7 Tips for Easier Writing

One of the best and most enjoyable ways for me to express creativity (besides choking someone unconscious in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class) is to write. But some find it laborious and would rather dig a trench in solid manure, then write a single paragraph. This blog post will give you some tips to making writing easier, maybe even fun!

You don't realize it yet, but in the next 2 minutes you're going to learn how to breeze through writing, even when you have writers block! Here are 9 tips for easier writing.

1. State Your Purpose Beforehand. The first step in writing is actually knowing what to write. Many writers, for some strange reason, bypass this and just start typing away. It's no wonder they get stuck. They have no direction.
   
2. Know Your Topic. This may seem like a no brainer, but you may be surprised how many writers don't do any research before starting on a topic. Here's a tip. Just read 3 of the top selling books on your topic and you'll be more knowledgeable about it than 80% of the population.
   
3. Know your audience. This boils down to the age old saying "What's in it for me?" Of course you may think that you're written piece is the greatest, most interesting and entertaining thing in the world but if it doesn't give any benefits to anyone no one will read it.
   
4. Use a mind map to outline your article. Use a large piece of news print paper and draw a circle in the middle. Put your main topic in the middle. Then draw 10 to 12 lines from that circle. At the end of each line, write down subtopics, tips, and/or facts that support your main topic. Just write freely until you've filled all lines. Now all you have to do is pick and choose which ones you like. This will give enough topics to write an outline with.
   
5. Make use of bullet points. Bullets act as a stop sign for the eyes, they refocus the reader on the article if they're attention starts to waiver. They also big help for people like myself, who have a habit of scanning articles to get to the good stuff faster.
   
6. Write in a conversational tone. Forget all those fancy shmancy long words you may have picked up in college. The average reader doesn't really have a stomach for academia types of pieces. They just want something they can understand, and will help them or entertain them.
   
7. If all else fails, turn off your monitor and "go to town" for 20 minutes. In other words don't look at what your writing. Just open a word processor, turn off your screen and start typing freely. Let your subconscious take over and see what happens. When you're done, you may be pleasantly surprised by what you've written down.

Now you've learned how to breeze through writing, even when you have writers block. Just know that writing gets easier the more you do it. So even if you're having a hard time, don't give up. Just keep pushing through, it will get easier.