Even before I discovered read.cash, I've been into various blogging platforms. Some reward content, some do not. Some platforms gave me exposure and widened my reach, some are too confined and I was the only one who reads my blogs. Nevertheless, I write. It is my passion and I'm grateful for it.
I love expressing myself through words
I desire to provide value to my readers
I want to develop myself and my writing voice
Writing for me is both a skill and a discipline. Even if you consider yourself not that good at grammar, you can still call yourself a writer, as long as you are willing to learn and develop what it takes to be one.
Even with my writing experience, I still consider myself to not have a good command of English grammar. I still rely on tools such as Grammarly. It helps, a lot!
But there are some other things that I do that help me develop a habit of writing. I consider these as my daily routine.
Identify the big idea
I think about a question I want to answer or a situation I want to improve. I often do this when I take a shower. I can think of many topics when I take a shower. Science offers an explanation why some of our brightest ideas come out in the shower. Leo Widrich on the Buffer blog explains that when we take a shower, a lot of dopamine is released in our brains.
So as soon as I can, I try to think about a topic I'd like to write for the day. I consider it as my big idea. I anchor my big idea with my writing intent: to express myself, to provide value, and to discipline myself.
Create a mental list throughout the day
If you would notice, most of my blogs are written with almost the same template: Introduction - List - Conclusion - Call to Action - Links. I'll talk about the introduction later.
I write mostly in lists because it is easy to digest the ideas when they can be broken down into chunks. The blog is also easily scannable when it is written in lists or bullets rather than multiple paragraphs with little to no subheadings. It does not look overwhelming. If you want to know the gist of the topic being discussed, you can always look at the list and you're good.
Call to action is where I ask my readers for their thoughts on what I wrote about. I solicit engagements. I ask questions. I try to engage. However, I believe I still have a lot to learn about making an effective call to action.
The links at the end of the blog are supposed to bring my readers to my other equally thought-about outputs.
Relate with a personal story
Let's talk about introductions. Here, I write a relatable story with the hope of capturing the attention of my readers. Stories connect people, no matter the race, culture, age, and gender. It makes the writer sound genuine and not robotic and dull.
Personal experiences make a writer authoritative with what he is talking about. It means he knows what he is saying. We will most likely listen to someone who has gone through a lot than someone who is heavily based on theories alone.
Write and make it a habit
All of these will be mere talk and ideas will remain unheard of when it is not written. So I make it a goal to dedicate a few hours before I go to sleep to write down my ideas and post them. I first write an outline of my mental list so I know how to process my ideas. Since I already thought about it during the day, it is somehow easier for me to elaborate on the topic.
When I talk about developing a habit, I condition myself to produce an output daily. When you are motivated enough, your mind and body will prompt you to write, as if a natural reaction.
Writing is a rewarding habit. It develops my confidence and opens opportunities to meet amazing people, albeit virtually. This is how I develop my writing habit. How about you?
Read my other BCH-related blogs:
Hi, I am Marts! I am a writer, and aside from my stint here in read.cash, I also have my own blog - martsvalenzuela.com. I appreciate it if you pay me a visit! I plan on growing my readership as I learn to improve my craft and journey towards my passion to write and publish books that add value to people.
Let's rock!
thanks for sharing this little secret and making it look easy for beginners.