The debate rages on…

Is it worthwhile to learn how to write in the face of surging AI popularity?

Artificial Intelligence has reduced writing anything from blog posts to white papers to a few clicks of a button. A few well-prepped prompts, and you’re off to the races.

Rather than slog an entire day to write a measly thousand ones, AI can spit out tens of blog posts an hour.

So, should you learn to write after the AI revolution?

Unsurprisingly, the answer is a resounding yes!

Learning to write remains a worthy pursuit for anyone looking to communicate with fellow human beings in any capacity. Whether you’re an executive, a business owner, or a freelance blogger.

AI may have lowered the entry bar and given everyone the words, but they’re only a tool. They are instrumental in sourcing and organizing ideas. Still, they can be a hit or a miss when writing compelling pieces. That’s because despite sponging off immense quantities of data, AI tools can’t quite connect the dots like humans do.

They can’t feel the gravity of a profound moment and express it like you would. They can’t bring to the table your lived experience, the granularities, the simple nuances that resonate with the readers and keep them riveted to the page.

Simply put, AI tools miss out on the granularities that make us human. And therefore, the capacity to capture them in the written word.

As such, AI may replace some writing while accelerating your capacity to write professionally.

Why Learn How to Write

Writing is hard, and for most people, a hair’s breadth is shy of a Herculean task. That’s because writing is an art. There’s more to the craft than stringing words into sentences. Or wielding your semicolons and colons with the skill of a Samurai.

The core purpose of the written word is to drive communication. To create a resonance with the readers. To draw the reader’s attention not to the words on a page but to the underlying message.

In fact, the best writing is invisible. It fades into the background while sucking in the reader with its compelling message. The best writing persuades and compels the reader to act.

A well-written page can move a reader from a curious onlooker to a fastidious consumer who buys tens of thousands of dollars of your products annually. It can persuade tons of customers to pick your products over the competition because they resonate with the message.

But what if you’re not running a business? Polishing your capacity to write professionally can skyrocket your career chances. A survey covering 120 of America’s top employers found poorly written applications a “figurative kiss of death.” One Human Resource practitioner termed them “extremely prejudicial.”

Large corporations are unlikely to hire applicants with poor writing skills because over 60% of their salaried employees have some writing responsibilities. These companies use written communications to make business decisions. The survey estimates that companies spend billions annually to correct employee writing deficiencies.

With smartphones and social media encouraging people to be more expressive, you can turn everyday escapades into a compelling read with polished writing skills.

How to Successfully Write for the Web

While learning to write professionally is an all-around important skill, writing for the web is an entirely different beast. With web content, you’re wading into an uber-competitive landscape. Google estimates there are about one billion websites on the internet — all competing for eyeballs.

As such, you must adhere to the rules of the web to stand a chance of connecting with your ideal readers. Faced with limitless choices, online readers are a picky bunch with low attention spans. You have precisely 8 seconds to grab the reader’s attention, or you’ve lost them forever.

That’s why online content — web pages, blogs, landing pages — play by different rules. The traditional magazine writing style has no place in this highly dynamic and super competitive landscape.

Besides making sure your content is factually accurate and informative, you must tailor it to cater to the needs of your audience. It’s simply not enough to lay out the facts. You must weave them into gripping stories that compel and persuade.

And that takes patience and practice. The adage goes, everything worth doing is worth doing well. Much like great novelists, great content writers aren’t born — their horn their skills the old-fashioned way — through sweat and tears. It’s the equivalent of becoming an Olympian. You join an elite group of people who can shape opinions and build empires with their written words.

But first, you must painstakingly hone your skills and perfect your craft amidst mind-numbing setbacks. For a rookie, learning to write is the equivalent of becoming a figure skating champion — you’ll endure many a fall along your journey.

But the rewards are well worth it. Once you’ve proven your writing chops, you become a renaissance man. You can apply them everywhere and profit from them for life.

Learn to Write Like a Pro

Professional writing is radically different from what they teach in school. School essays are more about showcasing your vocabulary and writing skills. In a word, school essays are all about you. Conversely, online writing is all about the reader—you’re out to solve a problem for the reader. And that takes a while to master.

You may need to unlearn your previous writing skills and internalize the new approach. That takes practice and dedication. A labor of love — you must go all in and give it your best.

Luckily, perfecting your writing skills doesn’t falls under the 10,000-hour rule purview. Your writing style will improve drastically if you consistently and diligently put in the work.

Writing is a multifaceted process. Breaking it down into components makes learning to write less daunting and more manageable.

1.    Set Yourself Up for Success with the Right Tools

Your writing environment matters a great deal. Set it up properly, and it’ll help your flow and get you into the zone.

Basically, you need a computer setup with a word processor — Google Docs, MS Word, or TextEdit. A reliable internet connection is vital because writing is a research-intensive endeavor.

Simply put, writing for the web is primarily research and then compiling your research findings into a compelling piece. Naturally, the internet is a minefield of distraction — from cat videos to social media notifications and new email popups. One wrong click can distract you for hours.

Luckily, there are a few tools to keep you from going down this rabbit hole. Specialty tools such as Ommwriter and Onetab serve as blinders when writing. They help minimize distractions and create a writing-friendly environment when accessing the internet.  

Try writing with or without music and see what works for you. Most writers like soft classical music, while others swear by heavy metal music.

Of course, turning off your phone keeps friends and loved ones from breaking your flow.

2.    Establish a Writing Routine

Research has shown building new habits takes longer than the mythical 21 days. You stand a higher chance of mastering your craft if you practice your craft every day, especially when starting out. Building a routine down to the time and amount of time you’ll practice helps ease the growing pains. Keeping your initial sessions short — sub 30 minutes — helps reduce the resistance while building consistency.

Don’t fret if you struggle. Even the greats such as Stephen King had to slay these dragons in the quest for greatness. Slogging through it will instill discipline and keep you accountable.

3.    Polish Your Writing Strategy

Yeah, you need a writing strategy. Most people think of writing as an avalanche of words flowing from your mind as your fingers struggle to keep up, far from it.

Much like writing an essay for school, it takes strategy to write for the web.

You’ll need to think about what you need to write — what issue are you addressing? Which questions are answering? What type of answers resonate with your audience?

Professional writing takes dedicated planning. Seasoned writers often skip this step but that’s because they’ve internalized the art of structuring a piece.

Attempting to skip this step as a beginner will leave you drowning in words. Your ideas may be jumbled up, and the piece may lack flow, making it unreadable. That may crush your dream of writing for the web rather quickly.

Outlines allow you to order your thoughts and logically plan your content. They let you put down your main ideas so you can later flesh them out with supportive evidence.

Creating an outline means you’re not starting from a blank page. It saves the dread that comes from staring at a blinking cursor on an empty page. It provides a starting point and ingrains structure to let you write better and faster by training your focus on the relevant topics.

4.    Write Compellingly to Make Your Content Engaging

Once you’ve crafted your outline and all your structure in place, it’s time to flesh out the piece. Use well-crafted sentences to turn the research information into a compelling read. Focus purely on getting the words on the page.

Don’t forget the cardinal rule of online writing — don’t edit yourself as you go. You’ll come around to it later.

For now, prioritize engaging your reader. But how do you do that?

Web visitors love substance. They often bookmark or share content that addresses their problem head-on, offers a solution, and recommends a product or service.

Craft your introduction to be attention-grabbing. It could be a unique angle, an anecdote, a personal story, or anything to spark a reader’s curiosity and intrigue.

These proven techniques can help you churn out helpful content that compels the reader to act.

• Walk a mile in your reader’s shoes: Put yourself in your reader’s shoes. What do you consider high-quality and helpful content when searching for a solution online? Chances are there’s an overlap between what you like and what your audience likes.
• Don’t pontificate: The ultimate goal is to persuade, not berate your readers. As such, you shouldn’t talk down to them or employ hard-selling techniques. Find out what information your audience finds valuable and present it like a friendly yet knowledgeable expert.
• Learn to write killer intro: With online writing, your intro does most of the heavy lifting. Research shows have 8 seconds to convince the reader or lose them. Lead each piece with an arresting hook that’ll stop them in their tracks and compel them to keep reading.
• Get personal: Consider every piece a conversation with a dear friend. Use jokes, personal experiences, or anecdotes to reinforce your points. Make sure the readers feel like you’re sharing a part of your life with them.
• Be detailed: Make your content stand out by backing each claim you make. That allows your content to stand out in a space riddled with shallow, fluffy content. Supporting your claims with irrefutable claims paints you as a subject-matter expert, a key requirement in building trust with your readers.

5.    Have a Second Go at Your Work

After pouring your heart and soul into the piece, now comes the hard part — editing.

Aka, slaughter your darlings.

Editing is especially challenging because it requires you to mercilessly mow down the words you’ve laboriously created. But it makes the difference between okay writing and exceptional pieces.

In writing circles, the first draft is popularly known as the ugly duckling. You must edit it until it morphs into a graceful swan. That takes several editing cycles.

Ideally, you should leave your “ugly first draft” to breathe, preferably overnight.

Since editing is a complex process its best to break it down into smaller steps. Sequentially editing for facts, clarity, flow, style, grammar, and typos makes the process more manageable.

Reading the piece out loud lets you catch any details that may escape your eye, such as awkward phrases and sentences.

The editing process also lets you optimize the piece for online visibility. Provide links to your original sources for specific statistics, sprinkle the keywords naturally, and link to other pages on the client’s website.

6.    Keep Refining Your Skills

Ernest Hemmingway said it best… “We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”

Writing is like a game with limitless levels — there’s always one more to conquer. You must consistently hone and develop your writing skills.

Learning to write mirrors the quest for a six-pack abs. It’s not a once-and-done affair. After shredding the fat and defining the packs, you can’t stop because all the hard work will fade and get covered up.

Journaling and blogging let you painlessly hone your skills and keep your writing chops sharp and on point.

7.    Embrace Lifelong Learning

Great writers are ferocious readers.

That’s because reading provides fodder for your brain. And is the basis for creativity. Contrary to popular opinion, creativity isn’t an innate talent. Rather, it’s the ability to connect disparate ideas compellingly. Therefore, the more you read, the more ideas and concepts you will have in your creativity toolkit.

Reading great writers, blogs, and magazines also exposes you to a variety of writing styles. It’s a chance to study accomplished writers and understand how they express their ideas and captivate their audiences.

Stand a Cut Above the Rest

Learning to write can be challenging, but the results are well worth it. In the world of online marketing, well-crafted content amounts to a license to print money. Polishing your craft into an art form lets you build a cult-like following for your brand and keeps your cash register ringing.

 If you need help along the way, our professional writers are here to help. Talk to us about your content needs — we’d love to help.

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