How to Write Well and a Lot by Accepting Your Uniqueness
Secret of Productivity
Productivity in writing is no rocket science.
Here is the secret of how to write both well and a lot: try to accept your uniqueness. That’s perhaps the HARDEST part of writing well.
We all do have a different perspective on things – if only we could admit it!
But we usually end up joining the choir.
We choose to go along to get along.
We get on with “the program” in a hurry.
That’s when we collapse our fresh viewpoint into a worn-out template.
That’s when we start writing awfully stale stuff; dead matter that’s not breathing.
In the mid-1800s, Emily Dickinson wrote about her approach to writing and life, “Tell all the truth but tell it slant.”
If we are honest with ourselves when writing, many of us can admit that we play up to different audiences – face-to-face and in text. The same is true when it comes to writing a resume or cover letter – we tailor them differently depending on the reader.
A well written piece will always be personalized to its audience. It should not try and aim for a universal message. The best work in any field is always done by embracing what makes you unique.
Anxiety of Individuality
As writers, we have to overcome the anxiety of individuality. We have to suspend our anxiety of judgment by others by accepting upfront that 99% of what we write will not be liked by everyone anyway!
Once we accept that hard blow on the broken nose of our ego, we’re out of our own jail. All the damage is done upfront and we’re free to sing with our own voice.
The first step is to accept that you will be different from your peers. It is in your uniqueness that you will find a creative spark. It doesn’t matter if other people think that it’s weird or not normal. Once you’ve embraced those differences, it’ll be easier to write well and a lot because there is more of yourself in what you write.
That’s when the writing starts to be fun. It starts to get up from the ground, starts to inhale, shine, and flex its muscles. That’s when people sit up and take notice.
All of a sudden there’s a new sheriff in town. Despair, get lost!
Once you develop the trust and habit of listening to your own matchless take on Reality, you’ll also discover what a PLEASURE it is to write about – anything, really!
It’s an experience perhaps similar to “drawing with the right side of the brain.” All of a sudden you feel this warm current of inspiration rising to the surface, teeming with countless life forms, strange ideas, beautiful descriptions.
All of a sudden you feel alive, flowing, and throbbing. And that in turn opens the doors wide to productivity. When writing is such a personal pleasure you can’t stop but write long and write frequently. That’s when quality joins quantity.
It is possible for everyone to be a good writer, but you have to accept that you are unique and not try to force yourself into a category or type that doesn’t fit you.
Be Yourself
Examine and be yourself.
Have the courage to be yourself.
That’s when you’ll start writing well and writing a lot too.
Write on!
(Copyright-free photo courtesy of Justine Heinitz)
