Recurring themes of winning at writing

4 success habits you can build and leverage on today

In my previous post, I wrote about winning the writing game, like an athlete, you got to play it long and hard.

I’m a newcomer to the writing scene, being 2 months here on Substack.

But as I slowly build my publication and business, I’ve built up a foundation.

Every activity I did here is a small brick towards what will turn out to be a massive structure in my vision.

My experience can help you leverage on your own success habits to win the writing game.

Before we get to the meat, let me share a small story.

I’ve burned thousands of dollars on useless and unsuitable courses and programs.

What I have under my belt:

• Best $20K invested in myself (returns are still compounding)

• Worst $20K spent on wrong decisions (sunk cost)

Did the failures scare me off?

If you’ve been following me for a while, and know Dare To Fail, you’d know the answer.

This year, I spent another $1500 on courses and coaching.

The outcome is still unknown, but I’m confident it’s going to be the best decision again.

This gave me a new realization.

You can leverage on your 4 success habits to win at writing

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• If you feel writing is like an endless, uphill battle every day

• If you are facing blank pages, self-doubt, and the pressure to create

• If you are stuck even though you’ve writing for months

You scroll your feed, you see writers who seem to have it all figured out.

You see them:

• churn out great content daily

• engage with their audience effortlessly

• showing growth impressively

You wonder, what’s their secret?

You know it’s not luck.

You know it’s not talent alone.

Build up your four core success habits and turn the writing tide in your favor.

The writing journey could be overwhelming.

We face many struggles and challenges along the way.

Things like a unique voice, fresh ideas, improving on writing are questions that are constantly on the top of our minds.

However, you can leverage on your own qualities to win the writing game.

Build and leverage on your 4 success habits

Success habit 1 - Consistency

You may find yourself thinking:

• "I can’t keep up this pace."

• "I’m not sure how to build on what I’ve done."

• "I don’t know how to stand out in a crowded space."

• "I’m stuck in a rut and can’t seem to get better."

These problems aren’t just about writing.

They can be boiled down to 2 main problems:

1. No clear strategy for long-term success

2. No routine for building habit that matters.

When I start writing, I have no strategy and no routine either.

There’s only 1 thing driving me.

I’m going to write every day.

It could be:

• a post of 600 words (that’s how long my first post was)

• 5 short comments on somebody’s work (5-10 words each)

• a short note about anything that inspires me (10 - 300 words, go figure)

Just write.

2 months later, a routine formed and a strategy begins to take shape.

That’s the start of how you can get consistent.

Don’t treat writing like a chore.

It’s your most powerful tool for building momentum.

The bedrock of any successful writing business.

Writing every day creates a habit, a muscle memory, that becomes easier to maintain over time.

Writers like Haruki Murakami and Ray Bradbury credit their success to daily writing habits.

Make writing a non-negotiable part of your daily routine, you’ll find:

• ideas flow more freely

• your craft improves sharply

• consistency builds up steadily

Success habit 2 - Innovation

Keep your work fresh and engaging with new ideas every day.

The surprising thing about innovation is:

• you can create something out of nothing (mobile phones were not a “thing” before the 1940s)

• you can create something more out of that little (think from mobile phones to smartphones)

You can develop and build your innovation habit.

Here’s my top 3 ways:

• Notes from other people (the unlimited resource vault)

• People’s comments, musings, sharings (if any sparks with you, get them)

• Leverage on neuroplasticity by learning new things (helps your brain to make new connections and change through growth and reorganization)

• Additional tip:

My own notes (Occasionally I get ideas and I write them, like this one)

These ideas may help you, but to a certain extent.

Innovation is coming up with your own ideas.

Keep experimenting, and you’ll find out soon enough what works.

Success habit 3 - Get better

Get 1%? 0.2%? 3% better?

Doesn’t matter.

The key message is to get better.

Writers have 3 concerns:

1. Is my writing good enough?

2. Do my words speak to my audience?

3. How can I gain more eyeballs on my work?

Writing is a skill as well as an art.

Words can kill and they can heal - that’s skill.

How you structure and present them - that’s art.

Learn how to get better at both skill and art.

When you’re writing, you’re also speaking to your readers.

Think of how your words are going to impact them.

Think of your readers’ reactions, what’s going through their minds.

The more you can connect to them through your words, the better your work becomes.

Lastly, outreach and exposure is very important for your growth.

Writers need to be seen as well as heard.

The Substack community is great for that.

When you post notes, you increase the potential of your work being seen by new people.

So, write notes.

Write great notes.

Write awesome notes.

Get in the habit of continuous improvement.

And you’’ll build success habit 4 at the same time.

Success habit 4 - Stacking

This is the most important habit.

Think of stacking as having the compounding effect.

You placed money in the bank and let it compound interest automatically.

The longer yoy give it, the more returns you get.

Stacking is doing less but achieving more.

You can build on your existing efforts:

1. Content stacking

Every piece of content you published is your Lego block:

• big heavy ones for your foundation

• small light ones for doors and windows

• bright & pretty ones for decorations and a wow effect

Every new piece is an add-on to your writing structure.

2. Style stacking

Dare to experiment with different styles to find your voice.

Dare to change the look and feel of your site to find one that conveys your message.

Dare to try all sorts of activities here in Substack to find one that works well for you.

Once you get them, stack your style.

1. Make your voice distinct and unique

2. Make your message strong and clear

3. Make your activities count in building up your business

3. Skill stacking

When you consistently add layers to your writing, you create depth and richness that resonate with readers.

Power up your writing with your knowledge, experience, expertise.

Your unique perspectives, your core values, your beliefs, your attitude.

Stack them into your writing.

That adds to the value of your work.

Over time, this stacking leads to a massive body of work that stands out.

That’s when you create lasting impact.

How you can stack the various parts of your publication

• Posts

I’m stacking my current post on the basis of the previous one.

Also stacking based on comments and feedback from readers.

• Notes

Are your notes not getting attention?

Here’s what you can do:

1. Write more (Obvious isn’t it? The more you write, the higher the chance of getting known)

2. Pair it with amazing graphics or videos. (Way easier to capture people’s attention.)

3. Restack old notes (Dare to market yourself over and over, 2k likes do not happen overnight)

And if the above fails (they shouldn’t), give me a DM, it’ll be a chance for me to experiment new strategies.

• DMs

I’ve had many happy and meaningful conversations with many people.

The amount of value in those chats are staggering.

They provide:

• new ideas (stack that to the success habit of innovation)

• honest feedback (always useful and I start to implement them straightaway)

• opportunities to collaborate

Think of your stacking potentials

These are a series of strategic approaches to exponential growth over time.

Understanding and implementing these success habits can transform your writing from struggle to growth and achievement.

Start implementing them and see the changes they made to your writing.

Thanks for reading.

P.s

Ultimate stacking hack: invest in yourself.

It’’s the best decision you could ever made.

Anything that strengthens your values and improve your life is worth it.

Start by subscribing.

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