The Brutal Truth Why You are a Bad Writer – Olivia Ryan | Guest Post

write

The majority of people don’t even perceive writing on a very conscious level. That’s because it seems so normal, so natural. They know how to do to it because they’ve been thought how to do it, and now they just…have it.

Writing is created by language, and language is learned during our youngest years of existence. It is the primary way in which people communicate (other than oral communication), and its importance is pretty underrated.

Writing is important. It’s a fact, and here are just a few arguments for the statement.

#1 – In the present moment, every stepping point in life (exams, connections, requests) is dependable on written content. Essays, e-mails, files, these are all written.

#2 – The present educational system demands it intensely. Most of the students’ assignments are basically academic papers. You need certain academic writing skills in order to be on top of the ladder, so you need to learn how to write.

#3 – Because we live in a digital age, social media channels represent immense distractions. People spend a lot of time on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and so on. No matter the reasons, writing poor grammar sentences on your personal profile will make you look bad and will damage your professional reputation.

Those who understand that writing is more than it actually looks like are normally called writers. But don’t get me wrong – just like with people, there are many types of writers. Each writer is different, but there are indeed some characteristics that are easily recognizable as patterns.

 

For Some, Writing Means Even More

There are some people that want to accomplish things with the use of writing. For example, there’s a basic human need called the need for expression. Writing gives you the possibility to express your inner thoughts, feelings, and states. Some individuals might feel a strong urge to fulfill this need, so they become writers.

Now, some people want to teach business theories, while some others want to express their philosophies. Let’s not forget about the writer who writes to earn money. No judgments, but making money the primary goal is often going to make you feel miserable. Even worse, you might even fail because your heart is not there. Good writers always put their hearts into their creations!

 

Many Desire, A Few Succeed

In the last several years, the Internet has made self-publishing more accessible than ever. Every person with a PC and an internet connection is now able to become a famous writer. That is the power of the digital era that we’re living in.

There’s a strong urge for success among writers and wanna-be writers. Unfortunately, many individuals take writing for granted, even disrespects it by allowing terrible mistakes by using plagiarized ideas. These individuals are not writers but marketers who are looking for pure profits.

Still, many passionate writers who actually want to accomplish great things will face a lot of struggles along the way. During my writing journey, I have figured out the most critical mistakes I have made.

Here are some insights that should help you figure out what you’re doing wrong and what you need to do in order to fix it.

 

1. You Don’t Write Enough.

Excellent writers are excellent practitioners. Every skill mastery is earned after countless efforts, time, and failures. Consistency is essential in the equation, because giving up is always a dead end in terms of progress.

Be honest with yourself – are you really giving it your best? Are your actions reflecting your long-term goals? In case you want to publish that great book that will benefit the entire world; are you really writing enough of it? Are you crafting your writing skills each day in such a way that your readers will benefit from a clear and precise writing style?

It’s all about development. Just like in life, people who care about their personal development will always end up better than those who neglect it. Writing each day is extremely indicative, even if you don’t necessarily need that content. It’s about the practice that you have each day. Eventually, it’s going to add up and it’s going to make you a better writer.

 

2. You Don’t Have a Unique Style

If the first problem was related to the fact that some writers don’t work hard enough, this second issue refers to something even more interesting: smart work. As I’ve mentioned earlier, each writer is different in style, perception, and skillset. All of these components are crafting the writer’s unique style, the one element that counts the most.

Look at J.K. Rowling – she has made it big by exposing her great ideas through impeccable writing. If you ever read Harry Potter, you’d know how easy and readable those books are. Why? Because her writing style is extremely friendly and well-purposed.

 

3. You Don’t Read Enough

Good writers are always good readers. In case you don’t like to read, you need to stop treating it like a should, and instead perceive it as a must. That, of course, is if you desire to make your writing better.

Reading has a lot of benefits. Because you accumulate knowledge, you learn new words, new expressions, you’re slowly making progress. With time and consistency, you’ll begin to master both reading and writing. Only then you can really state that you’ve done everything possible to improve your writing level.

Don’t forget that your reading is purposed. That means it should be directly linked to your bigger goals (publishing a book, writing a blog, writing poems, etc). If you don’t feel like reading, do it anyway. It’s not really a bonus but rather an essential component of a bigger part. Sacrifices are necessary when one aims for greater accomplishments.

 

4. You Don’t Have Your Favourite Authors.

Have you ever considered that some individuals have reached the level of skill that you’re looking to reach? Or maybe they have already sold one million copies of their books, so you just need to find out how they did it?

You see, if you want to reach the top fast, you need to model other successful people. Success leaves clues, and if you’re careful and attentive, you might just find out the exact steps you need to take in order to accomplish success.

I’d suggest finding a role model – an author who you truly admire and want to be like – and someone who truly deserves respect for their accomplishments. Find that role model, study them well, and try to imitate the good actions that you’ve spotted in their history/mindset/behaviour.

 

5. You Quickly Give Up

There’s always a hustle for success. If you’re reading this article, I may guess that you haven’t reached your full potential. You want to succeed, and you probably want it bad!

Let me ask you a question. Are you aware of the fact that you’re going to encounter setbacks and challenges along the way? You will fail, and that’s perfectly okay. If you didn’t know, most of the successful people have earned their success after failing countless times.

For every hour on the spotlight, those people have grinded ten hours in exchange. The amount of work can sometimes be even harder to grasp, but that should never make you give up your dreams and goals. Persistence along with consistency. Aim for that, and never ever stop pursuing the objective.

 

6. You Don’t Have That Special Component

In some cases though, there is a possibility you’re doing everything mentioned above. You’re taking care of your self-development process, you’re focusing your time on developing your writing skills, and you’re always persistent and consistent. You didn’t give up, and things are still not working well.

Michelle Olivvey, Manager Editor at a successful content writing company called Aussiewritings.com, has contributed to our post by sharing her professional advice concerning the special component of a good writer:

“Sometimes, your lack of knowledge or passion in the topic might reflect your failures. In order for your readers to be truly interested in your works, they need to find something new. They need to get value out of their time spent reading your texts.

If your books, articles, or poetry is fueled by the inappropriate purposes (such as money only), it will leave clues. It will be easily observable that whoever wrote that piece of content doesn’t actually know what he’s talking about or he is definitely not the right person to talk about it.”

I’d suggest you find something that really makes you passionate. If you like to write love stories, then write love stories. Don’t go for non-fiction only because it pays better!

 

Conclusion

One thing before anything else: if you realise that you must do something, please don’t wait another moment. Take small steps like taking a few notes that specify your next actions towards fixing your writing issues. Or, it could be a small plan about how you can adopt the reading habit, starting tomorrow.

The point is, you need to take action. Knowing your problems is not enough, because you must take real steps towards progress even though it will pull you out of your comfort zone. Good writers always hustle for their success, so hustling is probably a must in your case too.

 

Olivia RyanBIO

Olivia Ryan is an independent journalist and passionate explorer. She likes to write about everything that can positively affect people’s life. When not searching for a new topic to write on, Olivia prefers to take a camera and enjoy the beauty of nature. Find her on Facebook and Twitter.

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2 Comments

  1. Tim T said:

    From the first para above: “…because they’ve been thought how to do it.” Oops

  2. Michael LaRocca said:

    “You don’t write enough” will always be the champion. No contest.

    Robert Cormier noted that “The beautiful part of writing is that you don’t have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon.” Many authors aren’t willing to put in the work to self-edit. Never try to publish the first draft, or the third, or even the tenth. Patience is always a virtue, especially here.

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