Just a few years ago, I wouldn’t have considered myself to be any good at writing. At school, English was my worst subject, I was failing and there was a real possibility that I would struggle for a C at GCSE. Today, looking back, I’ve come a long way and I even consider the subject to be a strength of mine. I want to talk a little bit about my journey and discuss some of the techniques that I have used to turn writing into an enjoyable pastime.
This is the eighth blog post that I have written. Last year I wrote three. This year, I’ve already written five, and now I’m on my third one in a week. Maybe don’t expect that kind of consistency from me, but I guess what I’m trying to say is that writing is a skill that can be learned and developed over time. Since I started blogging, I’ve had a lot of people compliment me on my writing style, as well as the content that I push out. It has more often than not been accompanied by the person expressing a desire to blog too. People want to talk about what they are doing, but maybe there is doubt or nervousness about their written abilities. Difrent’s strategy is content delivery, and blogging is just one way of achieving it. You can read more about that in Zoe’s blog post here:
Before I discuss some of the things that have allowed me to write well, I want to talk a bit about what could have gone better. I am in no way perfect and there is always something that could be improved. The important thing is to recognise where the improvements can be. If I was to re-write some of the blogs that I published in 2019, I would probably break them down a little bit. A couple of posts were over 2000 words. I would want to make a series out of them, aiming for around 1000 words or less for each one. This would allow me to invest less of my time in writing, and also make them a little easier to digest in the eyes (or ears) of the reader. I would also want to add audio to the posts.
*10 years earlier*
The turning point for me was A-level History, where the class was required to write 1000-1500 word essays almost weekly. This is where I learned about structure. I often knew the answer and I was always good at getting to the point, but I didn’t really know how to provide rationale or share my thinking. That was until Mr Gittens, taught the class a technique. He said treat every paragraph like a mini essay. It should have an introduction, where you begin the argument, a middle, where you provide evidence, and an end, which allows you to reach a conclusion. He said if you want help with this at first, choose three different colours and highlight each section of the paragraph in this way. Initially, this was a great way of allowing me to structure my thinking, over time it just became second nature to me.
A link to one of the A-level essays I wrote
If I began to develop my writing skills during A-levels, it was at university where I came closer to mastering them. This is where I learned to balance life skills and lifestyle, with academia. I’m not ashamed to admit, as with much of my peers, I rarely got the balance right. Most, if not all of my assignments were last minute, written on the day, or the day before they were due. Here, I realised that I could do my best work under pressure. I learnt to absorb content quickly and retain it for long enough to write about it.
During a career, you’re constantly learning, and you already have a breadth and depth of knowledge that you can write about. If, like me, you work well under pressure, it’s just a matter of opening your laptop and organising your thoughts into words. I don’t have to come up with the entire work here, I’m a thinker and blogging is part of a reflection process. I thought of this blog in the shower, previous blogs during long drives, and at least one, after a night out.
Then It’s just a matter of making some rough notes. Some I will use, others I will consider and disregard. When I start to write, I find that the power is in my emotion. I want to spill every emotion into each word that I write. I want you to feel what I feel when I’m typing my thoughts. If you can relate to those feelings, the likelihood is that you can relate to the point that I’m trying to get across.
I believe that if you read, you are more likely to be able to write better. It doesn’t have to be books either. I’ve rarely read books, but I’ve been reading news articles frequently for years. I often pick up on use of language and I’ve come across many different writing styles. Subconsciously, I’m sure I’ve adopted the ones that I’ve liked and incorporated them into my own style.
As I’ve mentioned, I now consider writing to be a pastime. It allows me to structure my thoughts and provides another means for an outlet. I also love the conversation that it starts. If I can help even a single person face their nerves, put pen to paper and get some content out there, then I will be proud of what this blog post has achieved.
That being said, maybe writing just isn’t for everyone. I know reading certainly isn’t. At the request of a follower, I’ve recently started adding audio content to my blogs, which helps make them feel more like a conversation. What about Vlogging? I personally don’t think I’ve got the confidence for that, not just yet anyway. Maybe I can ease into it, with the help of some volunteers. Or maybe not, I’m happy to see where things go.
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