Writing well and writing a lot are closely linked.

Take a look around you.

Usually, people who write well write a lot too. And those who cannot write well cannot write anything at all.

There is a reason why that is so. A very good reason.

It’s an internal connection that may open the doors of both creativity and productivity for you, simultaneously.

Here are the keys to this not-so-mysterious phenomenon, as I see it:

First: write about the things that you really care about. Or things that move something inside.

Do not write about a subject just because “it’s popular” or “it brings money” because you can’t. The result would be a bone-dry piece of nothing. You wouldn’t enjoy reading what you’ve written. Would you cook anything if you knew you’d throw it directly into the thrash can?

I, for example, am writing this article with great joy and enthusiasm and that’s why I expect this (hopefully) to be a good one. I already have a good feeling inside about sharing this insight that I’ve gained over many years as a professional writer. Writing this essay is its own reward for me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have written it.

Second point is, try to get an approximate understanding of WHY you’re writing what you’re writing. And that does not have to be a well-constructed and tightly-argued reason. No. It can be just a feeling, or a sensation, but you still have to be fully aware of it. That’s why drugs and alcohol (despite the rumors) do not go well with good writing since that requires you to be well aware of yourself, your mind and your heart. Your radar must be actively scanning your interior landscape when you write so you’ll know why you’re doing it.

Any why is “why” that important? Because that will set the color of your canvas. That’s what you’ll leave the reader with. Without that "why" there's no point in either writing or reading anything. And all bad writing lacks that "why" element.

There’s no such thing as writing “everything” about a topic. All writing is partial, incomplete, selective. The reason "why" you are writing something is the tool with which you take one slice from Reality and make it your own. Life is the big pie. You take the narrow serving knife of “why” and serve your readers a delicious slice. If you don’t have the “why” then you can’t serve the pie. Then all you have is a feeling of getting lost. Unclear motivation is mud and it’s no fun eating that.

A third point: try to accept your uniqueness. That’s perhaps the HARDEST part to writing well.

We all do have a different take on things – if only we could admit it! But we usually end up joining the choir, and going along with the team. That’s when we collapse our fresh viewpoint onto a worn out template. That’s when we start writing awfully stale stuff; dead matter that’s not breathing.

As a writer we have to overcome the anxiety of individuality. We have to suspend our anxiety of judgment by others by accepting upfront that 99% of anything we write will not be liked by anyone anyways! Once we accept that hard blow on the broken nose of our ego, we’re out of your own jail. All the damage is done upfront and we’re free to sing with our own voice.

That’s when writing starts to be fun. It starts to get up from the ground, starts to inhale, shine and flex its muscles. That’s when people sit up and take notice. All of a sudden there’s a new sheriff in town. Despair, get lost!

Once you develop the trust and habit of listening to your own matchless take on Reality, you’ll also discover what a PLEASURE it is to write about – anything, really!

It’s an experience perhaps similar to “drawing with the right side of the brain.” All of a sudden you feel this warm current of inspiration rising to the surface, teeming with countless life forms, strange ideas, beautiful descriptions.

All of a sudden you feel live, flowing and throbbing. And that in turn opens the doors wide to productivity. When writing is such a personal pleasure you can’t stop but write long and write frequently. That’s when quality joins quantity.

Examine and be yourself. Have the courage to be yourself. That’s when you’ll start writing well and writing a lot too.