How to make your writing not suck


Did you ever meet someone in the blogosphere that you connected with immediately? Well that kind of experience is exactly what took place when I met up with Jeremy over at Insight Writer.  His writing style is an easy read, his content is top-notch and I love the positive spin.

Take it away, Jeremy!

I’m sorry. Really I am. Your writing sucks. Maybe you know it and don’t know what to do about it. Then again, maybe you haven’t even realized your writing sucks yet. Whatever the case, here is my short and sweet guide to making your writing better. Or maybe to just not suck so much! ;-)

Write more sucky content.

Here I go contradicting myself. Why you are still reading I don’t know. What I do know is that like anything the law of averages is at work. The more sucky things you write the more good stuff will eventually be produced.

Stop writing sucky content.

More contradictions… No really, stop it! I mean it! Realize when your writing is sucking and just stop doing that. Get feedback. Welcome criticism. Get a thick skin like a rhino. If it makes sense to stop writing that way, then stop it already.

Don’t listen to people.

Listen, but don’t listen. Who appointed them judge, jury, and executioner of your writing anyway? It’s your life, it’s your writing. Do what you want!

Violate every writing rule.

Violate them all horribly well, then go back to the basics. Grammar, spelling, punctuation. Throw them out the window. Who needs them anyway? Then run outside, pick them back up, and use them again. Tools do not make great writing. People make great writing…

Be BOLD in your writing.

… but not too bold. You don’t want to scare the natives. Here’s the big BUT though. BUT,… writing without power is dead. Writing without force is weak. It gets you absolutely nowhere. Go out and punch someone in the face with your writing. Keep doing it. Get them mad. Then hug them with your writing. Practice your “writing judo” and you will astound people! :-)

Lighten up your writing.

… but not too much. Take your craft seriously, but not yourself. No matter how good you are you will always have adoring fans and the critics that follow. The more famous you are the more you will have of both. What does all that mean? I don’t know, you tell me…

I am glad you are still with me. The above is mostly for entertainment purposes, but here is the heart of the matter…

The one best way that I know that can keep my writing from sucking is to write from the core of my being. I try not to write surface level drivel. I reach deep down inside. All the way down to my toes. And I make my words surface like Moby Dick.

Thank you all for reading! I wish you all the best in your future writing endeavors.]

Jeremy Day writes about personal development, finance, and health @ Insight Writer. Check out his website and subscribe to his RSS feed. You won’t be disappointed! ;-)

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18 Responses to How to make your writing not suck
  1. Dee Langdon - BloggerNewbie
    December 15, 2008 | 6:25 am

    Jeremy,

    Very entertaining! Stop it. I think every writer’s first advice is to write. Makes sense. Some people (I’ve been known to be guilty of this) want a step by step instruction and once completed, wala – you are a writer. That whole work thing is not as attractive.

    George and Jeremy; I would like some constructive criticism on my writing. If you would both be so king, stop over, give me some hints. I might listen, I might not but most likely will implement some suggestions.

    I read once that cutsie titles were not a good thing, but I like them so I use them!

    Dee Langdon – BloggerNewbie´s last blog post..Monday Motivation

  2. Tracy
    December 15, 2008 | 7:16 am

    Very entertaining advice! I think my writing is best when I simultaneously ignore and respect my audience. I don’t waste my time trying to figure out what other people would like to read or try to predict how things will go over. Instead I write about what I think is entertaining and trust that most of the time my instincts are good and when they are not, there is always tomorrow.

    On the other hand, there is nothing I dislike worse than reading something and realizing that there is no way I can ever top the author’s own admiration of their self and their golden prose. Hello, remember me? The reader? Write things for me to read!

    Tracy´s last blog post..Read Twice, Post Once

  3. Sharon Pius
    December 15, 2008 | 7:29 am

    Nice One!

    I especially liked the part that goes:

    “Go out and punch someone in the face with your writing. Keep doing it. Get them mad. Then hug them with your writing.”

    Imagine if all writers started practicing in martial arts. (Is it practicing ‘in’, or practicing ‘the’?).. Anyway.
    The world would change drastically for the better in just a day.

    All the best, Sharon

  4. Jessie Ann Heekin
    December 15, 2008 | 8:05 am

    @Jeremy,
    Yes! This was excellently written, and I couldn’t agree more with everything that you said.
    @George,
    Thanks for having Jeremy. Fantastic advice.
    Jessie Ann Heekin

  5. Jeremy Day
    December 15, 2008 | 8:33 am

    @ Dee – Yes, its work that makes a writer great. It just needs to be the right type of work and a lot of it. I’ll see what I can do about doing a cc of your site. I may stop, I may not, but most likely I will offer suggestions. ;-)

    @ Tracy – Ah, another good contradiction. Good one! But really, I think you got a handle on things. And I think the best authors write so well that you can’t see them in the words they write.

    @ Sharon – Yes, “the” martial arts. Verbal judo kicks butt!

    @ Jessie – Thank you!

    @ George – And thank you my friend. Those were some kind words you said at the beginning. It made my morning!

    Cheers,
    Jeremy

    Jeremy Day´s last blog post..Health Week: The Best Morning Exercise Routine

  6. Carla
    December 15, 2008 | 8:59 am

    “Tools do not make great writing. People make great writing…”

    This is so true.

    Thanks for the entertaining post!

    Carla´s last blog post..Why New Year’s resolutions dont work | Blogroll

  7. Kim Woodbridge
    December 15, 2008 | 1:41 pm

    Writing more sucky content really works. I do this consistently and occasionally I get an awesome sentence out of it.

    Kim Woodbridge´s last blog post..Twitter Holiday Contest – Win a Free 2.7 Upgrade

  8. Barbara Swafford - Blogging Without A Blog
    December 15, 2008 | 5:24 pm

    Hi George and Jeremy – Fabulous guest post. I agree. We need to keep writing. Practice makes perfect, and even though we may be far from perfect, the journey of trying to get there is priceless. I also like your advice of not taking yourself too seriously. Life’s too short.

    Barbara Swafford – Blogging Without A Blog´s last blog post..Are You A Blogger or A Gossip

  9. Jeremy Day
    December 15, 2008 | 5:25 pm

    @ Carla – Thats a good point to pull out. And you are welcome!

    @ Kim – Good point, but I got a laugh when you said you do it consistently. Guess the truth of the matter is that we all do it somewhat consistently…

    Cheers,
    Jeremy

    Jeremy Day´s last blog post..Health Week: The Best Morning Exercise Routine

  10. george
    December 15, 2008 | 5:41 pm

    Hi Jeremy,

    I think that writing from your core is truly one of the key components. The other thing I think is true is to just write, write, write.

    This post was really a lot of fun. I enjoyed having you over and would welcome you back as a guest whenever your lil ‘ol heart desires.

    Cheers!

    George

  11. Patricia
    December 15, 2008 | 7:28 pm

    My writing was way too serious today and it really was a waste of energy so after my appointed hours of practice..I left to wrap gifts before kids get home. That was good play. I think one should not edit before trying to write (I spent 3 hours editing the first 15 pages of my daughter’s masters thesis which was very technical stuff before my time today) I think I write badly when I edit anything first…maybe another pointer to consider?

    Good guest post and I enjoyed looking at Jeremy’s site too
    Thank you

    Patricia´s last blog post..Waiting

  12. Jeremy Day
    December 15, 2008 | 8:08 pm

    @ Barbara – Thanks for swinging by. You really do follow a lot of blogs. ;-) Glad you found my advice useful.

    @ George – Thank you again from the bottom of my heart. You know, it may take some time, but perhaps I can one up this guest post eventually with another one. ;-)

    @ Patricia – Oh my. Mixing technical stuff with creative stuff wouldn’t seem to work for me either. Switching from editing to creating is tough too. That is a great point worth considering. It can be very hard to switch gears. Thank you for visiting my site as well. Hope you liked it enough to subscribe! ;-)

    Cheers,
    Jeremy

    Jeremy Day´s last blog post..Health Week: The Best Morning Exercise Routine

  13. Vik Duggal
    December 16, 2008 | 9:43 am

    It’s all about Grinding It Out 2.0. Persistence persistence persistence!!

    Great post. Enjoyed reading the post!

  14. kookimebux
    February 1, 2009 | 10:18 am

    Hello. And Bye. :)

  15. jan geronimo
    May 5, 2009 | 6:54 am

    I love the tone of this post. And how it sounds like somebody you know is giving you his little neat tricks of the trade. It’s not even about the points raised here. They can be replaced with something from a grocery list and still sound great. Well – with the exception of course with writing from your deepest core. That part I’m glad to take home with me anytime.

    The tone grabs me by the hand – so familiar, not hard sell and thankfully no BS. But of course it will not appear in this blog if there’s even a hint of that, I’m sure.

    Splendid. Love it.

    jan geronimo´s last blog post..I Have a Confession to Make…

  16. alex - unleashreality
    July 26, 2009 | 10:54 pm

    awwwwsomeness :)

    pure undiluted awwwwsomeness :D

  17. Jeremy Day
    July 27, 2009 | 4:13 am

    Thank you Jan and Alex! Thank you!

    Cheers,
    Jeremy
    Jeremy Day´s last blog ..Well What Did You Expect? My ComLuv Profile

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