How to Become a Better Writer, Create Content that Matters & Change the World

So, you want to become a better writer that’ll create kick ass content, even though you’re just a beginner without a lot of experience?

About 10 years ago, I was exactly in your shoe; an amateur writer with no idea where his writing life was headed. One thing that makes us different is that unlike you, I only stumbled on writing.

No, writing was never a part of my life. It wasn’t something I saw myself doing before then but how I excelled as a writer to writing my books, mentoring people around the world on writing is exactly one of the astonishing things that keeps me surprised.

And throughout these past 10 years, if there’s one thing I’ve learned about writing, it’s the fact that you don’t have to be born a writer to become a great writer.

Because writing is art. And just like any other art, it can be learned. So, my question is, are you ready to learn these skills that will make you a sought after writer? Let’s dig in.

Why you Should Beome a Better Writer

Writing is one of the most powerful tools you can use to create change, make a difference and influence the lives of people both around and far away from you.

The benefits of writing are not just too many, they are really heartwarming. And even if I wanted to, I can’t even start listing them right here.

As a writer, writing has given me a platform that’s transformed my life in the most incredible ways.

It has given me the opportunity to interact with people I would never have had the chance to interact with, people, individuals and businesses far beyond my reach. It has also given me the chance to influence the lives of millions of people around the world.

If this could happen to me even though I merely stumbled on writing how much more do you think writing is going to affect your own life as someone that’s actively interested in learning how to become a better writer?

Of course, I must mention that even though writing has the potential to transform your life as it did mine, you can barely enjoy the benefits that comes with being a writer until you learn how to write better content.

So, the question is, are you ready to become a better writer?

Of course I’m right here to help you get started. So, grab some popcorn as I take you through the 7 step strategies to become a better writer and create content that cannot be ignored in the following paragraphs…

Learn the Basics About Writing

To become a better writer start with learning the basics about writing. This is very important.

Yes, you can start writing because you have interest in writing. You can jump right in head on and that’ll be pretty much okay if you want to end up as just about any other writer. But if you want to become better at writing, you need the basics

You need to learn the simple things about writing, why they matter to you as a writer and how you can use those things you learn to create a more impressive writing for your audience.

For instance you can start with learning the basics about sentence structuring, the use of grammar, organizing your writing and writing for specific platforms.

It doesn’t matter if you’re writing a book or creating a Facebook post. Whatever kind of writing you want to be engaged in, start with learning about the basics. It gives you the headstart that will get you a nudge.

Read Widely

This sounds cliché. I know. You’ve probably read it on a thousand blogs online. I know that too.

But trust me; I didn’t just stumble on writing because the skills fell on my laps one fine morning. No. I started reading more widely.

During secondary school days, I was more focused on reading novels, essays and so on. But after secondary school I expanded my scope of reading. And in addition, I included reflective thinking.

So, after reading for hours on interesting works, I reflected on those ideas. And then often times, these reflections led to development of new ideas and thoughts which I’ll write down. Sometimes I shared these ideas and other times I didn’t

But, the mere practice of writing down my thoughts after reading helped me and my writing journey.

I also remember the essays. I was never a fan of essays back in secondary school. But post-secondary school, I found myself reading more and more essays. And then there were times I used to allow some of these writers to influence my writing with their style.

It was a whole lot but one thing was significant, reading widely gave me the chance to develop my writing skills.

So, if you’re reading this and you want to become a better writer, you have to learn to read widely, think reflectively and write as much as you read.

Create Consistency

Consistency is very important for anyone who’s trying to become a better writer. You may think that since writing is only a hobby at this stage, it’s okay to show up and write just about any time you feel like it.

In fact, this is what a lot of amateurs do. But the problem is that staying off for long periods does not help your writing skills.

Writing more consistently builds up your writing muscles. And you need this muscle to get better developed to the point you don’t have difficulties in writing just about any topic within your chosen area of interest.

So, to become a better writer, you need to be writing more consistently. If possible, you can come up with a writing calendar that will guide you on writing.

Set Writing Goals

As a new writer, you may feel oh I don’t have any need for a writing goal or anything. But, that’s a lie. You need a writing goal that’ll give you a focus to stay on track.

If you really want to become a better writer for instance, you want to set important goals, starting with word count for instance, set out the expected word count you want to write per day, week or month.

Doing this gives you a target to focus your creative energy. And with time you can judge your performance based on your writing goal for the specific period.

Apart from word count, you can also set other writing goals that will help you in fast tracking your journey to the to becoming a better performing writer.

Majority of amateur writers do not have laid down writing goals to direct their writing journey. Setting your own goals and sticking to it gets you a step ahead.

Join Writing Groups & Competitions

As a beginner writer with target set at becoming a far better writer than you contemporaries, joining writing groups is one of the top writing tips you need to know.

Sometimes, writing can be lonely. In these times of loneliness, writing groups can be your fall back to find the needed support and encouragement from like minds.

Seeing yourself in the midst of other writers like you, reading and seeing their own growth and struggles has a way of encouraging you through your own writing journey.

Also, you can get some feedback, criticism and some opinion on your work from these groups, just as you learn from others there.

Another thing is, joining writing challenges like the National Novel Writing Month aka #NaNoWriMo among other writing competitions has a way of helping you to stay consistent towards achieving a specific writing goal.

I joined a handful of these groups when I started writing. And they influenced my writing significantly.

I still remember how I was always challenged to become better with my writing after I saw how much other in the group was growing and all. It was a whole lot of pleasant experience. And none of that was regrettable.

PS: While these groups are very beneficial, they can also lead to unnecessary comparisons and undue peer pressure. You have to also watch out for this as well as understand the difference between real growth and writing to get the likes.

Get a Blog

Starting a blog might not be the first thing you need to put in place before you start writing but opening a blog is like a feather to your cap as a writer.

It gives your writing a face. Takes it beyond what’s just existing on social media thus making you look more professional.

The moment you own a blog, people begin to see you as a more serious writer. And this has a way of rubbing off on your brand.

Also, your blog becomes a more permanent place to build your brand off the social media. This giving you the chance to build an audience and connect with people outside the social media platforms.

PS: You can always start writing on the social media but be sure you get a blog as soon as possible.

Evaluate your Writing

You can’t become a better writer without evaluating your writing at intervals, finding out where there’s improvement and areas you need to improve on.

This is very important. So, while sharing your writing with others be focused on taking up their criticism, comments and feedback and then find areas they can come in handy to shape your works.

Doing this will advance your writing.

Also, work on evaluating your goals. Be it weekly, daily or monthly goals, identify the ones you’ve achieved, the ones you didn’t and the major factors that influenced both.

This will equip you with what to use in improving on your writing.

Final Words

Becoming a better writer is not just possible, it is something doable. And as someone who’s seen his writing grow in leaps and bounds within years, I can guarantee that you can become as good a writer as you ever want to be.

But to make this a reality, you have to be very intentional. This is really important. Beyond reading this tutorial, you need to put into practice all the steps you’ve learned here.

And to get even better at writing, you have to sign up for our Content Marketing Masterclass where you can learn all the bolts and nuts of writing that will equip you to influence the world, even if you’re just a beginner.

So, are you ready to take this step? Join us!

Now, it’s over to you! What’s the biggest challenge that’s currently stopping you from becoming a better writer? Drop your comments below.