My Favorite Writing Tips of the Year

15 reminders that never get old

When I write about writing, I become a better writer. The exercise of explaining nonfiction writing techniques and best practices reminds me of the things I need to work on in my own writing, the bad habits that creep in, and the tips and tricks that can help any of us get through a tough article or a challenging dry spell, the foundational elements of credible, successful writing over the long haul.

That in mind, I went back through all my Writer’s Guide posts from 2024 and pulled out several of the most helpful bits of advice that I think many of us need to be reminded of continually, as well as some purely motivational passages.

Image: Pexels/Eric Anada

Each tidbit links to the story it came from (some are behind the paywall, but my goal is to give you a bevy of useful suggestions right here in this post). Of course, if you want to peruse some of the archived posts, plus receive the helpful paid posts I have planned for 2025 (and a free copy of my PDF booklet, 50 Practical Writing Tips), I won’t complain if you upgrade. I put a ton of thought and effort into this labor of love, and every paid subscription keeps me motivated and helps me coach and mentor you and hundreds of other nonfiction writers.

Here’s what I dug up…

We writers all have dry spells, periods of low output, low energy, low motivation. Some days we simply can’t summon words. Other days we’re raring to go but a certain story vexes us. That’s all normal. But writer’s block is not the cause, and it’s never the condition you find yourself in, no more than musicians get musician’s block or plumbers get plumber’s block.
—From The Illusion of Writer’s Block

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Writing is 70% creativity, 80% hard work, and 90% methodology. That new math explains why we get lured away from the best practices, the stuff we may know very well. We get too caught up in the creativity or the hard work, and the important methodology takes a back seat. Methodology should at least be a respected back-seat driver, if not up front steering the whole shebang.
—From Writing is 70% Creativity, 80% Hard work, and 90% Methodology

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I don’t waste much time pursuing obvious story angles, things written about a gazillion times. When I do chase an obvious or common story idea, I look for a fresh spin, some overlooked angle or aspect that begs to be the focus or at least an entry point. A detail that can be cultivated.
—From 6 Specific Ways I Find Story Seeds

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As part of the scoping and brainstorming and planning process, give your story a likely time-investment limit. Estimate this as soon as you have a rough handle on what you hope to write, but well before you start writing — ideally before you do too much heavy lifting on the research.
—From How Much Time Should You Spend Writing a Story?

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When it comes to overuse of cliches and other ineffective writing devices, we’re all guilty. You probably know several of these devices, and if you use them, you’re not alone. Whether you understand what I’m talking about or not, let me tell you what this post is about. In case you haven’t figured it out by now, the above paragraph is one of the worst I’ve ever written.
—From Overused Writing Devices to Avoid Like the Plague

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What inspires you? What triggers your desire to write? Gets your mind wandering creatively? Gets your fingers going? Is it nature? Is it solitude? Is it a coffee shop? Is it your favorite spot at home or anywhere but home? Is it maybe yoga? Sex? Reading? Meditation? Try and figure it out.
—From What Inspires You?

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Be specific. Avoid generalizing. And help readers visualize what you mean. Oh, and use your nouns.
—From Show Me, Don’t Tell Me

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Verbs don’t have to be so fancy or overly emphatic to lend power and substance to a sentence. Very mundane verbs pack plenty of punch. Paired with the right nouns, the perfect subjects and objects, verbs can tell an entire story, no adjectives needed.
—From The Unparalleled Power of Verbs

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When you use a word or term that a 12-year-old doesn’t know, odds are good you coulda found a better word or descriptive phrase that woulda done the job just fine. Now I’m not suggesting you have to dumb things down. Sure, you will sometimes, maybe often, need to introduce words or terms that might be unfamiliar to a lot of 12-year-olds. No problem. Just define it!
—From Why I Write for 12-Year-Olds

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As a writer, you need to have your skeptic’s hat on at all times. If you wish to be a successful writer of factual nonfiction, skepticism is your most important skill. There are many other important skills, of course, from curiosity to good grammar, but none are more foundationally important than skepticism.
—From Skepticism: The Writer’s Most Important Skill

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Some of my best story ideas emerge unexpectedly when I’m lifting weights, running, hiking, or doing nothing, and those ideas are often about lifting weights, running, hiking, or doing nothing. You can find ideas without doing, but your canvas will be small and your idea palette limited.
—From Where Do Great Story Ideas Come From?

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I have a helpful screening tool to apply to your next draft. It’s one I’ve taught writers since the 1990s, one that works just as well today, and one I try to remember to employ with each of my own stories. Ask yourself if you can embody at least one of these three things:

• Be First (hard!)

• Be Best (hard!)

• Sideways (easier!)

—From How to Make Your Article Stand Out

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Indefinite, hazy qualifiers like “many” or “most” or “huge” or “tiny” or “fast” — there are many more of these (see what I did there?) — often miss an opportunity for more specific words, numbers or comparisons that are more informative and engaging, and which make you, the writer, look smarter.
—From Improve Your Writing with These 3 ‘Specific’ Tips

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What’s this big writer’s sin? Asking readers a question. Especially in the lede. Yet this is such a common ploy. Here are some examples I’ve seen lately (they’ve all been excised during editing, btw):

• Do you have…?

• Have you ever wondered…?

• How come…?

• Why do…?

—From Don’t Ask Questions in Your Stories

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Unless you have a trick up your sleeve that warrants a slow roll, always come out of the gate with strong, meaningful, purposeful words—especially important nouns and powerful verbs that combine to actually say something about the story. Because you only have a few seconds to secure the reader’s attention and ensure that they’ll keep reading. Readers love to skip out at the first twinge of boredom, the first indication that a writer uses too many words. Don’t give them the opportunity.
—From The Most Important Words in Your Story

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A final word: The number of subscribers to the Writer’s Guide tripled in 2024. I am thrilled to give back to the writing community, and grateful to all of you for your support. In the interest of sustainable writing, this will be the last post for the year. I’m going to take a nice break, so I can come back strong in January, offering more advice on how to craft effective nonfiction writing to serve readers and build your audience.

Cheers,
Rob