The real reason why you’re not writing compelling articles

3 years ago, I read an article on Medium entitled “30 Things You Should Know About Life Before You Turn 30.”

It was a 22-minute read and I can’t help but think how well written it was. The lessons are profound and I have never thought of them that way. It’s like he was doing the thinking for me.

I kept reading down the page.

The article ended with a cliffhanger,

“I don’t feel old at 30. I feel like I’m just getting started.”

Boom — that was the start of me going down the rabbit hole.

I looked up who the author was — Nicolas Cole. Then I spent many hours reading his stories on Medium. I followed him on Twitter. I read his free resources and finally, bought his course Ship30for30.

This was great because I was learning a lot from him.

At the time, I was just starting to write on Medium and have been fascinated by self-improvement posts.

But some problems can arise when you consume the same information from the same person. 

1. You try to sound like them so you don't find your voice.

2. You try to teach like them so you feel like an imposter.

3. You try to limit your learning to their way of thinking.

Let’s dive in and fix each one of them:

You try to sound like one author so you don't find your voice. 

You know when you keep hanging out with the same person then people commenting that you two are the same?

Well, that’s because of spending too much time together. 

• You start to use the terms they use.

• You start to have the same mannerisms.

• You start to even look like them or dress like them.

The same is true with writing and consuming information. 

When you’re just starting to write, it can be so overwhelming because you try to think of many factors:

• Will this be entertaining/interesting?

• Will this catch people’s attention?

• Will people learn anything from this?

And so on. 

You can write and edit your article so you can check off items from your list. But the result might not make you happy for one reason:

It doesn’t sound like you. 

And the bigger problem here is you might not even be aware of it. Your voice keeps changing from one article to another. This is because you are unconsciously trying to sound like the person you keep reading from. 

But since he’s not you, so the voice is not consistent. 

Your real voice wants to get out. But you haven’t had enough practice so your favorite author’s voice is getting in the way. 

How to fix it:

Read out loud and write like how you talk.

I know this has been said many times. But are you doing it? 

Are you willing to read your work out loud when editing, even if you feel stupid?

Are you comfortable reading your work out loud and realizing it sounds horrible?

Are you recording your voice and cringing at the sentences that don’t read like music?

Don’t ignore this advice. 

It’s one of the easiest ways to upgrade your writing. 

If it doesn't sound like you, it means you’re trying to sound like someone else. 

You try to teach like one author so you feel like an imposter. 

You will feel like an imposter, especially in the beginning.

The one big question you will always ask yourself is,

Why would people listen to me when others can say it better?

As a beginner, you don’t have a lot of ideas to write about. Your best bet is to take ideas from creators you look up to (and curate them):

1. It helps you write about what’s already working.

2. It might get you in front of their audience if they noticed you quoted or curated their work.

3. It makes it easier rather than coming up with ideas of your own. 

But the problem here is that you’ve unconsciously memorized what they teach. So you keep preaching about the lessons you didn’t learn by yourself. 

You only repeat what they say in your own words.

That’s the worst way to do it. 

Because a person who’s been writing for 10 years will always say it better than you.

So what’s the fix?

Reflect more often.

How do the lessons/teachings apply specifically to you?

Instead of writing, "How Nicolas Cole built a daily writing habit."

Write about "How Nicolas Cole built a daily writing habit (and how you’re applying it as a 9-5 worker with no writing experience).

There’s a big difference. 

Because now it’s your own. 

You take the important lessons from a big creator (that gives you credibility). Then you add your insights (that makes it more relatable and personal).

You’re not just repeating what Cole said. Your audience might also be following him, so they might as well read from him. Your audience probably already knows the information. So you’d rather not sound like a fake guru.

Anytime you feel like an imposter, check if you’re trying to teach like someone else.

Teach and write as if you’re talking to a friend. 

Have you ever felt like an imposter when talking to a friend?

You don’t. 

You don’t just tell your friend about what you read about, you tell them how this is interesting or how it will solve their problem.

You try to limit your learning to their way of thinking

Have you heard the story of a man who was isolated by his wealthy father inside his kingdom?

This man didn’t know anything about the outside world. They protected him and he lived in luxury all his life. 

One day, he went out of the palace and saw a sick man. Seeing human suffering opened his eyes to what’s happening to the outside world — completely different from his world.

This was the start of his search for enlightenment.

The man was later called Buddha.

Why am I reminding you of this story? Because this happens to most of us without us realizing it. 

Your thinking becomes limited because you haven’t exposed yourself to other ways of thinking. And if you want to be a writer, you have to be open to learning. 

I used to think there was only one path to get rich - go to College, get a job, and climb the corporate ladder. This is what my family and professors taught me. 

Then I learned that you can get wealthy by investing your money -- you have to live below your means so you can buy stocks or index funds, then wait for 10 years until you have one million. 

I haven’t exposed myself to the world of entrepreneurship because I thought “It’s not for me”, “Online marketing is a scam”. Etc.

There’s a lot you won’t know if you choose to stay in your little world. 

When it comes to writing, you follow the advice of someone you’ve been reading. You believe there’s only ONE way to do it - which is their way.

Nicolas Cole is a big advocate of being hyperspecific. He says your niche should be about doing ONE thing in ONE particular way. Only then will you find the right audience. 

For a long time, I believed him.

Then I found Dan Koe and took up his writing course. He says you need to be a generalist. Otherwise, you’ll be like a robot and replaceable.

These pieces of advice are the complete opposite. 

I didn’t know who to believe.

But I found the not-so-easy fix:

There was only one way for me to know — find out for myself.

Always question what you learn. 

Does this make sense? 

Most of the time, you’ll just be even more confused.

So just pick one path and apply it — and that’s what you write about.

You can either pick Cole or Dan’s advice and it will either work or not. So what’s the matter?

The point is you’ll have something to write about:

“I applied Cole’s advice and here’s why you shouldn’t.”

“I applied Cole’s advice and landed 3 clients.”

The problem is most people are afraid to make mistakes because they think it’s a waste of time.

It’s not.

Wrapping it up

Writing is learning.

If you want to keep writing, you have to keep learning. Expose yourself to new information. Read new stuff even if you think it’s beyond your understanding. Listen to other authors’ perspectives even if you disagree with them. 

Keeping an open mind will do wonders not just in writing but in your personal life.

Thank you for reading.

I hope you’re having a lovely weekend.

-M