Ever wonder how successful writers spend all their time? Wonder no more. While we generally think about writers and their work in terms of poems and books, the truth is that they don’t always rely on their minds to produce content. Sometimes, they get content produced for them automatically. It might be something as simple as an email that’s been pre-written, or it might be a whole book that’s been copied and pasted into an email. We’re going to look at five ways that writers can learn to become more autonomous and independent — even if they’re not yet at a place where they feel comfortable being entirely un-assisted.
Read And Analyze What You’re Reading
You might be used to hearing advice about reading for pleasure, but in order to truly become a successful writer, you need to take this piece of advice to heart. As writers, our job is to interpret and analyze the world around us. This means that we’re constantly sifting through numerous books and articles to try and figure out what’s going on and why things are the way they are. In order to do this, we need to be able to understand the language being used. If you’ve been told that you need to read for pleasure, this might not be possible if you’re struggling with reading comprehension. Instead of focusing on whether or not you’ll like a particular book, try and read with the plan to understand as much as possible. If this means that some of the material doesn’t appeal to you, then that’s no problem. You can always go back and analyze it later, when you’ve had time to think about it and put it into context.
Join A Society Of Curious Readers
One of the best things that you can do for your writing is join a society of curious readers. When you do this, you gain access to a community of people who’ve all agreed to read the same books and explore the same topics. These are the books that you might not have considered reading because they seem like they’ll never be useful to you. Someone in the society might even suggest a book that you’ll ultimately end up enjoying and being able to incorporate into your own work. This is the type of benefit that can come from simply joining a curious readers society.
Take Professional Writing Classes
If you’re looking for ways to improve your writing, one of the best places to start is with a professional writing class. These classes can help you figure out what type of writer you want to be, how you want to approach your work, and even help with structuring your work. They might also help you find your voice, as teachers will often encourage you to explore topics that you’re not familiar with, but which are interesting to you. If you have a specific voice and personality that you’d like to emulate, then this is an excellent place to start, and it might even spark an idea, or series, of books that you hadn’t considered before.
Get A Writer’s Group
Another great way to become more independent as a writer is to get a writers’ group. When you do this, you’ll typically get together with a group of peers who are all interested in the same things as you. This way, you can provide each other with feedback on your work, and even help to collectively write a book, or publish a collection of short stories. This is one of the best options for writers who want to become more independent, as you’ll be working together, supporting each other, and building a network of professionals who can help you get where you want to be.
Consume Large Quantities Of Pro-Content
You don’t necessarily have to rely only on your own experiences when writing. If you’re ever curious about how someone else feels or thinks about a certain topic, then you can always ask them directly, or simply search for their work. When you do this, you’ll inevitably come across content that’s been produced by others, and which you can then re-purpose, or use as inspiration. If you want to truly become a successful, independent writer, then this is an excellent option for you. You can even use content directly from others, without needing to change a single word, in order to avoid copyright issues.
Consider Other Platforms
If none of the above options seem like a good fit for you, then you might want to consider alternative platforms, such as blogging or vlogging. With these platforms, you don’t need to be creative and independent in the way that you are with your creative writing, as all the content is automatically done for you, by software. While this might not sound like a good fit for anyone, especially considering how little manual work it takes to produce content, it’s a perfectly viable option for writers. At least, it would be if not for the fact that these platforms don’t always provide you with the best experience for writing. Some of the software that’s been used to create content for these platforms can be glitchy and temperamental, which makes it difficult to produce something of even average quality. If you do manage to get some content out there, however, you’ll find that the experience is well worth it. At the very least, it’s a cheaper option than taking a class or joining a writing group, and it allows you to produce content when and where you feel like it, especially when using a laptop or desktop computer.
Hopefully, one of the above tips will help you to find the path to independence, creativity, and productivity, which lead to a successful and prolific writing career. If this sounds like something that would benefit you, then consider exploring the option of becoming a professional writer. It’s a fantastic opportunity to travel the world, make your own rules, and be your own boss. Of course, there are many obstacles to overcome before you can claim to be truly successful, but with enough determination and grit, you can absolutely accomplish anything.