NOTE: The following EPIC post comes from the book,”15 Things Every Writer Needs to Know (And All the Mistakes You Never Want to Make).”

Enter your best email address in the box below, absorb the free content once a week, then take action on what you learn. You will be a more successful writer.


You want an amazing writing career, and you deserve it. So long as you’re willing to write your face off, which most writers are, and learn as you go, which is the Digital Writer way, then you have untold miles of untapped potential before you.

But if you start out on the wrong path, you could end up walking for hundreds of miles in the wrong direction without even knowing it.
Momentum is everything, yet determining whether or not you’re wondering —rather than walking in a streight line — is difficult if not impossible to do.
The following 15 roadsigns are ones that nearly every writer should follow, and they will benefit greatly if they do. After four years online, I’ve seen successful writers engaging in the same effective behaviors, while struggling writers are making the same fundamental mistakes.

1. Don’t Write for Other Writers

  • Falling into the trap of hunting for digital kudos is easy.
  • Find a market where you’re not writing for writers and you will have an easier time being heard.
  • Dreams are easier to write when you’re focused on driving action.

2. Write, Write, Write

  • The sooner you form a consistent ritual, the sooner you’ll be able to fly through your writing without stopping to think.
  • Once you get going, you can treat your word count like a formula, constantly tweaking the variables to give you a better end result.

3. Ignore the Rules

  • No one can write like you do — the way you string together your syllables is your art to share with the world.
  • You have what what you need to be a better writer. It’s inside you, waiting.
  • You’ll learn to carve your own rules in time.

4. Avoid Burnout

  • Don’t allow yourself to feel guilty.
  • Procrastination is normal.
  • Put your goals first.
  • Have realistic expectations.
  • Get regular exercise.

5. Be Extraordinary

  • If you aren’t able to stand out, you will never have the writing career you’re craving.
  • An extra two ounces of ordinary effort can take you from good to great, but only if you commit to making that happen.
  • Only the medalists make the bold type. The gold medal is YOURS.

6. Look for Intersections

  • Creativity is born whenever you open your mind.
  • Creativity is the alchemy of making something from nothing — when two ideas collide.
  • Art is born when life’s intersecting roads lead you toward an old story you can tell in a new way.

7. Understand the 10,000-Hour Rule

  • What once seemed impossible will be simple soon enough.
  • Achieving mastery of anything takes at least 10,000 hours.
  • Devoting 10,000 hours will make you an expert at just about anything.

8. Delegate the Drudgery

  • Don’t waste time not doing what you do best — writing.
  • If you’re not, you’re distancing yourself from the true money you could be making.

9. Master the Lead Magnet

  • You must build a list if you really want an explosive career as a digital writer.
  • A lead magnet can be a free report on your site or a template of some sort.
  • Your lead magnet must also build credibility.

10. Adapt Quickly

  • You will make plans, and they will fail.
  • Online writers understand that the world and environment around them is in constant motion.
  • Understand the basics needed to succeed, then groom those qualities in yourself.

11. Help Others

  • Helping people is one of the fastest ways to build your personal brand.
  • Do it because it’s the right thing to do, or do it to build your business faster, but do it.
  • Be the best possible version of YOU, and keep your eyes open for ways you can help others in your niche.

12. Stay Focused & Finish Projects

  • Stop interrupting yourself.
  • Spend time doing nothing for at least 10 minutes each day.
  • Imagine the world you can create instead of getting overwhelmed by all you have to do.

13. Be Prolific

  • Keep writing, working, learning, and growing.
  • Being prolific means you are able to talk to many people, using language to pull people toward greater understanding.
  • Produce a bounty of work that has an impact on the world and leaves a legacy behind.

14. Build a Legacy

  • Everything you do between now and your final breath will be part of the legacy you leave.
  • Everything you do aggregates to the someday total of who you are.
  • Good times are always worth celebrating, and bad times make a good story great.

15. Be Undaunted

    • Be prepared for the life of a digital writer.
    • Know your pain will lead to pleasure and that every moment will eventually be worth it.
    • Don’t be afraid to blow it because your biggest mistakes will help you realize your priorities, teach you what’s most important, & help you get what you want.

 Mistakes harbor your greatest learning experiences. Only through doing things wrong can you validate what’s truly right.
Don’t be afraid of humiliation. People won’t notice your mistakes or judge you nearly as much as you think they will. Besides, who would you rather be? The safe person who never took a chance but never realized your dreams, or the one who dared to follow your heart?
Go boldly forward with your dreams, without twisting your head to see who might be looking over your shoulder.
Don’t be afraid to blow it because your biggestmistakes will help you realize your priorities and crystallize your values, teach you what’s most important, help you get what you want, and avoid the things you shouldn’t do along the way.
Without my many careless mistakes, I’d still be making a marginal living. Learning from my shortfalls and failures helped me sharpen the tools I needed to craft a remarkable career. You will surely make your own mistakes. Maybe not as many as I did, but plenty.
Of course, this EPIC Post would not have been possible without the awesome book, “15 Things Every Writer Needs to Know (And All the Mistakes You Never Want to Make)“.Please share this post on Twitter, Facebook and any other social media outlets where your audience will benefit. Enter your best email address in the box below, absorb the free content once a week, then take action on what you learn. You will be a more successful writer.


Until next week!

I did it. So can you.
P.S. If there is a person you feel every digital writer should follow on Twitter, or a post on blogging that should be included in this post, please add it to the comments and I will look into it as soon as I can. If you have a question or comment, please leave it below and I promise to answer within 24 hours.

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