You don’t need talent to be a successful writer or blogger but you do need this one thing.
For a long time, I had a job most people couldn’t understand. I was a Lead Modeling and Simulation Engineer. Even just my job title would make eyes glaze over with confusion and an “I’m sorry I asked” expression.
These days, I’m a writer, and the looks I get are much different - and so are the expectations.
It’s as if I’ve gone from a world too technical for people to understand to a realm of the mythical.
A Writer.
The title conveys a certain amount of reverence, awe, or prestige. People assume we are special or have some amazing talent that regular, average folk don’t have.
Even here on Steemit, people have the same belief. Take a look at these comments on some recent articles I wrote:
“I am not a natural writer, but am working to improve my writing…”
“I think some people are naturally talented in writing. Unfortunately, I am not that one!”
Sentiments like these are too frequently expressed. And it always makes me sad to see them. Being a writer isn’t about talent, it’s about communicating.
One of the things I love about Steemit is the variety of its members. It reaches across borders and languages. And, believe it or not, some of the posts that moved me the most were not written well at all. Not because the person couldn’t write, but because English wasn’t their first language.
That didn’t matter though, because they still communicated their idea, request or dream despite their trouble with the language. You might call that a talent, but I just call it authenticity.
When you have a story to tell – whether it’s poetry, a short story or your trip to the park – and you express it in your own words, then people will feel it.
And you don’t need talent to do this. All you need is practice. And then more practice. In time, you’ll get better at communicating. Writing is a skill you’ll improve as you go.
This is especially true of blogging, which is what we do here on Steemit. People are reading your posts because they like what you’re writing about. You don’t have to be the next James Patterson, Nora Roberts or any other super-talented amazing writer.
To help prove my point, here’s a quote from Chrissy Stockton, an author, blogger, and poet.
“Some writers are special, for sure, but 99.99999999% of writers in the world will never be Salinger or DFW or Bukowski. That doesn’t mean anything. What percent of CEOs will ever become Steve Jobs?”
In all professions, there are outstanding examples - the physicists who win the Nobel prize, the surgeon who saves the most lives, the musician that sells the most concerts. But for each one of those, there are many, many successful people in the same field.
And you should never compare yourself to those kinds of people when you’re blogging. They may represent your goals and dreams – where you’d like to be in the future. But don’t ever give up trying to be a writer just because you don’t think you write as well as your favorite author.
If you keep at it, by practicing and being authentic when you blog, then you won’t need talent to be successful. And by “success” I mean you’ll be gathering more followers, upvotes and comments.
You can aim higher (and I hope that you will), but you can at least get those things if you do just this one other thing…
When I went and searched for information on successful bloggers, I found some specific characteristics. And not a single one of them has anything to do with natural talent.
The primary thing most popular bloggers do is post consistently. That's my opinion, anyway, based on research into the subject. If you google "characteristics of successful bloggers" you'll find somewhere around a trillion results. Clearly, I didn't look at them all, but the first couple of pages carried that similar theme (as well as other steps you can take to get even more readers).
Sometimes the term “posting regularly,” was used instead of “consistent,” but the gist is the same. And it makes sense. You can't be successful at something if you don't do it or do it haphazardly. Putting your blog on Steemit at the same time or day also lets the people who read your blogs know when to come back for the next one. That means more views, more upvotes, and more resteems.
Of course, all this assumes you are posting quality content. If you're not sure what that is, check out this post where I explain it all.
What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts about writing and talent in the comments.
“We have loved the stars too fondly to be afraid of the night.” - the old astronomer
