How to Write More Easily: 7 Tips on How To Write More, Easily.

1 in 10 children in the United States become non-readers after they forget how to write. Some never forget how to write at all, preferring not to learn in the first place. 

Scientists studying the phenomenon, and it IS a phenomenon (you can't take that away from them) have pointed their fingers collectively at early cognitive behavioural issues that stem from basically when a child can't read. 

But what I'm here to tell you is if you can THINK, then you can WRITE. Because, unbeknownst to many editors, bloggers, celebrities, journalists and especially politicians, writing IS thinking. 

Think about it. When you think a word, you are writing the word in your brain. But where does it go? Unlike on the printed page, words written in our minds are never published anywhere. So if you don't write down your thoughts, how do you know you are even thinking? This is why the world's foremost intellectuals, from Foucault to Beyoncé, all write down their thoughts the instant they have them, so they know what their thoughts are - like they are publishing their blogs to themselves so they can read their own minds. Sound simple? Read, or think, on. 

1. Just write

One key obstacle that many people have to writing  is, you guessed it, writing. But what’s the answer? 

“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.” 

Louis L’Amour wasn't just someone I googled to back up my trite advice. "I am both an author and a teacher" he probably said. Cool guy. 

You can’t write by just thinking all day, you need to put pen to paper. Or at least to digital paper. With a digital pen. Or a keyboard. Somehow make letters. To make words. It is this that makes writing and when you can do this simple task, you will have performed some writing. So don’t overthink it. 

2. Keep a journal

A journal is a great place to put all your thoughts, problems, dreams and secrets down. The journal doesn’t judge, it just accepts you for who you are. It doesn’t correct your grammar, or say “that sentence is clunky” or “read what you wrote before you publish it” or any of that mean stuff people say who are just jealous because you have been putting out quality blog articles longer than they’ve had hot meals. The journal is nice. The journal likes you. The journal won’t ever leave you. The journal is the only one who cares about you. 

When you write in your journal, your cortisol levels change in such a way that a scientist would be able to measure that if they could just get you to sit still long enough. But journaling is really more about just writing, writing, writing. And when you write, you just naturally get better you just don’t even need to try. 

3. Write a blog

If you are writing because you’re thinking, and you are journaling because you are writing, the next logical step is to want others to validate your core being. In these modern times of internet connectivity, it’s easier than ever to put your thoughts directly into the brains of others for instant vilification. That’s the miracle of the Information Age. 

While many limit themselves to twitter, where  the safe confines of the 140 character limit encourages people to attempt nuanced conversations using only the most abrupt constructions made possible by the English language, it’s the blogosphere where writers are most devastating. 

Without limits on word count, presentation, terms and conditions or any basic understanding of visual contrast, a blog can literally make you famous if you write one often enough and get enough people to read it. Or at least share it. 

4. Read a lot of books

Good writers didn’t just make up their own words. They read those in books, remembered their spelling, rearranged them into new sentences and then write them down. 

This sounds complicated but Noam Chomsky said there is a grammar device in your brain that allows you to naturally understand language, although you find it impossible to do your tax return. Children learn language by sitting around burbling and listening to adults. They don’t learn about tax, that would bore a child to tears, and most normal people too. It’s really more a niche thing, that’s why accountants exist. 

You can’t just make up your tax return. Claiming your new shoes as a deduction, or the t-shirt you bought from Pewdiepie that says "Why Am I Still Here..." when your job is professional blogger-evangelist. There’s no uniform for that. 

People don't look at you and think “that guy writes blogs for a living” at least not until you are very famous. In which case I assume you could claim your clothes on tax. Seems like a double standard to be honest. 

Taxation is just one of those things that makes no sense, it’s more based on historical accident than anything. Like what is money anyway? It’s just an agreement between two people “this is worth something” but if they didn’t agree then the money wouldn’t be worth anything. Try telling that to the tax office.

5. Never edit anything

It's not worth. 

6. Write what you know

If there's one thing everyone is an expert on, it's themselves. So if you want to impress people with your deep expertise, just tell them about yourself! 

You might not appear to have any skills, experience, insights, wisdom, truth, knowledge, abilities, talents, curiosity, self awareness, intelligence or sincerity but you sure can fill the void with all of the stuff that you know about you. 

It's normally considered conceited to only write about yourself, but if you persist with it, most people will give you the benefit of the doubt and just think that you must be a lot more important than what they think, or else why would you only ever talk about yourself? 

7. Break the fourth wall

Meta commentary is both considered smart but is also extremely easy for anyone who can understand the difference between a shopping list and the actual shopping. If you find yourself struggling to write enough, have you tried just writing about what you just wrote, about how you can't think of anything to write, the act of writing itself or just becoming hopelessly self aware and self referential to the point where it would be impossible to coherently continue to a conclusion? 

Listing things, and more things, always always always makes it seem like you have a lot of depth of knowledge on a topic but you're really just repeating the same stuff over and over. But boy does it fill the page. 

Bloopity bloop. 

And that's it

You are already on your way to write more, more easily and it turns out all you needed to do was sit and think about it for 30 minutes and just assume whatever came to you must be true. 

Bon Voyage.