4 Writing Exercises That Will Make You a Better Writer in ‘1 Month’
(3rd one has made me an idea machine!)
Can you really become a better writer in 1 month?
Before I tell you the answer, I want you to analyze your current level.
Take a pause, think for 5 minutes, and then answer.
I’m not judging you for the answer, it’s just that I want you to have an idea of where you stand.
In May 2023, I wrote my first ever professional blog on Medium.
I was very nervous and scared (like most of us) when I hit the publish button.
Reason?
I don’t know anything about blogging
I don’t know anything deep about Medium
But, anyway, I paused the insecure voice in my head, and the results?
You can see them yourself!
These stats blew my mind and made me realize the power of writing online.
In fact, you might have heard people preaching — start writing online ASAP.
And, they’re not wrong.
Because, no matter which platform you choose to create content, whether it’s:
LinkedIn
Medium
Twitter
Instagram
Everything just sums up to this core skill— Writing.
So, how can you learn this skill in 1 month?
Here are the 4 exercises that can help you do that:
1. The 100–200–500 Daily Word Marathon
Writing is like a muscle.
The more you train it, the better it becomes.
Make it a habit to write at least 100 words daily.
If 100 words feel too much, start with 50 (numbers don’t matter, it’s the momentum that counts)
In case, your schedule is too hectic and you don’t have any time to write, first take charge of your time.
Use time blocking
Reserve your power hours
Pro Hack: Try the ‘Might-do’ list instead of the ‘To-do’ list. I got to know about this productivity hack from a recent book named — ‘Make Time’ that I’m reading currently.
Jot down a task in the ‘Might-do List’→ Shift it to ‘To-do List’ → Then, make it a priority. Also, make a writing tracker to keep yourself accountable.
Gradually, shift from 100 words to 200, then 500, then 1000, then more…
The goal is to make writing a habit.
2. EIL5
EIL5 means — Explain It Like I’m 5.
One of the most important elements of good writing is — simplicity. You’ve to be simple in your presentation.
I’m not saying be dumb — be simple. There’s a difference!
Aristotle clearly indicates this difference.
“To write well, express yourself like the common people, but think like a wise man.” — Aristotle
Think about how can you change and convey a complex topic into something easily understandable by people.
Maybe, you can:
bifurcate the topic
use more visuals
delete jargons
add bullet points
The best technique that I’ve ever come across to simplify your writing is — The Feynman Technique.
3. Swap Doom-Scrolling with Book Reading
Doom-scrolling is when you waste your time on your phone or laptop without being much productive.
Here’s a task for you:
Have a look at your digital well-being tracker and note down how much time you’ve spent on social media since you woke up today.
You’ll realize that you’re wasting more than 4 hours (average person*) of your life only by scrolling.
Don’t do that!
This is one of the biggest hindrances to your writing goal. What I’d advise is to — swap this one habit with reading books.
I couldn’t tell you how drastically your writing can change if you start reading.
I started reading last year (on and off) but this year I’m all in, thanks to the 75 hard challenge.
Give it a try!
Use these hacks:
Pick books you enjoy, not just what you think you should read
Block 15 minutes a day (morning or evening)
Put every gadget away from your place of reading
Make notes of things you like in that book
Maintain a book reading tracker
Over time with practice, you’ll start getting ideas from the books you’re reading.
Plus, you’ll learn to write better by experiencing it through the eyes of a reader.
4. Build in Public
Now, that you’ve acquired the skills, it’s time to get some feedback because without feedback you won’t know where you need to improve.
How’ll you do that?
By putting your work in public. Use the following platforms to create and share your written content:
Medium
LinkedIn
Twitter
These are the best. You can also use ‘Quora’ or ‘Reddit’. The choice is completely yours.
Write and share something each day without worrying too much about perfection. Aim to gather as much feedback as possible (the real one).
Then, implement your learnings in your next content piece to make it a bit better than the previous one.
Keep doing this until you learn how to create a refined content piece.
Wrap Up🌸
That’s a wrap for now!
I hope you’ve got some value from this post (Do let me know if that’s true😉). Also, tell me what other hacks do you use to become a better writer?
See you in the next value-packed post.
Till then, keep smiling and keep learning.
Signing off!
Sweta❣️
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