You won’t get better at writing just by reading about it
A couple of years ago, I counted how many times I’d written “I should write more” in my diary without actually doing it. The answer was too embarrassing to share here. The only thing that changed that was making a commitment to others.
Commitment is what’s missing
Most people I speak to who want to write better have the same problem: they write when they feel like it and have the time. Which is to say, rarely. Not because they’re lazy, but because there’s nothing waiting for them. No deadline. No readers. No reason to finish what they started.
A newsletter solves exactly that problem. Not because the format is magical, but because it creates a commitment you can’t easily ignore. There are people sitting there waiting for what you’ve promised to send. And that feeling — that someone actually expects something from you — is the most effective writing driver I know of.
I’ve been writing a newsletter almost every week for years. There have been breaks. There have been issues I wasn’t proud of. But I’ve become significantly better at writing because of it — not in spite of the bad issues, but partly because they exist. You don’t learn to write by waiting for the perfect sentences. You learn by sending them out anyway.
How to get started
Think of one topic you work with on a daily basis — something you know more about than most people, and which you wouldn’t find difficult to talk about over a cup of coffee. That’s your starting point.
Write about it. Once a week, every fortnight or once a month — at a pace that’s realistic for you. Not to build a business just yet. Just to commit yourself to writing and publishing what you write.
It’s the quickest way to get better that I’ve found.
And if you want more to take with you on the journey, I’m currently finishing a book on building a newsletter that actually works. It’s due out in September - sign up for the premiere list here if you want to be among the first to hear more.
