I don't have "all" the answers to your questions but I have got some answers that will take you from where you are as a writer to where you want to be.
So sit back (this article won't take you more than 5 minutes), grab yourself a bottle of soda while you digest this article.
WRITING IS NOT A TALENT. IT IS A SKILL: A talent is something that you do naturally without even thinking about it. It is a gift you are born with. But a skill on the other hand is something that you acquire after putting in a lot of hard work and practice into it.
No one was born a "great" writer. Every good writer you know out there from Maya Angelou, Dale Carnegie to Seth Godin, Tom ferris, Wole shoyinka, Chinua Achebe and many others spent a lot of time practicing the art of writing- they were at some point very bad at writing... So if they could get better at writing, you also can.
READ A LOT: If you want to get better at writing, you need to read a lot. Read different kind of books- Fictions and non-fictions. Read journals, publications, newspapers and articles. Thanks to the technological advancements, there are unlimited resources for you to digest. Do not limit your reading to your field of expertise, cut across all genres. From business journals to Rocket science. Keep reading- it broadens your horizon. Reading boost your vocabulary and your writing structure. You also get to learn how to write from different perspectives.
GET A BLOG AND START BLOGGING: Blogs serves as a platform to practice as a writer. It is infact the best platform to develop your writing skills. Creating a blog is easy and you don't really need any capital to start one(You may shoot be an email if you need help starting one).
What do I write on this blog?
Don't worry about a niche or a genre yet, just write anything. When I started blogging I spent so much time worrying about what niche to write on that I ended up not writing for months.
Just write what comes to your head, the ideas you got from a book you just read, your opinion about something everyone is talking about.... Don't worry about the niche yet, just write random stuffs. The goal is practice and keep practicing till you get better.
DON'T BE AFRAID TO MAKE MISTAKES: You should not be too cautious of yourself when writing or else you won't be able to put your creativity into writing. When you write, see writing as fun and not a job. Feel free to make mistakes, learn from them and even make better ones. When you write, people will react - positively or negatively. Don't let negative comments from those that may read your articles weigh you down.
GUEST BLOG A LOT: Guest blogging involves writing on other people's blog. Guest blogging will help you reach more people and help you get better as a writer. All you have to do is connect with a blogger and request to share an article on their blog. So many people will reject you though (you have to get used to that fact) but there are a few (like my blog) that will grant your request and even help you with tools that will make writing sexier for you. And may also check out this post about some guest blogging networks you can follow. You should also offer to write for free on your local community, school or church bulletin too.
WRITE ALMOST EVERYDAY: This is the most important advice for any writer. "If you want to get better, get married to writing and write every day"- Sadiq Daniel. There is no truer word said than that. You need to write almost everyday. The key to getting better at writing is consistency.
Live it, Eat it, Drink it and even have sex with it.... Do this and I swear, the sky will be your starting point.
MAKE NOISE ABOUT YOUR CONTENT: Get the word out there that you write. Share your articles on various social media networks. Tell your pastor, friends, wife, husband, and even your kids to check out your articles. Don't stop making noise about your content. Try to chip it in when you are connecting with new people at events or public places. Always make noise about your content. And please *on my kneels begging* do not spam people. There are so many people are doing it but it is a very bad way to market yourself.
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Do you have ideas or thoughts on how to be better at writing? Kindly share them in the comments section below.
PS: If you are interested in having your content shared on this blog, kindly send me an email or mention me on twitter
Sadiq Daniel is a certified Crazy Writer and Teens Coach that blogs on business, Self- development, Life lessons and Ideas that challenges the status quo... You can pursue him on Twitter: @sadiqspeaks LinkedIn: Sadiq Daniel and Email:Sadiqdaniel@gmail.com