How to Become A Successful Writer in 2021? A Step-by-Step Guide
By: Malachy Chidera
Tags: Article Writing, Content Creation, Content Marketing, Writing, Content Strategy

How to Become A Successful Writer? Most marketers find writing a blog post a huge responsibility. To them, it is so tiring and demanding. There will be moments when you would want to give up on writing, but your determination and passion for writing would keep you going.

Writing is a great skill that anyone can possess, it is not that frustrating as we think it is. Writing is a vital part of content marketing, and knowing this would help you hone your writing skills with a little discipline and a willingness to learn.

One of the easiest and fastest ways to communicate to a larger audience is through writing, which in turn, provides information, persuade the readers, and create a literary work. Before you engage in this great journey as a writer, you must have a purpose for doing that. You can’t wake up and decide to become a writer because someone elsewhere is making money from it. You will end up wasting your time without achieving anything. Remember, the end goal is to become a successful writer.

Related: 10 Strategic Ways To Come Up With Content Ideas For Your Blog

There are few questions to ask yourself if you want to become a writer and these questions are:

Why do I want to become a writer?: It is necessary to know the reason you want to write before starting. This is where you write out your mission and vision statement. It will guide you through your journey and will always give you reasons not to give up.

What category of writing should I specialize in?: Here, you determine whether you want to go into fiction or non-fiction writing, writing articles for journals/magazines, or writing content for a website. This will make you channel your energy towards a particular niche and help to produce maximum results. This doesn’t mean you can’t diversify into other genres of writing but make sure they are interrelated so that you won’t lose focus.

Who is my target audience?: You can’t just write without having a target audience in mind. There will be people that would read your novel, magazine, journal, and content and it is paramount to have them in mind because it will guide the way you structure your words, tone, and style. For example, the way you write for students will be different from the way you write for businessmen. So, knowing your target audience can help you in writing effectively.

What do I want to achieve at the end?: The end-goal is important. Everything that exists, there is a reason why it was created. So, your writing must achieve a goal. Don’t write without having the end-goal at the back of your mind. What will people remember you for? Will your name remain on their lips years after they have read your books? The impact your writing will have on your audience is something that shouldn’t be ignored. Always have a goal to achieve when writing. For content writers and marketers, CTA (call-to-action) is a vital part of your writing.

Skills You Need To Have To Become A Successful Writer

As a writer that wants to become successful and wants to see your work published and generate values, there are essential skills that you need to become a top-notch writer.

The skills that I will list out will take you from the level of being a writer to a successful writer. They are:

Research skills: Learning is a part of life and this fact is undeniable. This is the reason writers must be proactive about it. No matter how good you are in writing, you must research the topic you want to write about. I will say that research is the first ingredient of every successful writing. It helps you to be more informed, prepared, and efficient. Research brings diversification, it makes you know things outside your specifications, thereby making you gain prowess over your competitors. It is vital to find trustworthy and interesting information from reliable sources online. Intensive research increases credibility and value.

Organizational skill: Being organized as a writer is a great skill to have. You must keep track of your calendar and meet up with your work before the deadline. Staying organized entails having a to-do-list of your daily activities and make sure you achieve all you have set out for yourself. Don’t be the one that loses track of files, endeavor to create different folders for your files so that when you need them, you can easily find them. It is highly possible to lose clients or your job due to a lack of being organized, so set your priorities right. When you prioritize your job, you can get it all done promptly.

Communication skill: Writers are also communicators. So, as a writer, you must be a good communicator. Do not pretend to know it all, when you don’t understand what your client wants you to do, endeavor to communicate with him/her to get the exact thing that is needed. Also as a writer, you are not an island, you will always work with others to share ideas and get more information.

Discipline: Writing is a great career but is not always exciting. There are days when you will feel like giving up and not ever write again as a career. Some writers complain of writer’s block and this happens mostly in the early days of your writing career but over time it stops but it can only stop if you employ discipline as a skill. The great writers of today became so successful because they disciplined themselves. They decided to stay focused on their dreams. The discipline made them have sleepless nights, it also made them wake up in the early hours of the morning to write and they also saw it as a point of duty to write every day.

Discipline entails doing what you should do, when or when not you feel like doing it. The fact is that, if you remain focused and consistent day in and day out, you will become the hot cake in the writing community and make more money than your fellow writers.

Adaptability skill: As a writer, you must be flexible and open to new challenges. You should also be able to adapt to changes, for example, when you are employed by a company to write for them, you should render your writing voice to their brand and not tell them that you have your area of specialization unless you do not want to make money with writing. This is where flexibility comes in, you should be flexible enough to embrace new opportunities. This skill will bring new and exceptional opportunities to you in the digital marketing and publishing world. Companies need writers that can adapt to what their brand stands for and make them stand out.

Time management: The ability to manage time as a writer is so essential. Your clients would always want you to meet up before the deadline. This will convince them that they are dealing with a time-conscious and effective writer. Time management would also help you prioritize your work and not get choked up with so many activities. It will help you to know when to accept or reject a client’s offer so that you can deliver on time.

Proofread and Edit: Writers need to be good editors. It is necessary to have a good understanding of grammar and punctuation. Books like The Elements of Style can help give you guidelines.

Most times, editing takes more time than writing. So, it requires patience, discipline, and a good eye for detail. Editing can help you to look out for words that are used repeatedly. Grammarly is an app that can help checkmate spellings and use of words.

DOs and DONTs of successful writing

These are guidelines that will help you write effectively and avoid mistakes, according to (Bjork, Knight, and Wikborg, 1972).

DOs

Use formal language.

Use the full verb.

Leave out conversational phrases. Use appropriate connectors and introductory phrases.

State main ideas clearly and concisely in your own words in topic sentences.

Use complete sentences and link these into logical paragraphs.

Be objective.

Provide references whenever you say something that is not your own.

Check spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Proofread and use a dictionary or ask somebody to proofread your text for you.

Be clear and concise.

DONTs

Do not use slang or jargon.

Do not use shortened verb forms, such as can’t, isn’t.

Do not use conversational opening phrases.

Do not begin a sentence with “I think”.

Do not use sweeping generalization.

Do not use bullet points or lists, unless it is in a report.

Avoid waffling or repeating yourself.

Do not plagiarize.

Do not take for granted that the spell check on your computer is accurate or will spot all spelling mistakes.

Do not mix words and numbers unsystematically.

Infallible Ways On How To Become A Successful Writer

In life, there are no short-cuts to success, the same applies to writing. There are step-by-step writing guides that will automatically turn you into a great writer.

Here, are some tips that if you diligently follow will take you to the peak of your writing career:

Write Everyday: Developing a daily writing habit is very essential in becoming a successful writer. It is the easiest way to overcome writer’s block, hone your writing skills, and unlock your creativity. Plan on when to write every day, at least 25 minutes of your time in a day should be drafted out or writing, this is for those that have a 9–5 job aside from writing but if writing is your full-time job, one hour or more should be drafted out for writing. Also, ensure to set a reasonable deadline for yourself. The only way to get to the peak is through discipline and consistency.

Have A Coach: No one climbed the ladder of success without a mentor. The greatest writers on earth had one for themselves, so you won’t be the first. There are successful writers that you admire, why not reach out to them through email or any other social media handle and seek their professional advice. Tell them you admire their work and you want to be mentored, they will oblige to your request. A writing coach is important because the person will guide you through all you need to know about writing and how to navigate the business side of it. Remember, no man is an island.

Be Part Of A Writing Community: Join a community of like-minded people like you. It can go a long way to build you up because you will be guided as a beginner and learn things that will keep you ahead. Here, you can share projects like novels and articles and ask for them to be reviewed, after that you can receive corrections, and this means that you have known a mistake you won’t repeat. The assistance that a writing community gives is invaluable, avail yourself of one.

Don’t Stop Reading: The fact is that, if you stop reading, you stop learning. Read, read, and read when you are not writing, it helps to give you more ideas and improve your writing skills. When reading, try to diversify, read all types of writing. Also, read the books of the great writers and authors you admire so much, by so doing you have gotten yourself informed and also known areas you have to improve. For you to become a good writer, you need to read a lot of books.

Create An Online Presence: No writer or author made it in life by hiding himself. They became popular because they started by posting one or two articles daily on different social media platforms and this made them known to people and publishing firms. Building an online presence will make people believe in you so much and remember, it is not all about updating your profile but posting relevant articles that speak volumes about your profile.

Take CLasses: No writer or author made it in life without improving or learning the skills. They became popular because they started by taking one or two courses on different platforms and this made them who there are. There are online marketing courses you might consider taking below:

The Strategy of Content Marketing

Top Content Marketing Courses

10 Best Content Marketing Online Courses in the World

Recommended Books For Effective Writing

Below, are some books that can help you become a better writer. Reading them will get you more informed. They are:

A writer’s life by Gay Talese.

How to write like Tolstoy by Richard Cohen.

A writer’s notebook by W. Somerset Maugham.

The sense of style by Steven Pinker.

The elements of style illustrated by William Strunk, Jr., and E.B. White.

The Maeve Binchy writer’s club by Maeve Binchy.

The hidden writer by Alexandra Johnson.

Writing hard stories by Melanie Brooks.

Conclusion

Writing is an essential skill that requires more commitment and discipline to stand out. Skills like research, organizational skill, and time management are part of the skills a writer should have. Becoming a successful writer comes with a lot of responsibility but if diligently followed can make you the best. Always ensure to write every day and read when you are not writing.