Nicholas E. Barron

We need to talk about you. Specifically, we need to address your use of singular, first-person pronouns.

Yes, that phrase, “singular, first-person pronouns,” probably makes you sleepy and surfaces nightmare flashbacks to grammar class. But using too many of these words in the wrong place can encourage readers to disengage from your work.

Good writing, the best kind of writing, comes from our hearts. It shares personal anecdotes and relays our experiences as stories, tales that may be humorous, gut-wrenching, relatable, or outlandish. By putting ourselves into our writing, we connect with readers.

Yet, we’re also walking the balance beam of reader engagement. Talk too much about ourselves, and readers will abandon the piece.

Your writing doesn’t do its job if no one reads it. Plus, poor engagement can hurt your online content’s search engine rankings.

This story highlights how singular, first-person pronouns push readers away from our work and what we can do about it.

But first, let’s identify what we’re referring to with singular, first-person pronouns.

Words that tell readers, ‘Move along.’

Singular, first-person pronouns are the words as I, me, my, mine, and myself.

Most of us use these words quite a bit while speaking and in our writing. It’s hard to tell a story, especially when sharing something from our life, without using these words.

Yet using too many of these words can cause your reader to move along.

Think about the most annoying social media posts you see. There’s a good chance many of them focus solely on the person publishing the post and that the individual uses a lot of me, my, myself, and I.

You don’t want to read someone talking only about themselves, and neither do your readers.

The worst place for singular, first-person pronouns

While it’s a good idea to limit the number of singular, first-person pronouns in your writing, there’s one spot in your work where you should avoid using these words as much as possible: At the beginning of your sentences.

That’s because many people are skim readers, bouncing from one sentence to the next, especially while reading online content.

And singular, first-person pronouns act as stop words for many readers.

Meaning, readers skimming through articles hit the brakes when they come to a sentence starting with “I” or “my.” First, they wonder where they fit into the sentence. Then they often abandon whatever they’re reading.

To keep readers engaged, limit the number of sentences you start with singular, first-person pronouns. Doing so may be difficult at first, but it’s not impossible.

Here’s how you can do it.

How to reduce sentences that start with singular, first-person pronouns

When first trying to limit how often you begin sentences with a singular, first-person pronoun, don’t worry about it while writing. Instead, make this something you focus on while editing your work.

Get your first draft done. Then, read through your writing, identifying any sentence beginning with a singular, first-person pronoun.

Next, rewrite these sentences, one at a time, being mindful about what you want to communicate in that sentence while beginning it with a different word or phrase.

For example, take this sentence from a recent story I published: “The weekend I arrived in Lake Placid happened to be during the 2021 Lake Placid Ironman.”

Let’s say I wrote, in my first draft, the sentence as, “I arrived in Lake Placid the same weekend as the 2021 Lake Placid Ironman.”

While editing, I see the sentence starts with “I.” With rearranging, I can begin the sentence with something other than a singular, first-person pronoun while letting the sentence still communicate what it needs to.

It’s a small change, easy to make, but one with huge potential.

Instead of beginning a sentence with a stop word, in this case, “I,” the sentence invites the reader to continue. Doing so reduces the chance the reader will click away and will instead finish reading the piece.

One small tweak for writers, one giant leap for readers

Some of the best writing contains our experiences and lessons learned, but that doesn’t mean we have to start sentences with singular, first-person pronouns, such as “I” and “my.”

These pronouns operate as stop words, encouraging readers to stop reading our writing.

We fail as writers when people don’t finish reading what we write. And having readers abandon our online content can negatively impact our organic search traffic.

But by limiting the sentences we start with singular, first-person pronouns, we can increase the likelihood that readers will stick with our writing until the end.

Write your first draft without considering your singular, first-person pronoun use. Then, when editing your draft, rework any sentences starting with words such as “I” and “my.”

The more you make these edits, the sooner you’ll include fewer sentences starting with singular, first-person pronouns in your first drafts. It’s a slight shift, but one that can have a massive impact on how readers engage with your writing. 

Include fewer sentences beginning with “me” and “I,” and you’ll have more people reading your work from beginning to end.

As writers, we put so much effort into our work. We pour our heart and soul into the words that we write, and sometimes we’re left wondering if it’s worth it.

Our words don’t get published. When they do, it can feel like no one bothers reading them.

It’s easy to feel discouraged and lose self-confidence. But there are some tactics we can try to maintain positivity so we can keep doing the work we love.

Below are four approaches for keeping a positive attitude and staying confident even when you feel like you have little writing success.

Remember, you’re in the company of heroes.

One way to stay positive is to remind yourself that you’re not alone.

Did you know publishers rejected Stephen King’s first novel, Carrie, 30 times?

For six years, author Celeste Ng documented her rejections in what she called her “Spreadsheet of Shame” before selling her debut novel, Everything I Never Told You. That book became a New York Times bestseller.

Maybe you feel like no one’s reading what you publish. Look around, and you’ll quickly find other writers complaining online about low reads and views of their stories.

It’s easy to feel discouraged when hearing about bestsellers and people making thousands off of writing online. But for all those tales, there are many of us experiencing the same disappointments as you.

Being a writer means being in a company of heroes who do the work day after day and don’t always get the recognition we deserve. Remembering that can help you feel better about any struggles you’re facing.

Fall in love again

Another way to keep your confidence is to write for yourself. Spend time writing what you enjoy instead of what you think will sell or others will read.

The earliest stories I remember writing were entertainment for me. It wasn’t until much later in life that I developed the idea of getting published and earning money from writing.

Adult goals can pollute the joy of writing.

If you’re feeling down or lacking confidence, try writing something that’s fun for you to create. Or, think of something you’d like to read and write it.

There’s an oft-cited Toni Morrison quote that goes, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”

Keeping that guidance front-of-mind can help us get over the doldrums we sometimes experience in our writing. Fall in love again with writing by writing what you want to create and read.

Refocus on your ‘why.’

Similarly, one way to keep a positive attitude is to write about why you write.

Sometimes, when I’m in the dumps, I take out my journal and start free-flow writing about why I write. Sure, it often begins as a series of complaints, sentences that start with something like, “Why do I even bother…”

But before long, the complaining turns into reminding myself why I write in the first place. It’s not so I can score a book deal and become famous. So why do I get so upset when those things don’t happen?

When we lack positivity about our work, we may need to refocus on why we write. And an effective way to remind ourselves about our “why” is to write it out.

Let the negativity flow. Get it all out there in your journal or on the blank screen. 

Soon, you’ll start remembering why you write. And there’s a solid chance that why is different from why you lack confidence.

Screw the gatekeepers

OK, but what if you try all of the above and still can’t escape the negativity of rejection? Then follow this advice: “If you can’t beat ’em, join ‘em.”

Today, thousands of writers around the world self-publish to millions of readers. Some authors release books on sites like Wattpad and Scribd. In addition, they are self-publishing books on online retail sites such as Amazon and Kobo.

There’s an almost limitless number of options for self-publishing. Get creative.

Elle Griffin is serializing her debut novel on Substack, and John McCrae earns about $6,000 per month publishing on Patreon under the pen name Wildbow.

You can even use Twitter to publish your story. That’s how the story behind the film “Zola” got its start.

It’s never been easier to self-publish. Attracting an audience, though, isn’t easy. You’ll likely have to put in a lot of effort promoting and marketing your work.

Still, if you’re sick and tired of rejection, say, “Screw the gatekeeper.” Instead, take your own route to publish.

Keep writing because we’re reading.

Rejection hurts. Putting time into a story no one reads is maddening.

But we writers can’t dwell on the negativity if we’re going to keep writing. And we need to keep at it because it’s what we love to do and because one thing about our writing that’s for certain is that it won’t exist if we don’t create it.

So, here are ways I maintain positivity and self-confidence, which I think can work for you, too:

• Remember you’re not alone
• Fall in love with writing again
• Refocus on why you write
• If all else fails, self-publish

Practice these tactics when you’re frustrated and feeling low. They’ll help keep you writing, which is what we, and you, need you to do.

This article originally appeared on Medium.

If you’re a writer, you know the feeling that you’re not doing enough.

You probably spend hours writing every week. Yet, your list of writing ideas is perpetually long, and you can’t shake the nagging that you’re still not writing as much as you should.

All writers feel this way. But below, I share six relatively easy tweaks I made to my daily routine that helped me become a more productive writer.

If you make the same adjustments, I’m confident you’ll be churning out more copy than ever before.

Wake up earlier (or stay up later)

The world is quietest when most people are sleeping. But if you’re one of the people who’s awake while others aren’t, that means fewer distractions.

No one’s posting to social media, and you’re not getting new emails. The kids aren’t asking you for anything, your boss is snoozing, and your push notifications are quiet.

Take advantage of those times. Give yourself at least an hour, either in the morning or at night, to write.

If you’re a morning person, wake up an hour earlier. If you’re more productive at night, stay up an hour later.

Don’t Netflix and chill.

Early in my self-employment days, I gave myself a treat. Every day, while eating lunch, I streamed a show.

But then I noticed two things:

1. I was usually done eating well before the show ended. So what would have been a 20-minute lunch took up to an hour.
2. I struggled to get back to work after finishing the show.

So, I gave up my midday treat. Sure, I still eat. Instead of streaming something, though, I often read about writing.

This brings me to the third easy tweak you can make to be a more productive writer.

Read about writing

Writing is not something you’ll ever perfect. Even the best writers, the bestselling novelists, and the highest-paid freelancers can improve.

That’s why reading about writing is essential to becoming a better, more productive writer. Tons of writers share tips, tricks, advice, and lessons learned on Medium, newsletters, and blog posts.

Find writers who share helpful, inspirational and insightful content. Then make consuming their content part of your daily routine.

One warning, though, is not to spend too much time reading about writing. It’s easy to convince ourselves that reading about writing is the same as writing. It’s not.

You still need to write if you want to be a productive writer.

Set a timer

Time yourself if you’re worried about spending too much time doing anything other than writing.

For example, I read while eating my lunch. When I’ve finished eating, I stop reading as soon as I reach the end of the piece I’m currently reading. Then I get back to work writing, researching, or editing.

While I don’t use a timer, you may need to, at least at first. Give yourself 20 or 30 minutes to read, check your email or social media.

Set the timer on your phone accordingly. Then, when the buzzer rings, stop what you’re doing and get back to writing.

Record every idea

Have you ever thought of something you want to write about and then later struggled to remember what it was?

How many times have you thought of a way to start a story or a sentence you want to use, only to forget it when you were ready to write?

Ideas often come to me while I’m reading in bed, just before falling asleep. Used to, I’d try to commit the thought to memory rather than recording the idea somewhere.

Then I got tired of forgetting, come morning, whatever it was that I thought was such a great idea. So, now I enter every writing-related thought that occurs to me.

If I’m in bed or out and about, I use my phone’s Notes application to record the idea. Or, I scribble the idea into my notebook if it’s handy.

And I mean, I record every single thought. You never know what you might forget, and sometimes your simplest or silliest ideas turn out to be fantastic.

Write freeform, baby.

Sometimes writer’s block is the biggest hindrance to our writing productivity.

From turning off Netflix to recording our ideas, we can do everything right, and yet we find ourselves staring at an unwelcoming blank screen. The words just don’t come.

A trick that almost always works for me is to start writing nonsense in my journal. Usually, I’ll begin by writing about what I did the day before or what I plan to do tomorrow.

Before long, I’m writing about something that’s upsetting me or worrying me. Then, I’ll sometimes fill two or three pages in my notebook about a topic I didn’t even know was an issue for me.

Once I commit to paper whatever’s on my mind, I turn back to my computer and, like magic, can write. Somehow, permitting myself to write about anything led clears my writing practice for takeoff.

Next time you’re stuck, try journaling about whatever pops into your mind.

Tweak your way to producing more writing

Being a productive writer means something different to each of us. For example, it may be working on your novel, while to me, it could mean publishing more blog posts.

However you define writing productivity, there are six relatively easy tweaks you can make to your daily routine to be a more productive writer:

• Add at least an hour to the beginning or end of your day and use that time to write.
• Limit the time you spend streaming shows and movies.
• Read books, blog posts, and newsletters about writing.
• Use a timer to protect your writing time.
• Record every single writing-related idea that pops into your head.
• When stuck, try journaling about whatever comes to mind.

Making these adjustments may not guarantee you’ll become a bestselling novelist. But if you incorporate them into your daily routine, you will produce more writing than you ever have before.

This article originally appeared on Medium.

Kwame Anthony Appiah is intelligent and productive. You could spend a lifetime reading through the stuff he’s published, a hefty list that includes four novels.

Much of Appiah’s writing focuses on philosophical questions. His books include The Ethics of Identity and The Politics of Culture, the Politics of Identity.

Recently, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Remnick interviewed Appiah for The Paris Review. Remnick asked the Ghanian-born Appiah for insights into how he approaches writing and how he’s been so prolific over the years.

Appiah’s answers throw some light onto the art of writing. Below are some of the most helpful thoughts from Appiah for writers.

Where can we find writing ideas? How should we approach writing about a topic? 

Kwame Anthony Appiah answers these questions and more below.

Kwame Anthony Appiah on writing

“Many of the things I’ve written were in response to someone saying something and my thinking, I don’t understand that.”

“If a question interests me, and I have to learn some biology to answer it, I will learn some biology. If I have to read some more novels to answer it, I will read some more novels…You should follow questions where they take you.”

“The genealogy of concepts is one way to get a grip on them.”

“Immerse yourself in the relevant bodies of knowledge. Then try to explain on paper what you think people are saying, getting it as clear as you can for yourself. Then try to write what you think. You don’t know what you think until you try to say what you think. Look at it. See if it makes sense on the page.”

“Most of what you write just comes out of you when you put your fingers on the keyboard. It’s not a process over which you have a great deal of conscious control. The initial stimulus for an essay or a chapter is usually an episode—­real or fictional—or an argument or a claim I’ve been struck by. After so much writing, I now know what my take is on many questions, and so I’ve spent more time reading history and fiction looking for stories that make the abstract point come alive. Sometimes, though, the story is already there waiting for me in my own history.”

“I am tempted to explore times and places that I once knew well and that now seem a little strange to me.”

“Literature is produced by writers, yes, but also by communities that shape them.”

This article originally appeared on Medium.

The writer of The Novelliest shares tips and tricks for writers with newsletters

Elle Griffin recently shared with Substack some of the secrets behind her popular newsletter, The Novelleist. In the interview, Griffin dished out some potent tips and advice for writers who have newsletters.

Griffin started The Novelleist in Feb. She’s trying to grow her newsletter audience before Sep., when she’ll release a serialized version of her debut novel, Obscurity. The Novelleist is free, but Griffin will charge subscribers for access to Obscurity.

Griffin’s decision to publish her novel as a serial newsletter will be a fascinating experience to watch. If enough people decide to pay $5 a month to read Obscurity, the author may help pioneer a new form of self-publishing.

In her interview with Substack, Griffin talked about growing her newsletter email list, deciding to serialize Obscurity, and more.

How Elle Griffin handles the demands of newsletter publishing

“The only way I was able to come up with a weekly newsletter — because that’s kind of exhausting for me to write a weekly newsletter every week in addition to writing fiction chapters — so I do a newsletter every other week. And on the other weeks, I interview other authors who successfully serialized their fiction novels. So that I can learn from them.”

How Elle Griffin grows her email list

“I stalked everyone I could find on Twitter who used the combination of the word ‘fiction’ and the word ‘Substack’ in a tweet. I messaged them and invited them to a Discord server so we could learn from each other. There are hundreds of fiction writers in the community now, all talking about what has worked and not worked for each of us.”

“What was most helpful for growth was writing two articles that took me a really long time to produce. One took me all of 2020 to research. The other one took me another six months to research…(One) article had something like 60,000 views in one day, and a lot of subscribers came from that one piece of writing that really resonated.”

How She’s Charging Readers for Access to Obscurity

“I’m following the funding model you see with an online course. In these courses, you have to take the first class before the second class. There is a clear order, and people running courses often open enrollment just once a year…That’s how I’m going to approach it with my novel. September is my ‘enrollment period.’ My plan is to publish the first four chapters in September to my entire newsletter list for free. At the bottom of each of those posts, I’ll tell readers that in order to keep reading in October, they’ll need to subscribe and pay an annual fee.”

“I plan to do this same process every year. This first book will be done in June. I’ll have July and August off, and in September, I’ll start my second book.”

“I think this annual approach is easier on writers who aren’t used to asking for money because you just need to do so once a year, and then you can focus on writing.”

Takeaways from Elle Griffin

Elle Griffin delivers some creative, handy tips and tricks for writers with newsletters in a few words. Here are four critical takeaways from her interview with Substack:

• Be realistic – Griffin identified content she could regularly produce. It’s crucial not to take on more than we can handle, or else we won’t maintain the consistency required to grow a newsletter audience.
• Get creative – To attract readers to The Novelleist, Griffin leveraged other technologies, such as Twitter, in innovative ways. Being flexible and open to doing different things can produce impressive results.
• Focus on your readers – Griffin knows new subscribers will want to start reading Obscurity with its first chapter. So, she established a process for helping new subscribers begin with her book’s first chapter, no matter when they subscribe. Likewise, when publishing a newsletter, always consider your audience to ensure you’re delivering the best possible experience.
• Plan, plan, plan – Griffin already has a plan for how she’ll launch her serialized novel in Sep. She knows how to introduce new readers to the book, no matter when they subscribe. Griffin even knows when she’ll release her second serialized novel next year. Planning helps us consistently produce a high-quality newsletter that delights readers.

You can watch part of Elle Griffin’s interview, including examples of serialized fiction newsletters, at Substack.

This article originally appeared on Medium.