How to Write Content People Will Actually Read

Writing is one of my favorite topics to write about, and chat about. Whether it be on Medium, on my podcast, or even here on my blog, you’re sure to find a lot of tips from my experience as a writer. A little bit about me — I’ve been writing for half of my short life. I started taking writing seriously around the age of thirteen years old. Getting started in your teen years gives you a pretty awesome advantage. By the time you are old enough to start looking for your first writing job, you have already been through the awkwardness of trying to find your voice. Hopefully you succeed at it by now. If not, at least you know a little bit about what not to do.

There’s a major transformation the writer has to go through, however, and it’s an important one. I’ll never forget the blog I read on this topic a while back. It was the first time this idea occurred to me, and was part of what sent me on the trajectory I am on today. It’s an important lesson to learn, and the lesson is this: you can either write for yourself, or you can write for others.

There Are Two Types of Writers

Ultimately, there are two types of writers — those that write to be read, and those that write for themselves. In regards to this, the author of one of my favorite books, Thomas Merton, writes: