Being a writer, whether you’re an academic, a business professional, or a novelist, is hard work. Below are 10 tips from writers who have achieved a certain level of fame and success. Although a lot of the advice comes from fiction writers, we hope they’ll inspire our academic clients as well, whether that means helping you to hunker down at your desk and write or getting you out of a bout of writer’s block.
- Be Disciplined
“All through my career I’ve written 1,000 words a day—even if I’ve got a hangover. You’ve got to discipline yourself if you’re professional. There’s no other way.”
– J.G. Ballard
Unless you’re the kind of person who thrives under pressure, deadlines can be the bane of your life! But instead of stressing out, use deadlines to create a writing schedule to motivate you. If you find yourself unable to write consistently or if you find the prospect of meeting one overarching goal (e.g., “FINISH THE PAPER”) daunting, try setting small milestones for yourself. Taking it a page at a time, for example, can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed, especially if you’re working on a long or complex piece such as a thesis or dissertation.
- Write What You Would Want to Read
“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”
– Toni Morrison
When you go to write something, take a moment to step back and look at your work from the perspective of the reader. Does this paper make a truly valuable contribution to the field, and is it something that you would want to spend time reading yourself? When in doubt, always write based on what you would want to read. Chances are if you enjoy reading your writing, others will too.
- Keep a Notebook Handy
“Always carry a notebook […] The short-term memory only retains information for three minutes; unless it is committed to paper you can lose an idea forever.”
– Will Self
It’s important to be prepared when inspiration strikes. Keeping a notebook on you is a great way to jot down your thoughts or interesting facts you come across that can be useful in developing your research. When you’re stuck in a rut, you can always look at your notebook for new and interesting ideas to get you writing again.
- Read As Much As You Can
“Read, read, read. Read everything […] and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it’s good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out of the window.”
– William Faulkner
To master the craft of writing, you need to first master the craft of reading. Imagine going to a restaurant where the chef has never eaten the food, or listening to a singer who doesn’t enjoy music. Read everything you can—including on topics that are outside of your field of study. By reading, you can learn from other writers and absorb their techniques.
- Get Organized
“I don’t need to know everything, I just need to know where to find it.”
– Albert Einstein
If you’re constantly trying to find the right place in your preliminary research or locate your most recent data, try getting organized. Even if you’re not the type to use color-coded folders and neatly positioned Post-Its, just keeping reference information, arguments, quotes, statistical workings, and so on in the form of well-ordered notes with clear headings can be immensely helpful.
- Edit, Edit, Edit
“The first draft of everything is s**t.”
– Ernest Hemingway
After you’ve created your draft, it’s important to go back and edit it. It can help to give yourself some time between writing and editing—that way, when you come back to your work you’re fresh and able to see issues you might have missed before. Of course, we also recommend using a professional copy editing service after you self-edit to ensure that your work is fully ready for publication/submission to help you polish your language, and ensure that everything is consistent, the references are in the correct style, and the work flows.
- To Be a Writer, You Have to Write
“Planning to write is not writing. Outlining… researching… talking to people about what you’re doing, none of that is writing. Writing is writing.”
– E.L. Doctorow
While it’s important to plan and outline, spending too much time on those things can turn into procrastination. Trust that you’ve done enough research and planning to start formulating your arguments and thoughts on paper. Sit down, take a deep breath, and get started.
- Remember it’s Okay to Make Mistakes
“We learn from failure, not from success!”
– Bram Stoker
Never be afraid of making mistakes—even the most recognized authors in your field will have faced criticism at one time or another, and remember, the only way to improve is to make mistakes and learn from them. If your findings are questioned, or your paper rejected from your target journal, remember not to take it personally. Try to take a step back, look at the feedback you’re given, and use it to your advantage to develop your work.
- Write Clearly
“A good style must first be clear.”
– Aristotle
This point is especially pertinent for academic writing. Even simple sentences can convey complex ideas, while verbose, overly wordy text can confuse the reader and detract from an otherwise solid argument. Again, a professional copy editing service can be of immense help in trimming unnecessary or repetitive words and phrases to make sure the key ideas are clear.
- Write Through Your Problems
“The time to begin writing an article is when you have finished it to your satisfaction. By that time you begin to clearly and logically perceive what it is you really want to say.”
– Mark Twain
Writer’s block is a real problem even for academics. With all the research and information at your disposal, putting your thoughts on paper in a way that makes sense can be a challenge. If you’re ever having trouble articulating your central proposition or hypothesis, try writing through it—put pen to paper (or fingers to keys) and just get going. By the time you’ve finished writing the first draft, you should start to see the logic you need take shape.