Writing’s Seven Deadly Sins: Beat Them – You’ll Write More, And Procrastinate Less

Writing has a single requirement: that you write. There’s not much more to it, because when you write, writing will teach you what you need to know. You’ll stumble across teachers and books to short-cut the learning process, but essentially you’ll only learn by writing – and by avoiding the seven deadly sins of writing.

Here they are:

1. Writing Without Clear Goals – If You Don’t Know Where You’re Going, You’ll Get Nowhere

The first deadly sin of writing is writing without clear goals. You need both long-term goals, and short-term goals. However, since you can’t “do” any goal, you can only do tasks which (may) lead to your goals, you must set those tasks, and do them. I said “may” because you don’t need know how to do something like write a novel or get a copywriting client to achieve your goals. The “how” will become apparent as you do tasks – as you focus and write.

2. Writing Without Focus – Chunk Down Your Writing

Just as you can’t do writing goals, writing is a process, not a one-time event. So you need to chunk down tasks. For example, if your task is to write an article, one chunk is finding a title, another is writing an outline, another is a first draft, and so on.

Focus, and chunk, and you’ll meet your writing goals.

3. Writing In Your Head – Think On Paper, When It’s On Paper, You Can Fix It

Sitting and thinking about writing isn’t writing. Think on paper – write down everything that comes into your head about a writing task. You can winnow the grains of a project later from the chaff. Get the words – any words – onto paper or your computer screen.

4. Writing Without Reading – Editors Must Please Readers, And So Must You

When you’re writing to sell, you must know what people are buying – that is, what they’re reading. If you want to write a bestseller, read current bestsellers. If you want to write copy (write for business) read advertisements in newspapers, magazines and on the Web. Learn about business.

Ask yourself why a piece of writing is successful: once you know why, you’ve broken the code.

5. Procrastination: Just Write, Even If You Only Have One Minute

Writing takes time, but not a lot of time. You can write a page in five or ten minutes. It might not be great writing, but it doesn’t have to be. You can fix it later.

6. Writing With Half Your Brain – Creativity Means Using Your Right And Left Brain

Writing takes both creativity and logic – your right and left brain. Creativity means trusting your intuition, and just getting the words onto the computer screen, no matter how silly they sound to your logical left brain.

Trust your creativity.

7. Giving Up Your Individuality When You Write – Write YOUR Way

Trusting your creativity means writing your way. Yes, you must know what’s selling, but once you know why people read what they read, and why a certain piece of writing is successful, then you must write it your way, through the screen of your experience and creativity.

So, there you have the seven deadly sins of writing. Avoid them, and you’ll be a successful writer – the writer you were meant to be.

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