How I Write One Article Every Day

 

Image Credit | Suzy Hazelwood | Pexels

I've always enjoyed reading and as I got older I enjoyed writing myself. When I was a kid in elementary school we had an assignment to write a book. Our teacher bought us blank hardcover books and we went through an exercise to come up with an idea, outline it, write numerous drafts and finally actually write and illustrate the final version of our books. It was a blast!  I still have that book on my bookshelf today.

As I got older and gained experience in the business world, I began to mentor new or younger employees. I realized I really enjoyed sharing what I had learned with those that were new to the business world. I decided to start blogging. At first, the articles were short, poorly written, and came out very irregularly. Over time, however, my articles improved, got a little longer, and started to come out a couple of times a week, and then finally, now, every weekday. 

Along the way, I've learned many lessons about writing consistently. Below are some of the tips I use to help me stay motivated and write 1 article every day. 

For You

You can write for any number of reasons. Perhaps you've been asked to create copy for a project at work. Maybe you're writing a review of a product you bought because the manufacturer asked you to. Perhaps you're trying to organize your thoughts and practice your writing for that big novel you've always planned to write. These are all different reasons to write with different motivations. Each of these reasons has a different outcome or goal that must be accomplished through writing. 

The reason that you write will be unique to you, but the most important thing to remember is that you are writing for yourself. Whatever you decide to write about or why you decide to write, be sure that you're writing for yourself and not anyone else. If you want to write an article every day, you might find that some days you want to write more than others. When you're doing this for an intrinsic reason you are far more likely to keep doing it and see it through. Find your motivation, and remind yourself of why you're doing this when you feel like slowing down.

Write What You Know

You've probably heard the statement that you should write what you know and that is correct. You should also write about what you love. Be sure to write about a subject that matters to you. If you love history, write about history. If you love business profiles, write business profiles. When you have a passion for the subject you're writing about that comes through in your work. 

Your readers can tell when you are writing authentically. Your writing will have more impact and convey more excitement and confidence when you believe in what you're doing. Do yourself and your readers a favor and write about subjects that excite you and make you want to talk endlessly.  

Help Your Memory

Ideas for writing articles will come to you in call kinds of different situations. You'll be working on something else, on a bike ride, shopping for groceries when an idea for a perfect article or two will suddenly pop into your head. You may even think of some of the specific points that you want to cover in that article to really make it work for you and your readers.

Don't let those articles slip away. I have learned that I will come up with great ideas and then forget them even though I'm sure I'll remember. Now I pop open the notes app on my phone and add the idea to my blogs note and include any additional bullets that help me remember exactly what I wanted to cover in the article. This has really helped me to stay organized and not forget important ideas. 

Location Independent

I've learned that you don't need to be at home, at your desk to write. You can write anywhere in the world. There may have been a time when you needed a typewriter or a computer to write consistently, but today you can write on nearly any device. In fact, you have a fully-featured writing tool in your pocket every day. There have been articles that I have written in full from my cell phone before.

When the urge strikes you to write, take advantage of that motivation. When you're excited to put down the worlds they'll have the most emotional impact. Whether you're on the balcony of your vacation rental, the breakroom at work, or in the back of an uber, open your phone, laptop, iPad whatever and start getting your ideas written down. Anytime is the right time and anywhere is the right where. 

Routine/Habits

Habits are automatic responses to external triggers. For example, if you get into your car and immediately check your mirrors to be sure they're adjusted correctly. You've done it so many times that you no longer think about it, you just do it. Creating a habit of writing makes it easier to sit down and write without having to think about it. 

Every morning I have the same routine. I get up, let the dogs outside, make a cup of coffee, and sit down at my computer to write. One thing leads to the other, over and over again. When I went on vacation I still wrote and the general routine carried on, minus the dogs. I got up, got a cup of coffee, and sat down not the patio with my iPad to write. The key thing is that once you've created a habit you feel compelled to keep it up. You want to write after you have a cup of coffee. 

Get Help With Editing

I love to write but I hate to edit. In fact, as I wrote this article I had several spelling and formatting errors that had to be corrected. When I first started writing I published a lot of articles with glaring errors that I caught later and had to go back and fix. Now I have help to ensure that my writing comes out a lot better.

Get yourself help editing. Whether that's a friend or family member that reads every article or service that does it for you. I use an online service called Grammarly. It installs on Windows, Mac, as a Browser Extension or you can write right on the website. It will go through and check for spelling, tone, formatting, etc and then easily let you correct those mistakes. Don't got it alone get help ensuring you put your best foot forward. 

Whether you want to write occasionally, every month, every week, or every day you can do it. Think about what you love, stay organized and create a routine. Before you know it you'll have a dozen articles and then dozens of articles written. Maybe you'll even write a novel and get it picked up by a major publisher. If you do, let me know what it is, I might want to read it! What do you think about these tips?  Will they help you write consistently?  Tell me below!