Photo courtesy of Vibragiel

Chief Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Jonathan Mead of Illuminated Mind, a rising star in the blogging world.
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In the endless sea of textbooks, essays and lectures, there are obviously more than enough pages about how to better your writing. Be concrete. Focus on the core message. Evoke emotion. Entertain, surprise, tell a story, omit needless words. Simplify, simplify, simplify.

Despite all this useful advice, many aspiring writers fail to heed the most important rule of all: trust your material.

There seems to be a trend where uninteresting ideas try to covertly pass as interesting. A lot of this writing ends up have a cheesy, gimmicky feel. It’s like raving about the amazing quality of high end office supplies. While they have the best intentions, it just sounds cheap.

I’ll be honest, trusting your material is easier said than done. How do you know when your material is amazing, merely mediocre, or, worse, absolute drivel? Read more »