If there's one thing I've learned after years of struggling, overthinking, and doubting I could be a writer, it's the following:

Writing starts in your head.

Nicolas Cole was right when he said:

"Writing is 90% thinking."

Because the better you think, the better your writing, the bigger your outcome.

But how do you get there?

By thinking like a writer in 7 simple steps.

#1 You're your biggest liability OR asset

The biggest hurdle you'll ever overcome is yourself.

It's not some formal education, not your high school bullies, or even your parents' expectations. It's yourself.

Your fears, insecurities, shortcomings, and doubts.

I had plenty of them and still have some.

But instead of hoping for better days in which I don't feel insecure, scared, and unable to write online, I started taking the initiative.

I came to peace with never being perfect.

You should, too.

Because suddenly, what stood in your way becomes your driving force.

Your insecurities, fears, and doubts will become fuel.

And you start sharing the incredible human experience with others, which will attract more people than you can ever imagine.

You're imperfect, and that's your biggest advantage.

#2 Consistency trumps brilliance

The idea of writing "the one big thing" is tempting.

And it gets celebrated everywhere.

It's how most think writing works.

But writing was never about writing one incredible story and walking away from it again. That's something for the fantasy books.

In reality, writing is an obsession.

Once you think about day and night, you are eager to get back to it, although it's hard and despite it being uncomfortable, like sleeping on nails.

Writing is something you want to do forever.

Then, suddenly, it's more of a marathon than it is a sprint.

And this eases the pressure.

Don't quit on a bad day. Instead, show up anyway.

Because these are the ones that matter the most.

#3 There's no such thing as too much writing

Most newbie writers fear burning out.

They think the more they write, the fewer ideas they have, the harder it gets, and the higher the chance they will be miserable.

In reality, it couldn't be further from the truth.

The more you write, the sharper your thinking, the better your ideas, the more inspiration, and the more you want to write.

It's the exact opposite.

That's why there's no such thing as too much writing.

I learned this in the last year when writing consecutively for over 310 days and about 1001 different topics.

Sure, at some point, you'll repeat yourself, but everyone will, and it's even needed to be known for something.

Writing more is always the solution.

Even if and especially when you're stuck.

Don't hold back, but write, write, and then write some more.

Because of the following.

#4 Everything is a story

What did I hate people, never stopping to tell stories.

But I've been wrong the entire time.

Writing has shown me that everything is a story if packaged correctly.

It doesn't matter if you write about drilled-through waterpipes, exploding Kombucha cans, or your worst time in life.

As a writer, you carve out universal truths.

The one thing that applies to most people and makes them want to read the seemingly random stories of everyday life.

And that's our biggest chance.

Because if there's one thing we all have, it's everyday life.

Everything else is a bonus, which adds even more to this idea.

So, don't hold back, thinking you couldn't or shouldn't write about random, irrational, or small things.

It might be the biggest lesson they've learned all year to some.

Talking about lessons.

#5 You aren't a teacher but a student

I started writing online the worst way possible.

When I had my first blog in 2017, I thought I was the teacher, and others should listen to me because I had wisdom for breakfast, while others only had Cheerios.

It couldn't be further from the truth.

As writers, we're students.

And the best writers know and embrace that every single day.

Besides learning more about our craft, we have countless options to know about the human experience.

This is why we should never write as if we know everything but rather as if we experience things.

Your experience, including all emotions, setbacks, and wins, matters.

That's what people want.

Not some overcooked version of wisdom they couldn't apply to their everyday lives but find in a generic rip-off calendar.

As writers, we're the A-students in life.

Not because we know everything but because we never get tired of learning new things.

One of those things was the following:

#6 Treat writing as a business

If there's one hack to instantly be more successful in writing, it's this.

If you treat writing like a hobby, you can expect hobby results.

Getting better slowly and without much direction.

But when you treat writing like a business, you'll change in the fast lane of development.

It happened twice to me.

First, in 2020, when I had nothing left, I decided to try ghostwriting seriously. Only to make $3000 a month three months later.

And second, in 2023, when I quit making excuses and took full responsibility for my own writing. Only to learn more about online writing in a year than I had learned my entire life.

Taking things seriously is the surefire way to see progress.

It doesn't mean it'll be easy, but it means you finally put in the work to learn what matters most and keep trying without letting your ego reign.

Talking about ego.

#7 Pour petrol over your ego and watch it burn

After you've overcome your broken mindset, the only enemy remaining is your ego.

The exact same thing that'll tell you you deserve better when you're where you're supposed to be.

That's why you need to kill it as soon as possible.

Ryan Holiday is right: the ego is the enemy.

It'll lure you into thinking you deserve better, turning your entire writing experience sour. Don't let it do that to you.

Embrace the suckery.

Accept that you aren't where you want to be.

And work towards your goals but against your ego.

I've come up with the necessary courage to start writing online before. I've put in the effort.

But I let my ego take it all away because I started thinking I deserved to be further down the road when I didn't.

Don't let it harm you the same way, and kill it today.

Then, there's nothing standing in your way.

The first step is to realize that writing is mostly about how you think. But if you:

choose to be your biggest asset,
aim for consistency over brilliance,
write more when in doubt,
start seeing stories, where others only see everyday life,
embrace not knowing everything,
take writing seriously, and
kill your ego repeatedly,

you'll become unstoppable.

Thank you for reading.

If you have any questions, let me know in the comments.

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