Habits of a Persistent Content Writer
Written by Kathryn Lang
“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent.” – Calvin Coolidge
This saying has pushed me through most of my life. It gave me the courage to pursue diving in high school. It bolstered that same courage to step out into a ballroom dancing career in college. But I still struggle to find that same persistence and determination when it comes to writing content. Tomorrow always looks like a better time to write.
The time must be now. Great content does not come from the mind of a talented writer, a smart writer, or even an educated writer. The only content you will ever read will come from an active writer. Waiting until tomorrow almost guarantees that the words will never be written.
Making a Habit of Persistent Writing
-
1. Sign up to do blog carnivals, guest posts and other content writing opportunities. It can be easier to write the content now when it has been promised to someone else. Setting up a regular schedule of content for others will help develop a habit of persistent writing.
2. Complete something every day. Writing eBooks, reports and other long term projects will not be finished in one day. Putting those off until tomorrow almost seems natural. Completing a content writing task (like a short blog post or other article) can help to inspire work on the longer projects.
3. Break large projects into small projects. Writing 50,000 words of content (or some other equally unimaginable large task) can seem overwhelming and that can increase the odds that procrastination will find its way into the project. Divide up the content project into parts that can be completed in one day. The accomplishment of finishing the task will add to the determination to take on the next part.
4. Enlist help. Find a group of encouragers that can give you motivation when you begin to think of tomorrow. A few good cheerleaders can have you tackling the world right now in no time flat. Writers groups – online and in person – can be a great tool for finding the encouragement you need to develop persistent writing habits.
Great content can only be found where writing has been done. The art of procrastination will hinder that forward progress by putting off all content writing until tomorrow. Developing strong habits of persistent and determined writing will defeat the fog of procrastination and serve to push your content forward to a stronger and bolder level.
What habits are you forming that are creating persistent and determined content?
Ready for More Profit with Content?
If you'd like to learn to create content that builds your business, simply enter your first name and email address below and click "Subscribe". You'll instantly receive your guide and we'll keep you up-to-date with what's happening at Contentrix, content marketing news and more.
About the Author
Visit Kathryn online: KathrynLang.com
Content is King - Be like this frog prince and make a stack of coin with content. Get your free content marketing guide. To get yours, click here
Everybody says "Content is King", but what does that mean for you? 
Joel Mark Witt says:
Kathryn,
This is a great post. Writing is at the core of what I do – but the words come so hard sometimes. I think writing is some of the hardest work one can ever do.
I find myself liking the conceptual, outlining and planning parts of writing [the idea stuff] – way more than stringing actual words together. But I’ve found (like you said) that pushing through and WRITING gets me to accomplishment.
Thanks for great thoughts. I would love to see some specific ideas on how to get writing and beat procrastination. Something I think we all struggle with as writers.
~ Joel Mark Witt
Kathryn Lang says:
Hey Joel – you inspired me to write my post this week. Beating procrastination is something I would normally work on tomorrow, but I tackled just for you in the here and now.
Keep Procrastination from Deflating Content
Joel Mark Witt says:
That’s great Kathryn.
~ Joel
Michelle@MixedMediaArt says:
That “persistence” quote is my favorite! I have also used it many times in my life to remind myself that I don’t always need to be the smartest or the richest, just the one who doesn’t give up.
Good points too – even if we have heard them before, they are a good reminder to stop sabotaging ourselves and just do it!
Kathryn Lang says:
Hey Michelle – it’s right up there with “Don’t Quit” for me. Getting persistent advice about being persistent means it will eventually settle into my mind – or that is the plan!
Christain Louboutin says:
Hi. I just noticed that your blog looks like it has a formatting issue at the very bottom of your web page. I’m not positive if everyone is seeing this same bugginess when browsing your website?
Alice Seba says:
Hi Christian…what do you see? What browser are you using? Appreciate you pointing it out. It would be great to know exactly what’s up. Thanks!