7 Steps To Write Anything Online Effortlessly For Complete Beginners

On Life and Business
With Jake Erickson
March, 19, 2023
Read the online version here.

This will be my best written article yet.

This past month I’ve learned so much.

And all I want to do is share.

But before we get into the details—I’d like to reintroduce my previous subscribers the purpose of this newsletter (and what I’m really doing).

The reason for this newsletter is to answer the BIG QUESTION:

"How do creators and entrepreneurs like us, who are out there aiming to make a name for themselves, who are aiming to create time freedom in their life, how do we apply life and business strategy in a way that gets our products/services and the ideas WE believe in – out to the world?"

THAT is the question and THIS newsletter will give you the answers.

My name is Jake Erickson and welcome to On Life and Business.

Enjoy the read.

As a beginner writer, the biggest struggle is the blank page.

Every day I’d sit down to write—there was this mental barrier I felt I had to overcome.

I knew what type of idea to write about but didn’t know how to convey it to my reader.

So I assumed I’d figure it out as I go (wrong plan).

But as I started writing and researching—I’d trail off my original idea. This frustrated me because I spent so much time writing I had to go back and rewrite to stay on topic.

Now every time I write, I want to avoid repeating this mistake.

In The War of Art, Steven Pressfield calls this resistance.

This enemy sabotages our dreams and is the source of our fears, doubts, excuses, and poor habits.

So the creative process is difficult.

Writing isn’t easy.

But it’s worth getting good at if your goal isn’t to be answering somebody else for the rest of your life.

So I set out to study some of the best educational writing platforms such as Ship 30 for 30 and Writing To Riches.

And I discovered that having the right system will make writing online effortless.

By the time you finish this newsletter, I promise these things:

• Writing will feel effortless

• You’ll write with more clarity

• Writing will be more enjoyable

• You’ll have a clean process for writing

• Your writing speed and precision will increase

And more.

Let’s get started.

Choose the Idea.

First, find a validated content idea.

Ask yourself:

• What are the problems I have solved in the past?

• Are there topics I have in my notebooks that I can start organizing?

• Can I expand on a big idea someone has already discussed with me?

• What am I consuming right now, or would I want to consume in the next week?

• What are the current problems I am facing right now that I would like to learn about in the next week?

Then brain dump a list of ideas you’re interested in.

My go-to is to pick the current problems I am facing—then write about them. So I wouldn’t get too wrapped up in this stage. If you write about your self-improvement journey, you’ll always have readers.

If you need help with creating ideas, check out this article.

Once you pick an idea, proceed to step one.

Step 1: Complete a Writing Warm Up

When it comes to writing, it’s easy to get lost in the weeds.

Most people write linearly.

That means they choose an idea and start writing without clear direction.

Nicolas Cole made an excellent point. He compared writing to a maze. Every single word is a step forward in the maze. Then, when the writer believes they are going the wrong way, they step back and rewrite the sentence. This is what makes the creative process so long.

Instead of walking in a maze, you should draw the maze on paper and solve it from above.

You do this by creating an outline.

To create one, you must first get clear on the idea you’re writing about.

William Zinsser, the author of On Writing Well, says writers must constantly ask: what am I trying to say?

Solve this by making it standard practice to answer a set of questions before any writing.

Here is my list of questions I answer before writing anything (medium/long-form):

• What problem am I solving?

• Whose problem am I solving?

• What are the benefits of solving that problem?

• What’s my credibility?

• What promise am I making to the reader?

• What emotion am I generating?

• What’s the next action my reader should take?

I can’t stress the importance and how much this has helped me write.

Once you have this done, proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Draft First Title

The title is your map from point A to B.

You do not do the title last. It is a sketch from where we’re starting to where we’re going. Use the simple framework:

How To [Outcome] Without The [Pain/Obstacle]

For example:

• How To Find a Significant Other Without Using Dating Apps

• How To Build a Six-Figure Business Without Burning Out

• How To Get Fit Without a Gym Membership

The writing warmup will help you understand the outcome. Then, digging deeper into the pain/obstacle can draw more readers in. People don’t care about what you know—until they know how much you care AND what you can do for them.

Some writers call this the “North Star.”

Step 3: Bullet-Point Brain Dump

The next step of the writing process is to brain dump every idea on your North Star (the big idea).

Books aren’t books—they’re 12 blog posts (big ideas).

One blog post is one chapter.

One chapter is 3-5 short form social media posts.

Empty out your mind and write down all the ideas you need to hit in your piece. This is the most critical step. Bullet points can make ideas more readable; don’t worry about grammar or structure.

Imagine writing a tweet or a thread—concise and lean, expand later.

Take your time with outlining. It is 90% of writing your first draft. Go for a walk with your favorite capture tool. Set a constraint and put out as many ideas as you can. Then organize them.

What I like to do is have one title (the BIG idea), 3-10 ideas (headings), and around 3-5 sub-ideas I want to write about within my ideas.

Your job isn’t to write yet.

Your JOB is to come up with the BEST ideas to summarize to the reader.

Step 4: Sharpen the Headline + Review Ideas

8 out of 10 people read a headline.

2 out of 10 people click through.

So we want to spend as much time on it as possible.

This is where we need to get this right. If you still want to get started writing you can but know that we need to get it right. Traffic to your post depends on the headline.

Some practical advice on headlines are:

• The sweet spot for headline word count is 12 words (or 70 characters).

• Have 10-15% emotional words.

• Include 1 power word.

• Have a headline with a reading grade level below 10th grade

• Include a positive sentiment

Use HeadlineStudio to help you get started or self-educate.

Challenge yourself to make it better.

Review Your Ideas

Now go back and review all the ideas you brain dumped.

Make sure each idea aligns with the BIG idea (your headline).

The headline makes a promise to your audience that they will get a certain outcome they were seeking. You want to deliver the goods. If you don’t you will lose credibility and perhaps your reputation.

Step 5: Prep the Page (Create the Frame)

Once you select the headline, it’s time to prep the page.

Now:

1. Open up a blank document of your preferred writing tool.

2. Place your headline at the top.

3. Place your subheads underneath.

Then write the following questions in your introduction:

• What is this about?

• Who is this for?

• What are you promising me by the time I finish reading this?

• What’s your credibility?

You will answer these questions because the reader wants to know what’s in it for them.

Lucky for you, you completed the writing warmup and have this done.

You’ve outlined your main points.

Your main points align with your North Star.

You NOW have a solid first draft.

Proceed to the next step.

Step 6: Color In the Lines

Now it’s you and your ideas.

And all you have to do is connect them rather than come up with more.

Start the introduction or body first (whatever works best for you). Then proceed to write a swift first draft. Imagine you don’t have a backspace button. You don’t need to perfect it—as long as you flesh out the details for each section, you’re doing well.

Now you have everything out on the page.

Step 7: Marinate And Publish

Great writers have deadlines.

Because when your “final draft” is done—you believe it to be a masterpiece.

But to be a good writer, you need to be objective.

So wait 24 hours before publishing the “final draft.”

That way, you’re not biased in your writing.

We call this letting the words marinate.

Then review your work with some editing platform. Some tools I use are:

• My Phone - To reread on the mobile version (I usually find some quirks)

• Grammarly - To correct grammar and check for plagiarism

• Hemingway - To strip sentences to cleaner components

After putting it through the software, I run it through my editing checklist.

Some items on my checklist include the following:

• Have you added links?

• Have you added visuals?

• Are you avoiding big walls of text?

• Have you added one shocking statistic?

• Did you deliver what was promised in the headline?

• Did you stick to the main topic and review the rate of revelation?

That’s it. Congratulations on completing the final draft!

Now you have a system you can use to make a huge difference in your writing.

Test it out, experiment, make it your own.

Enjoy the rest of your day!

-Jake

Thanks for reading! 🙂

When you’re ready, there are 3 FREE ways I can help you:

1. Hop on a FREE call with me: I’ll help you gain traction, build a routine, and get your practice started at NO CHARGE. I’m strictly doing this to help (for now). You just need to fill out a form here.

2. Follow me on Twitter where I document my journey on breaking down complex ideas into a digestible format related to mindset, marketing, and online business.

3. Visit On Life and Business on my website: Here I distill EVERYTHING I learn for creators and entrepreneurs who want to apply business practice in a way that gets their products and services and the things they BELIEVE IN — out to the world. You can access everything FREE on my website here!

See you again next week!