How I Write: 20 Lessons That Helped Me Become a Better Writer
Practical habits and mindset shifts that helped me stop talking about writing and start doing it.
Writing advice often sounds impressive but rarely helps people finish anything.
What improved my writing wasn’t a secret technique or complicated system; it was a handful of simple habits, a lot of repetition, and a growing appreciation for clarity over cleverness.
These lessons come from writing thousands of pages, finishing books, publishing work, and slowly learning what actually helps.
1. Being a bad writer beats being a perfect one who never writes
Progress comes from producing work, not protecting an imaginary standard.
2. Aim for good work, not flawless work
Perfectionism stops more writers than lack of talent.
3. Write many imperfect pieces before trying to perfect one
Skill comes from repetition, not endless polishing.
4. Early drafts are rough by nature
Draft quickly and accept the mess. Refinement comes later.
5. If you’re stuck, force a start
Momentum usually appears after the first few sentences.
6. When stuck, start with the word “this”
It’s a simple trick that nudges the brain into forming a thought.
7. Slow typing still counts
Speed matters far less than persistence.
8. Write often, and when you stop, start again without fuss
Consistency builds skill faster than bursts of motivation.
9. Many people wait for the right mood or setup before writing
Most of the time, that’s just another form of avoidance.
10. Write ideas down before they disappear
Ideas fade quickly if they aren’t captured.
11. Keep something nearby to capture ideas quickly
Thoughts rarely arrive when it’s convenient.
12. Freewriting helps you loosen up and learn by doing
It removes pressure, generates momentum, and surfaces ideas.
13. Use plain words people recognise
Clarity beats sophistication.
14. Short, direct sentences are easier to read
Readers process them faster and retain more of what you’re saying.
15. Use precise words and no more than you need
Strong writing removes unnecessary language.
16. Cut sentences back to what they actually need to say
Most sentences can lose a few words and become stronger.
17. Writing that tries to sound clever usually pushes readers away
Readers connect with clarity, honesty, and useful ideas.
18. Read your work aloud
You’ll hear problems that your eyes skip over.
19. Specific details make writing engaging
Concrete examples and vivid details keep readers interested.
20. Make it worth the reader’s time
Give readers something useful, meaningful, memorable, or true.
None of these lessons are complicated. Most of them are easy to understand and easy to ignore.
Writing well is rarely about discovering a secret technique. More often, it’s about showing up, paying attention, and practicing the fundamentals long enough for them to become second nature.
Ricky Browne – Aussie Author & Creator
Writing is simply the tool I use to move those ideas from my head into the open. Done honestly, it also exposes what I do and don’t actually understand, to me as much as to the reader.
Background: How I Started Writing Books
At school I had some raw ability, but my spelling and grammar were atrocious. They are still not perfect, though writing more than twenty-five books has forced real improvement.Early on, I could not bring myself to write an article or an essay, let alone a book. The idea felt impossible and overwhelming, even though I knew I had plenty of raw material in my head.
So I talked a lot about writing and did very little of it.
What finally got me started was making funny memes for Facebook. I produced enough of them to realise that if I doubled my output, I could assemble them into a book. That became my first.
Clearing that psychological hurdle mattered more than the quality of the work. I then wrote seven more books in the same way.
They were humorous at first, then I wrote a more serious book built around principles for life.
Even then, essays and articles still felt out of reach. I could only manage short fragments, either insights I had gleaned or pieces of humour.
Journalling changed that. I began stringing sentences together and did so consistently for two years. Those entries eventually became a book. Somewhere along the way, the block lifted. I started writing articles and essays, along with poetry and other short forms.
I still have not written a textbook or a conventional novel with a tightly sequenced narrative. My journal writing, however, developed a natural arc through the personal growth that occurred during that period.
Most of my books are built the same way. I write many small pieces first, then construct the narrative afterwards by categorising them or arranging them along a timeline. It is not clever, but it works.
These principles were taken from Ricky’s book Chip Away, released in 2025.
So I talked a lot about writing and did very little of it.
What finally got me started was making funny memes for Facebook. I produced enough of them to realise that if I doubled my output, I could assemble them into a book. That became my first.
Clearing that psychological hurdle mattered more than the quality of the work. I then wrote seven more books in the same way.
They were humorous at first, then I wrote a more serious book built around principles for life.
Even then, essays and articles still felt out of reach. I could only manage short fragments, either insights I had gleaned or pieces of humour.
Journalling changed that. I began stringing sentences together and did so consistently for two years. Those entries eventually became a book. Somewhere along the way, the block lifted. I started writing articles and essays, along with poetry and other short forms.
I still have not written a textbook or a conventional novel with a tightly sequenced narrative. My journal writing, however, developed a natural arc through the personal growth that occurred during that period.
Most of my books are built the same way. I write many small pieces first, then construct the narrative afterwards by categorising them or arranging them along a timeline. It is not clever, but it works.
These principles were taken from Ricky’s book Chip Away, released in 2025.