To be able to call yourself a writer there's only one thing you need to do. Write. Sounds easy right?
To be a pro writer though, you need to write every day. Whether or not you're inspired. Irrespective of whether you "feel like it". Every single day. No exceptions.
Suddenly it doesn't sound quite so easy...
In this article, I'm going to cover everything you need to do to turn yourself from a writer (or even a wanna-be-writer) into a pro writer.
The whole thing is broken down into 4 phases and 12 steps.
Phase 1 - Get Started
To ensure you don't end up stuck in the planning phase, you want to just start writing before you start planning. I know this may seem like you're trying to run before you know how to walk, but 80% of anything is taking action and doing it, and only 20% is the planning to do it correctly.
The trouble is, if you start solely with the planning, you'll never quite get around to the actual writing...
So to prevent that, the very first thing you're going to do is start.
Step 1: Start Writing
On day one it doesn't matter what you write, after all, you've not got your plan together yet, however, it's really important to tell your brain that you've started. So simply spend 10 minutes, right now, writing about why you want to write.
You can use what you write later on in your plan, so it won't be wasted effort. Plus, as Steve Scott says in his article 21 Success Habits of Highly Organized People, "What you do and the habits you have are directly proportionate to whom you believe you are."
So by starting writing straight away, before you work on your plan, your mind gets used to your new identity as a pro writer.
I have a daily writing habit. Want one too? Find out How To Write Like A Pro: http://bit.ly/2difGfZ via @KarenDimmick #writer
Phase 2 - Create Your Plan
Sun Tzu said, "The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him."
Make no mistake, we're going to war with your objections here. Those excuses that pop up are the enemy of your success. That's the reason you need a plan.
Putting a plan in place to help you overcome those objections when they rear their ugly heads is what is going to help you stick to your writing each day until it becomes a habit.
Your plans need to include several different things.
- Your motivation for writing
- Your writing goal (either time or word count)
- Your trigger to start writing so the habit can start forming
- Your reward when you complete your goal, and / or your consequence if you don't
- Your system for writing to minimize writer's block
- Your pick up plan for when things go belly up
Step 2: Define Your Motivation
Anyone can write for a few days in a row. What separates that pro writer from the ones still "looking for their big break" is that daily habit. The ability to write however they feel, no matter what is going on in their lives and irrespective of whether they're inspired.
As William Faulkner said "I only write when inspiration strikes. Fortunately, it strikes at nine every morning"
The way to start creating that daily habit is to work out what your motivation for writing is.
Let's face it, being a pro writer isn't the easiest thing you could be doing. So if you want to keep at it when the going gets tough, you have to have your motivation nailed down.
Is it to grow your business? Is it to express your passion for your topic? Is it because you just can't not write?
Why do you want to be a pro writer?
Take a few minutes and write out exactly what being a pro writer would do for you, your business, your family and your life overall. Come up with at least 4 different benefits, preferably more.
Next, you're going to rank them.
Ask yourself, if you could have one of those benefits but not the rest, which one would be the most important for you? For instance; benefits:
- Made you less stressed, so your family was happier
- Your writing cemented your authority and your business took off
If you could have #1, but not #2, would that be preferable to having #2 but not #1?
There no right answer to this. Everyone is going to be different. You just have to work out which of those benefits you wrote down is the single most important one to you, at this moment in your life.
Use this benefit to keep you going. Write it out on a big piece of paper and stick it somewhere you'll see it every day you sit down to write.
Read it at the start of every writing session and read it every night before you go to bed.
Really let this benefit be your motivator.
You can even expand it further into a personal mission statement and Barrie Davenport has some great steps on how to do that in her article How To Write A Personal Mission Statement In 8 Steps.
Step 3: Define Your Daily Writing Goal
You need to pick a goal that will get you to what you want to achieve.
In general, if your motivator for step 1 had anything to do with the outcome of your writing, like having a book benefitting your business, then you'll probably want to pick a goal with a certain word count.
Or if your motivator for step 1 was more around the benefits of the act of writing, like stress release, then you'll want to pick a goal for a certain time limit.
However, that is a general guideline. If you're more drawn to having a word count, go with it and vice versa.
The one thing you do want to do is to keep your goal small.
There no right answer to this. Everyone is going to be different. You just have to work out which of those benefits you wrote down is the single most important one to you, at this moment in your life.
Even some of the great writers like Graham Greene had a small daily writing goal of 500 words, 5 days a week, and as Nicole Bianchi said in her post on setting a daily word count goal, he wrote 24 novels and other pieces.
So if you picked a word count goal, go with something small enough to feel do-able on the worst days yet large enough to keep you motivated and feel it's worth doing. A good start is 250 words, which is about 1 page.
For a time limit goal, again pick something small, for instance, 10 minutes. As long as you're ready to write the second your time starts you can achieve quite a lot with 10 minutes a day.
Obviously, you don't have to be limited by this goal. If you want to write more or longer, then that's great. It's the reasoning behind a small goal, so you'll probably find yourself doing exactly that. However, on the tough days you'll have a small goal you can achieve, so even tough days can turn out to be a win.
For some inspiration here's a list of all the daily writing goals of some famous writers, including Ernest Hemingway at 500 words a day. James Thayer discusses some other writer's daily goals in his article How Many Words a Day?
Step 4: Pick Your Trigger
As BJ Fogg, the great habits researcher, shows us, a habit isn't just about the action. It actually has parts:
- The trigger that makes you start the action
- The action of the habit
- The reward you get for completing the action
The trigger is all about what gets you to start that action. It's something you do every day already, so you don't have to remember anything extra to get this new habit going.
For instance, brushing your teeth in the morning or eating breakfast. Or if you find you write more naturally in the evenings, eating dinner or arriving back home etc.
You'll want to experiment with time of day to see what works best for you.
I'd recommend starting with a morning time because research has shown that willpower is a limited resource that you use up during the day. So if you can get your writing done before it's all used up, that will help you be more consistent until that daily writing habit has formed.
As Wade Finnegan, host of the Self-Publishing Roundtable talked about in his interview with Steve Scott – writing in the afternoon isn't as easy as it is in the morning. As he says, "You might have good intentions, but using the brain activity throughout the day takes something away from the creative side for me."
So even if you think you're an evening person (like I used to be), you still might find that your best writing is done in the morning.
Once you've picked your trigger, then you're going to attach an additional meaning to it, so when you complete your trigger, you start your action (ie writing session).
To do this you need to write out what’s called your "if-then" statement of intention.
If [the trigger happens], then I'll do [the action for my goal]
For example: After I brush my teeth in the morning, then I'll go and write 250 words.
You can stick this statement up somewhere you'll see it when your trigger happens to help you move on to your action step.
Step 5: Pick Your Reward or Consequence
The next part of your plan is to come up with a reward that you'll get if you complete your action, or a consequence that happens if you don't.
Now you don't have to come up with both, the idea here is to use whichever motivates you personally the most. So to work that out, you need to know how you get motivated.
Your brain (like everyone's) is similar in the way it works to a computer. You have a set of programs running in your mind that control the way you think and how you behave.
Most people are unaware these programs exist, but if you look closely at your actions and results you can start to see the patterns emerging.
Thankfully there's a mind hack or shortcut to work out what these programs are though... The one we're looking at here is around how you get motivated and what drives you.
The Way It Works
There are two extremes to this program – the first extreme is that you get motivated by seeing your goal and going all out for it. This is called a "Towards" motivation. The other extreme is that you see where you don't want to be and you get motivated by being the opposite. This is called an "Away From" motivation.
For example, if we take a goal of making $100,000 a year. A person with a "Towards" money motivator gets pumped up by focusing on the end picture of making that $100,000 a year.
A person with an "Away From" money motivator, however, gets motivated by the fact that they're currently poor (in their eyes) and they don't want to be poor, so they get pumped up by focusing on 'not' being poor.
While the goal is the same, the way they each get motivated to achieve it is the exact opposite of each other. The trouble is, the closer the "Away From" motivator person gets to their goal, the less powerful their motivation becomes. After all, someone who's earning $90,000 a year is not exactly poor.
Which Are You?
What you want to do is work out where on the scale you are for your writing goal. You can either be at one of the two extremes, right in the middle, or part of the way along the scale.
Take 5 minutes before you read the next section and write out the answer to this question: "What is important to you about your writing goal?"
Next look at your answers to the following patterns. (I did say our minds act similar to a computer). You also want to look at what you wrote for your motivator in Step 1.
| Motivator | Pattern |
| Towards | Here are my goals, here's why I want them, here's what's important |
| Toward with away | Here are my goals, but here's what I want to be careful of or avoid |
| Both | Here's my goals and here's what I want to avoid |
| Away with Towards | Here's what I want to avoid, but I do want this... |
| Away From | Here's what I want to avoid, here are the potential problems I see |
Which of the patterns do you see the most in your answers? Remember there's no right answer here... all we're wanting to do is to work out what will motivate you the best, so you can use it to reach your goal of writing like a pro. You don't even have to tell anyone else which type of motivator you have.
Do You Plan a Reward or a Consequence?
On to using the information you just discovered about yourself.
If you have a "Towards" or a "Towards with Away" motivator, then you need to plan out the reward you get for completing your writing.
You want to pick something you really want, but that doesn't ruin your progress if you don't get it. Something like a trip to Starbucks for your favorite coffee. Or time spent watching your favorite TV show that evening.
Another tactic that works for "Towards" motivation is to keep a running total of your word count or just keep track of your daily word count. Just seeing those numbers is often enough motivation to keep going and maybe even beat your best daily word count.
Back in 2013, Joanna Penn put a pink check mark and her word count on a calendar every day and as she said, "I want that pink tick every day and I want to see the word count and I want it to be at least 1,000 words a day." She shows just what a great motivator recording your daily word count can be, for a "Towards" motivated person.
For me, I also have a "Towards" motivator, so I use a goal spreadsheet where I get to check off my 'write 250 words' goal and put a 'Win' next to it each day – it works for me because I love to achieve things...
If you have an "Away From" or an "Away with Towards" motivator, then you need to plan out a consequence that happens if you miss your writing. This consequence is what allows you to keep that "Away From" motivation going even when you're approaching your goal of a finished project. It's that daily ability to start your motivation from the place you don't want to be. This will stop the problem of finding your motivation is getting weaker as you move further from your starting point.
You want to pick something that will hurt if you don't write. Something like giving some money to a cause you actively dislike. Telling people publicly that you messed up and didn't reach your goal. Whatever it is that you really want to avoid doing, so it motivates you every day to reach that writing goal.
Another tactic that works for "Away From" motivation is to keep a writing calendar that you put an 'X' on every day that you write. Then you can focus on 'not breaking the chain'.
If you fall in the category of "Both", then you'll want to plan out both a reward and a consequence.
Step 6: Set Up Your Writing System
Having a system set up that you follow each day is a great way to remove the problem of writer's block.
Jeff Goins has the best one I've ever seen, called the Three-Bucket System.
He has 3 folders on his computer:
- Ideas
- Drafts
- Edits / Final
Then he takes an idea from his Ideas folder each morning to write each day. The end result goes into his Drafts folder. He then spends a little time on the previous day's rough draft piece and edits it to make it into a finished work. Then he pulls a post from his Edits folder to publish and finally, he adds ideas to his Ideas folder throughout the day.
What this means is, he's never at a loss for what to write, because he has an entire folder of ideas to pick from, which effectively says goodbye to writer's block.
He also never has to worry about editing a piece until he's let it sit for a while, so it's easier to edit as he's not so attached to it.
Plus, he has material to publish whenever he wants, so the quality of his posts never suffer from a tight deadline.
You can split up a book you want to write in a similar fashion.
Step 7: Create Your Pick Up Plan
For the last part of your plan, you want to work out in advance what you need to do to get back up when everything goes belly up and you want to quit.
This happens to everyone. The difference between the person who writes for fun and a pro writer is the speed at which they get back up and start writing again.
Having a plan in place before you need it allows you to simply follow a step by step system that is uniquely geared to you and what motivates you.
So write out what helps you pick yourself up and keep it handy so you know where to find it when you need it.
I have a writing plan. Want one too? Find out How To Write Like A Pro: http://bit.ly/2difGfZ via @KarenDimmick #writer
Phase 3 - Take Action
Now you know what you want to do and when. You have a system set up to help you write and you know exactly what to do if it all goes horribly wrong.
Now is the time to put your plan into action.
Firstly, commit to your plan 100%. It's not set in stone, if you find it isn't working once you get going you can tweak it, but you're only going to get going if you commit completely.
It's time to make that choice – do you want to write like a pro? Or not? The choice is yours. However, if you do, then a 100% commitment level is what you need, anything less will result in you not meeting that goal.
Step 8: Get Accountable
The ultimate way to show the world you're committed to your writing and help you stick it out is to tell other people what you're doing.
Make your goal of getting a daily writing habit public and ask other people to hold you accountable.
I have an accountability partner and we meet every week. We hold each other accountable to the goals we have each week and I know there's no way I'd be as productive without his support.
You can do something similar with either one other person, or a group / mastermind. It's just knowing that if you don't meet your goal to write each day, someone other than you is going to know.
Mary Jaksch has some great ideas on accountability, including making someone your "virtual boss".
Step 9: Keep Track
Every day you write, keep track of your results. So if you've chosen to write for a certain time each day, then track your time. If you picked a word count goal, then track your word count each day.
Get yourself a calendar and write in your word count for the day, or cross off the day. This way you'll be able to see your progress at a glance. If you're more of a computer person, then set up a google spreadsheet and keep your daily tracking results in there.
There are lots of ways to track your word count. I simply use Word and highlight the text I've written and it tells me my word count at the bottom. If you prefer a writing app like Scrivener, then that also allows you to see your word count.
Step 10: Write Whenever You Can
If you find sitting down at a regular time and place doesn't suit you, there's always the alternative approach - write in little bits whenever you have a moment. As long as you reach and track your daily goals, this might suit your lifestyle better than having a set time and place.
One of the things that Chris Brogan says in his article The Writing Practice, is to write whenever and wherever you can. The article itself was even written in several different places including an airplane and a town car.
Step 11: Publish
The last step, which is the sole reason you're doing any of this, is to hit publish. Whether you're writing a blog post, a book or anything else. The end goal of a pro writer is to get the work out there into the public.
As Kevin Tumlinson said in his article Why I started blogging every day, going public with your work changes how you think of it. You write differently when you know someone else is going to read it.
For fiction writing, Robert A Heinlein created Heinlein's Rules for writing back in 1947 as a throwaway paragraph in an article he wrote for the book Of Worlds Beyond. They are the rules he used to be a professional fiction writer and they are the rules Dean Wesley Smith follows to sell his stories, as he shares in his article, Heinlein's Rules Introduction.
The rules are:
- You must write.
- You must finish what you start.
- You must refrain from rewriting except to editorial order.
- You must put it on the market.
- You must keep it on the market until sold.
While Dean says they don't apply to nonfiction, I think several of them do. You can't be a published author unless you write, finish it and then put it on the market / publish it.
Phase 4 - Mindset
To be a pro writer you have to get your mindset working for you, instead of against you. I'm not just talking about the obvious ones like writer's block or procrastination though... Your mindset has to help you with all aspects of your writing career, from getting writing, right the way through to dealing with criticism and on to running a business around your writing so you sell books, courses, screenplays or whatever it is that you're writing.
Step 12: Overcome Your Obstacles
The funny thing about the way we behave is once you think about committing 100% to something, all your obstacles suddenly pop up. You find yourself thinking, "but what if..."
Here's the thing. If you take that leap and commit. A large proportion of them suddenly disappear. It's like your mind was just testing you to see if you really wanted it badly enough.
There are some simple solutions to the more obvious obstacles such as:
- Too Busy? Keep your writing goals tiny because a tiny step in the right direction each day will ultimately get you there. So pick a goal to write for 10 minutes each day, first thing in the morning after you get up.
- Lack of Motivation? Read the why statement that you came up with in your plan
- Distracted? There are several apps that will block you from social media or even the internet as a whole. For offline distractions, make sure the place you write has a door you can close and hang a Do Not Disturb sign on. You also want to have everyone you live with agree to only intrude on your writing time when there's an emergency.
If you want to kick procrastination completely out of your life, you can get the procrastination mind hack from my book 47 Mind Hacks for Writers by going to Amazon. You'll also get help overcoming 47 other obstacles that writer's face.
Next Step
If you want to write like a pro and get a daily writing habit, then all you have to do is commit to it and start.
Start writing.
Create your plan.
Execute your plan and get accountable.
Get your mind in the right place to master those writing habits that will put you on the path to having a successful business and writing career.
Want to write like a pro? Start. Plan. Execute. Master. Details at: http://bit.ly/2difGfZ via @KarenDimmick #writer
Leave a comment below and tell us about your progress with your daily writing habit.
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16 thoughts on “How To Write Like A Pro”
Great article and great plan. It seems like one could replace 'writing' with any habit they'd like to develop (exercise, making sales calls, etc.) and it would still be powerful!
Thanks Brett! Yes you definitely could 🙂
Fantastic article. Really inspired me to get writing
Awesome! Look forward to hearing about what you're writing
Great article. I love the tip about start to write to tell your brain you've started. I keep getting bogged down in the planning phase so never really get going. Your approach makes perfect sense. So many excellent pieces of advice in one article. Thanks for posting!
Thanks Mark! Yes that's a trap a lot of people fall into.
Super article! Lot's of detail -- LOVE the habit loop info. This could really help a lot of aspiring writers!
Thanks Chad! I agree 🙂
Amazing article! Very well written and easy to follow! It can seem very daunting to take up a new habit - especially one that involves creativity, but I love the way you break it down! Thank you for writing this, definitely sharing!
Awesome - thanks 🙂 And thank you so much for the share!
Such a great article! It can seem so daunting starting a new habit - especially one that involves a high level of creativity and personal effort. I like the way you break it down and make it seem possible for anyone. Thank you for writing, I'll definitely be sharing!
Sorry you had trouble with the first comment - thank you for being persistent and giving it another go!
Really good stuff here Karen..... in fact I would say much of this can be applied to all forms of success. Its the consistent doing which is the real power.
Thank you David! It definitely can
This article should be considered the definitive work on how to become a pro-writer. Everything you need, other than the actual action, is right here for continual reference in a straight-forward non-nonsense approach. Kudos Karen. LOVE IT!!!!
Thanks Laura! Really appreciate it 🙂
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