Some messages can be clearly communicated in 200 words and others need 2,000 words. But if you use 2,000 words when 200 words would perfectly suffice, your writing will likely feel excessive or even self-indulgent. They need to publish content regularly in order to make the best choices for their work going forward. 5 steps to prolific and potent writing The five-step process is ridiculously simple: Write a lot. Edit your text into a cohesive presentation (and save the parts you cut out). Look for ways to improve. Repeat. So instead of wasting time being embarrassed, I look for any aspects I can improve to enhance the audience experience. How writers work and evolve I wanted to talk about how writers work and evolve today because I recently recorded a two-part series on The Writer Files with host Kelton Reid. He wrote for the site, and I was a regular reader — we didn’t know each other.
I’ve always found the goal of meeting a word count to be a bit silly.
Some messages can be clearly communicated in 200 words and others need 2,000 words.
But if you use 2,000 words when 200 words would perfectly suffice, your writing will likely feel excessive or even self-indulgent.
That’s why I consider the ability to self-edit one of the most valuable skills a writer can develop.
However, writers have to gain momentum to fuel their careers. They need to publish content regularly in order to make the best choices for their work going forward.
So, how do we marry these two ideas — precise communication and writing practice?
I call it the balance of The Prolific and The Potent.
5 steps to prolific and potent writing
The five-step process is ridiculously simple:
- Write a lot.
- Edit your text into a cohesive presentation (and save the parts you cut out).
- Publish.
- Look for ways to improve.
- Repeat.
While all the steps are easier said than done, #4 is a particular challenge because if you’re too self-critical you’ll get stuck.
At the same time, if you never find aspects to improve, you’re probably not that interested in growing.
Here’s a key lesson I’ve learned
“Improving” should be how you can…
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