9 things to know about yourself so you write more stuff people want to read

Made in Midjourney.

Mastery Den, Tuesday Edition, 4-min read.

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Having written my thoughts online for about fifteen years, I am convinced that our best writing reflects how well we understand ourselves.

The more in tune we are with ourselves, the more the work resonates.

And resonance is everything in good writing.

What do I mean?

You need to expect resistance.

You will find a hundred reasons not to write today.

Writing is rarely a completely enjoyable process, but the battle is won when we correctly manage expectations.

Expect resistance, and then enter the arena to play regardless.

You can write into the resistance.

Your insecurities force you to write stuff no one wants to read.

When we feel we need to hide something about ourselves, we revert to vague concepts and vanilla standpoints.

It’s like taking a blunt spoon to find dinner under a lake of thick ice. To cut through, we must be willing to drop the crap and cut to the finer details.

Treat writing as a powerful form of self-therapy. Every line strips a layer.

Give us examples, be honest about yourself, tell us what you really really really feel.

No human is a natural writer.

Just because some people spent more time typing away and got good at writing doesn’t mean they’re natural writers.

It just means they spent more time writing than the next person.

Knowing this means you find compassion for yourself when you don’t feel like it and bring as much enthusiasm as you can.

Writing is not always easy, and it is certainly not a natural act for us tree dwellers. Be easy on yourself.

You don’t know everything.

Thinking you should know everything there is to know about the field you are writing in stops you in your tracks.

Tell us what you know. Better still, show us what you know and what the evidence shows.

Speak assertively, even if you don’t know.

But if the reader would benefit more from knowing that you don’t know, tell them you don’t.

You can take criticism.

You will not break if someone criticises you or your writing.

Even if you never hear it directly from them. Your sense of self-esteem is dictated by you, not a stranger.

Knowing this, you are more loose with your writing, which makes for better stuff.

In fact, if you’re writing to avoid criticism, you are in the wrong game.

Your work is original because it came through you.

Your concern that what you’re writing about has been done to death or done better by someone else is understandable. But that’s not the point.

People connect with work that has been uniquely coloured by the author in question. Your past pains and current opinions qualify your individual copyright.

Write whatever you like.

Just don’t make the mistake of writing to fit in.

Fear is an indicator of where to go.

Someone said the world would be a better place if more people were willing to have more uncomfortable conversations.

Writing is not immune from this need.

When you ask for a raise, your heart might flutter, and you might get a no, but the upside is significant too.

You are rewarded for going where it’s awkward. The same for your writing.

Good writing rewards motion.

The more you write, the better a writer you become, yes.

But that’s too obvious. What’s even more true is that the more you create, the more creative you become. And this doesn’t even need to mean you create well.

You just create. You throw paint on a canvas. You walk and run and screw up and experiment and create in other parallels.

And then you return to writing and find the door to wisdom a little more ajar.

You need to repeat actions far more than you need talent.

I know this one has often been repeated, but that’s the point, and it does a good job of proving this point, too.

Talent is great. Dig into it with whole, clasping fists.

But what will bring you the long-term leverage and sustenance you really need - that’s writing over and over again. It’s writing when you have nothing to say at first and just want to watch YouTube videos in your donut-themed underpants.

The more you show up, the better you get at showing up, first of all. But you get other cool prizes, like getting really darn good at writing with less effort.

You also get your ideas in front of more people, more of the time, which will build your brand and make you trustworthy and memorable, and that’s how people end up buying your books and courses and going to your retreats.

Commit to writing a lot, and then show up repeatedly, even when you don’t want to.

That’s the biggest secret of them all.

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