Working out the greatest posts ever published on this blog wasn’t easy.
In fact, it was a monumental task.
So why do it at all?
Well, this year Write to Done is celebrating a milestone.
Back in 2009, Mary Jaksch became Editor-in-Chief.
Ten years on, and she’s helped make Write to Done one of the biggest and most respected writing blogs on the net.
Over that time dozens of writers have had their first break here, many of them later becoming bestselling authors and bloggers.
So, after much coffee drinking, soul searching and balanced discussion (okay, arguing), we finally arrived at a definitive list of the top 20 greatest posts ever published on Write to Done.
Of course this list is personal, not definitive. It leans towards the inspirational and motivational more than the practical.
There’s a good reason for that. Here at Write to Done we believe staying the course is more than half the battle. Too many good and great writers are lost to private doubt and public criticism.
So read these articles and find what you need to stay the course and get your message out to the world.
Enjoy.
P.S. These posts are not in order. If your favourite posts didn’t make it into the list, you can vote for it in the comments.
1. How to Strengthen Your Writing With Strong Opinions
Chris Guillebeau
Chris is an amazing guy. He’s not only written several best-selling books, but he also hosts the World Domination Summit. In this post he helps writers overcome their fear of having a strong opinion and putting it out there.
2. How to Recover from Criticism (And Eliminate it!)
Bryan Hutchinson
Bryan is a successful author and founder of the award-winning blog, Positive Writer. In this powerful post he tells it as it is: “There is no critic in the world harder on you than yourself.”
3. Warning! Are You Sabotaging Your Success as an Author?
C. S. Lakin
With thirty fiction and nonfiction books under her belt. C. S. Lakin really knows what it takes to be successful as an author. As she says “writers face a daunting challenge”. But knowledge is power, and here she gives you the knowledge you need to ace that challenge.
4. How to Succeed in Writing When You’re Not an Expert in Anything
Carol Tice
Carol has successfully made a living writing for many years. In her blog and writing den she helps other freelance writers do the same. Read this post and you’ll soon be on your way to joining them.
5. Suicide, Writer’s Block, and Doing the Best You Can
Mary Jaksch
Mary has been Editor-in-Chief here at Wrote to Done for ten years and has written so many great posts, we had to send her out of the room to choose one. This was the result, a post that confronts writer’s block, and so much more.
6. The Importance of Knowing Why You Write
Barrie Davenport
Barris is one of the best-known bloggers and authors in the world of personal development. read this post in her words, “If you would like to harness a deeper sense of purpose and fulfillment around your writing work.”
7. 7 Barriers to Writing You Can Leap Over Today
Bryan Collins
Bryan’s blog is read by thousands of writers every day. It wasn’t always like that, making him perfectly placed to help you overcome the many challenges a writer faces.
8. The Ultimate 10 Step Guide to Plan and Write Your Book
Ali Luke
Ali has been a successful freelance writer and blogger for as many years as i can remember. She knows motivation isn’t enough on its own, you also need knowledge to get the job done. The trouble is a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. In this EPIC post, Ali makes sure you have ALL the knowledge you need to get motivated, plan and write your book.
9. 50 Ways to Woo Readers to Your Blog (And Make Them Stay)
Courtney Carver
Courtney is one of the best-known bloggers in the field of simplicity. She has built up her blog over time to be the go to resource for everything from capsule wardrobes to personal development. If you’re struggling to engage or attract readers, this post is a gem.
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10. 3 Famous Authors Who Turned Adversity Into Triumph
Dave Chesson
There are few people blogging today who know as much about succeeding as an author on Amazon’s kindle platform. Here Dave shows us that technologies might change, but great writers have always met adversity head on – and triumphed.
11. Forget About Length, and Focus on Value
Danny Iny
Danny is a legend in marketing circles, putting the passion and integrity back into a much maligned craft. This post shows exemplifies his philosophy for success as a blogger.
12. 12 Tips to Make Your Marketing Copy Sell
Dean Rieck
Let’s not beat about the bush here, Dean is a legend in copywriting circles. There is simply no one better qualified to show you how to make your marketing copy sell.
13. 3 Habits That Separate Good Writers From Tragic Wannabes
Glen Long
Among other achievements, Glen is one of the best editors out there. While Managing Editor at Smart Blogger, he analyzed thousands of posts to find out what really separates the good from the bad.
14.Author Marketing Hell: 3 Ways to Avoid Burning Out
Nick Stephenson
Nick is a best-selling fiction author who regularly hits the top spots in his genre on Amazon. He’s done it not only through great writing but also great marketing – and all without burning out.
15. Three Words You Should Eliminate from Your Writing
James Chartrand
Sometimes a few simple changes can make a huge difference to your writing. In this post James, who runs the well-known blog Men With Pens, show you how eliminating just three small words form your writing can have a major impact.
16. Here’s How You Really Make a Living as a Writer
Jeff Goins
Jeff is on a mission to prove that real artists don’t need to live in a garret and starve. There’s a market out there for creatives, you just need to be savvy enough to know how to reach it. As he says “I noticed that successful creative people do a number of things unsuccessful people don’t do.”
17. Know Thyself. 7 Truths About Writers
Joanna Penn
Joanna is an award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author writing fiction and non-fiction. She’s also a successful blogger who knows you can’t afford to fool yourself if you want to earn your living as a writer.
18. How To Find The Courage To Become An Unstoppable Writer
Laura Tong
I wrote this post to myself while struggling to find the motivation to bring my stalled book idea back to life. It seemed to strike a chord in many Write to Done Readers who had begun writing full of excitement only to grind to a halt.
19. 31 Ways to Find Inspiration for Your Writing
Leo Babauta
Leo runs one of the most successful blogs in his space, Zen Habits. He also originally founded Write to Done. We could only include one post out of many, so this one edged through for its simple advice on where to find inspiration, some expected, some not so.
20. The Pros and Cons of Comparing Yourself to Other Writers
K. M. Weiland
K. M.Weiland has seen great success as a fiction and non-fiction author as well as with her award-wining blog. In this post she offers an even-handed and honest view of something most writers have struggled with: comparing yourself to other writers.
21. 3 Unmissable Tips to Double Your Traffic from a Blogging Superstar
Jon Morrow
Okay, a quick bonus post we had to include. It’s fair to say Jon Morrow is a legend in the blogging world. In this short post (an extract from an interview) he gives more brutal, honest advice than you’ll find in most 2,000 word articles.
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Is your favorite post missing from the above list? If so, let us know what it is in the comments.
