13 Brutally Honest Lessons I Learned After Writing 550,000 Words Online

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Most people think they want to be a writer.

But writing tests your patience, strips bare your ego and demands grit like nothing else. Most give up within a few months of starting.

Over the past 2 years, I’ve written 550,000 words online. That’s enough to fill 8 novels. I’ve had embarrassing flops. And mega-viral hits. And gained 26,000 followers.

Let me short-cut your journey. And give you the 15 key lessons you need to know.

If you’re ready. Let’s dive in.

Writing never gets easy

You’ll have good seasons. Times when you’re in the flow. Churning out fresh content. The flow of ideas never seems to stop. But it won’t be long before you have a tough day. And weeks when every word is painful to write.

You never crack writing.

Enjoy the good seasons. Persist in the bad ones.

Most of your writing will flop

I thought I’d cracked it.

I’d had a few posts go viral. I thought I’d discovered the secret sauce. I repeated the trick but it didn’t work. The difference between a failure and one that resonates is small. It’s a mixture of luck and timing.

The top writers don’t go viral every time. So don’t expect you will. Accept most of your writing will flop. But keep writing anyway.

Great writing makes people’s lives easier

Don’t write to give people information.

Your purpose is to inspire self-belief. Save people time. Show them how to do something. In other words, be useful.

Leave your ego at the door and serve your readers. Think about them more. Imagine their life. What are their struggles? Why haven’t they taken action already? Inspire them. Build their confidence.

It’s never about you.

Writing is demanding

It’s tiring and requires your best hours.

Don’t offer your leftovers. Identify when you’re at your best and write then. Close all apps. Put your phone in another room. Use a site blocker. Put your headphones on. Set a timer for 60 minutes.

And write the best stuff you can.

It’s okay to repeat yourself

This is essential.

When you find something that resonates. Reuse that idea. You don’t need a new truth every week. Listen to the data. Your readers are literally telling you what to write about.

Look at your old stuff and rewrite it for your new audience.

You can make good money as a writer

I thought it was a scam.

But I’ve discovered you can make money from this. I’ve been paid to ghostwrite and freelance (without asking). People have offered me money to coach. And now I sell courses.

All writing isn’t equal though. It’s only when you offer value and solve a real problem that will pay for it.

But when they do. Trust me. They will pay you well.

You don’t need to earn money writing

It’s ok to do it for fun.

Get clear on why you write. You may not care about selling courses. Or be interested in ghostwriting. Don’t get lured down a path you don’t want. Full-time writing isn’t the Bali experience everyone claims. Money distorts the joy. And creates its own pressures.

Write for your audience but let writing serve your desires.

It takes longer than you think to find success

Commit to writing every day for 12 months.

(at least)

The best way to find success is to forget about it. Think years not weeks.

Write for one

You’re desperate for readers.

But you’ll struggle to resonate if you write for everyone. Throwing your net wide means you catch no one. Write for one person. Visualise who they are. Focus on their pain and their dreams. This will bring clarity and power to your writing.

And give you a small chance of catching the masses.

Write what you want

If you are not excited and energised by what you’re writing. No one else will be. You’ll sound more interesting and be more consistent when you feel that tingle in your fingers.

Don’t be an arrogant idiot and ignore what readers want. But go where your energy is.

Give more time to headlines and hooks

You’ve heard this a thousand times. But do you do it?

Your headline and first sentence have to grab attention. You can be snobbish in your desire to avoid clickbait. But you’ll suffer the consequence of obscurity. Keep an eye out for tricks others use. Learn how to capture attention.

Never shortcut time on headlines and hooks.

Learn to think

Your status is higher than you think.

You’re a leader, a thought-shaper, a therapist and a personal coach. Words are simply the tool you use. So give time to thinking. Ask great questions. Read quality books. Walk or journal to process your insights. Spend time with interesting people.

Great writing is the overflow of great thoughts.

Say the unexpected

If you want to get noticed. Stop parroting what everyone else is saying. Ask yourself what is being missed. In what ways is this not true? Work out what you think. Say that.

Online writing must be entertaining. The quickest way to do this is be unexpected.

Say one thing

Beginners try to cram everything they know into one post. More is never better. Have something to say. Create intrigue in your intro. Make your point. Illustrate it. Inspire with your conclusion. Then stop writing.

Make every sentence relevant to the single, central problem you are tackling.

Take it less seriously

Take the pressure off yourself and just write. Stop stressing about every piece. You’ll be writing 100s this year. So do your best. Publish. Then forget about it.

Your writing career doesn’t hinge on one article. So you can relax a little.

Derek

PS. You don’t have to figure this out on your own. The Starter Kit gives you the exact tools to start writing with confidence—and finally build the audience you’ve been dreaming about. Get instant access here.