How to Write: Quality V. Quantity

Writing, unlike most job descriptions, is something that "cannot be taught" in a sense. There is always this notion of either you got what it takes, or you don't.

Not to say that writing can't be improved upon and developed, of course it can! I found most of my writing development happened in college due to them challenging me. As a writer one of the toughest things to write about are the topics that bore you to death. Just like that 3000 word paper on 17th century literature that is due in an hour.

Writing is crazy in the sense that it can be tedious. There are days (if you love the craft) that you can write two, three articles in an hour without any issues. There are others where you will spend a whole day trying to write an introduction paragraph.

I do believe writing is a skill that most people should have some sort of natural ability doing. It isn't something that is just taught and understood.

Think of it like this, baking a cake. When starting out, you put the flour and sugar and whatever else into that one bowl. You pick up a whisk and start to work at the ingredients, making sure there are no clumps and everything is going smoothly. As you are doing this, your pace starts to slow. You are mixing with more effort as the cake batter becomes tough, wearing out your arm from the constant turning motion.

This is what writing is, a constant build up of materials to toughen up your skill.

Writing sells because of this very reason. It is a skill that is easy to do, but hard to make a quality living out of.

There is nothing more difficult than writing an article you don't feel like completing. That's what makes the completion of it launch your skill into the next level.

Getting paid to write is a whole other ball game, there is the notion that quality rules over quantity. But quantity is what keeps your name fresh in the readers' minds. The tug and pull between the two is a challenging thing to master, but one that must be done.

Quality writing is what creates a name for yourself in the journalism and freelance world. Whether you are young or old, how you write is what determines whether you are "up to par" for specific tasks. Anyone can write a trash article, and everyone has at one point or another.

Quantity is the output of multiple, low quality articles just to keep yourself fresh in peoples minds. Starting out, this is what blogging was about to me. How much could I put out in a week that would allow me to practice my skill in a low stress setting? Now that it has become a big part of my livelihood, what goes into my writing has played a big part in what I put out.

Every writer's goal is gain a loyal fan base. One where they would buy your book, read your content, and search for you in magazines no matter the topic. This loyalty is what carries most writers into the next level.

In order to be a success in the writing field, a person needs to put out quality content in consistent amounts. One post every month won't do, but a few posts every week would do the trick. Just remember, every writer has a breaking point when it comes the their work load. Don't put too much strain on yourself in order to keep up with everyone else.

That is the beauty of freelance, after all!