such a book existed. So, how can we reverse procrastination, start putting words on paper, and cross the finish line as a published author? Research, goal-setting, team-building, and community-cultivation are all part of the journey to the finish line. Let’s break it down, shall we?

 

Become a reader. It’s been said before, and I’ll repeat it here: the best writers are the best readers. Read anything and everything you can get your hands on. Do you plan on writing a self-help book, but have never read one yourself? It’s kind of hard to reach your target audience when you don’t know what they need. Are you thinking of writing a young adult fiction book? Have you picked up a YA novel and read one lately? Reading isn’t about copying; it’s about learning and discovery.
Observe your world. Technology has made it so easy to ignore the world around us. The ins and outs of our location and the people around us; we can so easily turn it off and tune into our social media feeds or read an email. By doing that, we lose the ability to observe. Some of my best ideas and free writes come from quiet moments in which I’m watching the world move around me. Sit on a park bench on a beautiful spring afternoon. What do you see? Write it down. On vacation somewhere completely different from home? Look at the location as if it’s a picture in front of your face. How would you describe the picture to someone who can’t see what you see?
Set goals. Goal-setting is so important for life in general, but it’s important for writing too. The thought of writing an entire book can be daunting and downright exhausting; I get it. In order to achieve big goals, we need smaller goals to get us there. The standard book length for non-fiction books range from 60,000 to 75,000 words, and a fiction novel can range from 75,000 to 120,000 words. Sound overwhelming? It is. 75,000 words over the course of one month, however, is a mere 2,500 words a day. Sound a bit easier to achieve? That’s because it is easier. Set smaller goals to achieve big goals.
Protect your time. Once you figure out your big goal, and the smaller goals that are going to get you to a completed book, it’s time to start protecting your time. How do you protect your time? First off, you have to make time. Writing has to become part of your life, not something you do when you’re bored. Just as you build your work schedule into your day, you must build writing into your day or week. Decide how many times a week you’re going to write. Then, decide how many hours on each of those days you’re going to write. Put these blocks of time on your calendar. Most importantly, do not break these time commitments with yourself. If you sit down during a writing time and have nothing to write, then you should free write or do research for your book. Inspiration doesn’t show up like magic; sometimes it has to be massaged out one free write at a time.
Find your writing space. This one may take some trial and error, but it’s important to find a writing space that works. Maybe it’s a local coffee shop. Maybe it’s the dining room table or a home office. Wherever your writing space may be, it should be a comfortable temperature, well lit, and the right noise level.
Set and keep boundaries. Just like protecting time is important, it’s also important that family members and friends respect the boundaries of your writing time as well. If you have a block of time for writing on Tuesdays for two hours before bed, it’s important that no one interrupt that time: no dishes, no laundry, no “can you come here real quick.” Shutting off the world for a bit is important for efficient writing.
Keep readers in mind. Some say to write for yourself; others say to write with your readers in mind. The writing process should actually be a little of both. You have to write something you’re going to enjoy writing. Otherwise, you’ll never finish. You also have to keep future readers in mind. Respect the time future readers are going to spend with your book. Invest time in your writing if you want readers to invest their time in reading your book.
Build a team. I have yet to meet a writer who can also perfectly edit their own book, design their own cover, typeset their entire book, and create a marketing plan for the published book. It’s so important to build a team of experts in each field, and it’s equally important to let them do the work they know how to do best. As a writer, your job is to write, revise, and work with an editor on revisions. It’s a partnership that takes both parties to create a positive experience. The same can be said about other aspects of the publishing process too. Build a great team and enjoy the experience, instead of feeling weighed down by stress.
Cultivate a community. Let’s be honest, a finished book isn’t the real finish line; selling the book is the natural next step. Don’t wait until you’re done with your book to build an audience. Cultivate a community as you write. Take them on the writing journey with you, build a relationship with followers, and engage with them on a regular basis. When you do that, you automatically have an audience of readers when your book goes to print.

Finish your book. In order to be effective, you have to actually finish the task you set out to complete. I don’t just mean type the end on the last page of your first draft either. What I mean by finish your book is publish it. Share your story, your message, and your talent with the world. Then, and only then, will you be an effective writer.

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