What are the secrets of great writing? That is quite a common question, as if the answer is expected to unveil some ancient mystery that is passed on from William Shakespeare to Jane Austen, whispered to Fyodor Dostoyevsky and found again by Maya Angelou.
Unfortunately the truth is way more boring than that. While these all time greats might have had some kind of magic going for them, there are millions of ordinary people who write fantastic content day in and day out with no superpowers. How do they do it?
In this article series I will go through some of the simple things to keep in mind if you want to write great content. Welcome to Part two: Be curious!
Check out Part one: Listen! here!
Curiosity killed the cat
This silly old saying is meant to remind people not to be too nosy with the business of others, which might be a good idea, but it sure doesn’t help in many other areas of life. Curiosity drives so much positive human development that it really deserves a better rep! From trying to answer what lightning really is, to figuring out the speed of light to, more recently, photographing something from which light itself cannot escape.
While curiosity can truly push all of mankind into enlightenment – sorry, I had to! – it can make a world of difference on an individual level as well. Being curious can lead to learning new skills, establishing deeper relationships, becoming more knowledgeable and simply getting more out of life.
While these benefits can all indirectly improve your writing, let’s focus on curiosity’s more direct contributions to the literary skills!
Curiosity killed the very
If, while reading, you stumble upon a word, phrase, abbreviation, punctuation, metaphor, expression or anything at all which you do not recognize or understand, what do you do? If your answer is “ignore it and keep reading” then you, my friend, need to channel your inner child and boost that curiosity level!
If you don’t want to break your reading flow, that’s fine! Simply make a note to come back later. Just put some effort into making a habit out of always looking things up when encountering something new in writing. In today’s world of ubiquitous connectivity there are really no excuses for staying oblivious.
Establishing and maintaining this habit whenever you’re reading – and whatever you’re reading – will in a short while equip you with a list of writing tips and tricks. These will then be at your disposal when it is your turn to create and allow you to produce much more varied and rich content. Make sure to actually keep a list of the things you look up, though, so your memory isn’t the only thing you’re relying on.
The sooner you start this exercise, the faster your writing will improve!
And oh yeah, everyone hates very, put it out of its misery!
Did you enjoy this post? Please consider sharing it wherever people might appreciate these kinds of tips and be on the lookout for Part three of the series!