A New Set of Rules for The Digital Writer
10 knowledge bombs I wish I had when I started writing online - in less than 3 min.
Welcome to another installment of Author & Audience!
You’ll blast through this issue in < 3 min. Ready? GO!
Digital Writing requires a new way of thinking.
Before the Internet, writers would spend months, or even years, writing in isolation.
They’d head out to write a novel in a cabin in the woods, by a lake, in the middle of nowhere for a year.
Don’t get me wrong, it sounds sexy, but it’s impractical and no longer necessary. Nowadays, we have the advantage of building in front of everyone.
Building in public accelerates our learning. Social platforms like Linkedin and Twitter have reduced the brand-consumer feedback loop to seconds.
Building in public allows you to:
Rapidly test ideas
Develop your creative voice
Teach others while you learn
Develop online accountability
Find your target audience quickly
It feels uncomfortable at first, but I can assure you there's no better way to do it.
One of the best things about writing or creating anything in the digital age is that there is a record of it for us all to see.
Assuming you're writing for some attention, you must write and show your work.
Best pieces of advice for new digital writers
As promised, here are my 10 best pieces of knowledge nuggets I wish I had when I was just getting started:
BUILD. IN. PUBLIC. Show it to the world. Let them respond. Iterate and improve. Eventually your writing takes on a shape as you develop your voice and style.
You will accept that your writing will be terrible in the beginning. Absolute trash. You'll look back in 30 days and cringe - that's exactly what we want.
Writing and publishing consistently over a long period of time is hard. But this is what it takes. We all had to start somewhere.
We're all on our own journey. Writing is an art form. What makes good art? It depends on the observer. Resist all temptations to compare yourself to others.
When you commit, you must make the time to write. There's no other way to do it. You must pick a time during the day without distractions and put your butt in the chair. Make this non-negotiable.
If you're like the rest of us, you will most certainly struggle with imposter syndrome. It's completely normal. Flip it off and keep going.
You will feel like what you're saying isn't interesting or valuable to people. This is a trap. You never know who's reading or where they are in their journey. You MUST ignore this feeling when it hits - and it most certainly will.
Ignore grammar. Ignore form, fancy frameworks, etc.. That will come later. For now, write like you talk. Write as if you were talking to someone in a casual conversation.
Post on a schedule. Force yourself to stick to a routine. Eventually, your readers will look forward to reading your work at a certain time each day.
Find a support group that consists of people that can help you along your way. I can't say enough how much this can help you when you're struggling. Sometimes we need a lifeline. This is why I've expanded Author & Audience to be more than just a newsletter. My chat is now open - come in and join the conversation!
I hope these insights are helpful!
p.s. For my paid community, look for more in-depth lessons with walkthroughs videos. Any special requests? Let me know in our chat!
p.s.s. For all those celebrating, have a wonderful Easter weekend! Thanks for reading.
Until next week!
-Tom