Don’t Rush Your Writing

A lot of people message me randomly asking for advice about writing. While my answers are always specific to their questions, one thing I find myself repeating often is “take your time.” Writing is easy, writing well isn’t. It takes patience and rounds of editing to make sure your message is connecting.

I know there’s something to being prolific and it’s OK to strive for higher output, but don’t do that at the expense of quality.

Here’s where I find most people struggle — whether it’s an article, short story, or novel:

Titles — For whatever reason, far too many writers don’t put enough emphasis on their titles. This is a huge misstep. Titles largely determine if a reader will give your piece the time of day. It’s your first impression. Take the time to make sure it accurately describes what they can expect and that it also has some kind of cleverness or personality.

Your idea isn’t fully thought out — When trying to connect with your reader, ideas must be clear. If there’s any ambiguity in what you’re trying to say, or if you really haven’t taken the time to articulate your thoughts concisely, then readers will be disengaged. As a rule, you shouldn’t be releasing anything the same day you write it.

Just some food for thought. Happy hump day!

C.R.Y

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