You get likes on your Facebook status, people are leaving comments on your blog, you get to read your fiction in front of an audience, all good no? But do they really see you and hear you? Everyone of us wants to be heard. But the truth is, who has time to listen?

You ask yourself: do they really like it? Like you?

That is what we all want, let's face it. That is what we think will make us happy.

It's not only that you have something to say, you want a reaction. You want approval. And when you don't get that, you will try to shock, bribe, seduce, lower your standards, and let's face it, sell out.

It feels awful.

What makes good writing, and by writing I want to include everything you scribble, update, or type, is letting go of the craving for approval.

You will search approval after the work is finished, never ever focus it on it before you start. It will get you nowhere fast.

I
n my search for approval, I once stalked a girl who picked up my book in a store. She looked cool in a leather jacket and yoga pants with polka dots. I knew: there goes my ideal reader. She read the blurb (that magical page where everyone published a masterpiece and is also the voice of a generation) and was heading to the checkout counter. Three people were in front of her. She opened the front page and started reading. I was hiding behind a magazine, waiting, dreading her reaction. The row moved slow. She frowed. I wanted to get up to her and explained myself, urge her to read on. And then she smiled.

Happiest day of my life.

The day after I was sitting with my laptop trying to write my five daily pages. and nada! The cool girl was sitting in the room with me. I wanted to impress her. I kept deleting everything I wrote. I couldn't get her out of my head.

Big BIG mistake!

But there are ways to grab his/her attention.

Here are some of my writing rules:

_Start your story where it is getting out of control. If it is a book, this is where the main character is going to take a dive in to real problems. If it is a presentation, skip the intro, tell me what is the problem, what am I missing in my life, and how you are going to solve that. A blogpost? Again, tell me immediately, what is the problem? I will want to know how to fix it.

-Read it again: Is the story only convenient for you?

-Create conflict. This is a biggie. Foundation of all writing.

-Does it come alive? Always read it out loud, you will know then.

And the most important of all: there is no writing, only rewriting. This is crucial. Edit, edit, edit some more. Never bore. Keep it short. Get to the point.

I really liked these tips on Cracked on overcoming writers block, or you could take the advice of famous writers of course!

So will your reader like you? Not all of them. But will they hear you? Yes, no doubt!

How do you tackle your writing, do you have writing rules, tips?

If you are looking for some fellow creatives to commiserate here are some great forums and groups.