Writer’s Tip #108: A Bunch of Tips from Jeff Goins (Who’s He?)

When you read your story, does it sound off, maybe you can’t quite put your finger on it, but you know you’ve done something wrong? Sometimes–maybe even lots of times–there are simple fixes. These writer’s tips will come at you once a week, giving you plenty of time to go through your story and make the adjustments.

Today: Tips from Jeff Goins

Who is Jeff Goins? Truth, I’d never heard of him before, but Seth Godin recommended one of his books so I popped over to his blog to check out who this guy is. He’s a writer, blogger, and speaker. Based on these tips, I think he’s pretty astute:

So… you want to be a writer?

Anyone who writes is a writer, but that doesn’t mean they’re a very good one. So let’s talk about how to become a better writer. We’ll begin with the basics — here are seven key lessons (with links to important articles about each):

• • Writing is simple, but not easy.
  • Before you get a larger audience, you have to get better.
  • Practice makes you better; it’s the repetitions that make it effortless.
  • Until you put your work out there, you’re only screwing around. Write for real.
  • You can’t practice without discipline. Keep showing up and persevering.
  • There will always be resistance; type through it, anyway.
  • Get over your excuses and do the work.

Before getting started

Before you begin writing, ask yourself these important questions:

• • Why do I want to write?
  • Who am I writing for?
  • What’s my message?
  • Have I found my voice yet?
  • What am I willing to sacrifice for my craft?
  • What won’t I give up?

Tips for when you begin

Here is a list of 10 essential tips on writing:

Build your platform

Although writers need to write first for the craft, it’s not a bad thing to want to get published. But that’s a byproduct, not a goal (For the real writer, anyway). Click for his tips here.

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Jacqui Murray is the author of the popular Building a Midshipman, the story of her daughter’s journey from high school to United States Naval Academy, the Rowe-Delamagente thrillers, and the Man vs. Nature saga. She is also the author/editor of over a hundred books on integrating tech into education, adjunct professor of technology in education, blog webmaster, an Amazon Vine Voice,  a columnist for NEA Today, and a freelance journalist on tech ed topics. Look for her next prehistoric fiction, The Quest for Home, Fall 2019. You can find her tech ed books at her publisher’s website, Structured Learning

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