Cut the Crap, Writing can be Tough
The need for content quality over quantity
In a world inundated by short commentary on all manner of online platforms, there can reside in many, a belief that they are writers. Pasting together a few tweets of a similar theme or firing off multiple short quips does not make you a writer either. Like any craft, there is practice required. This can be in many forms and takes time and a lot of effort. But the results can be rewarding.
Blogging has allowed a plethora of new thoughts to be read. The sheer quantity of available material for someone to read is staggering. At no time in our history have we been able to read so much about so many things. Whether it is someone’s personal journey, travel experience, better DIY tips or just career advice, the list is endless. There was a time when the future of published books was uncertain as the transition to online publishing posed a threat to a whole market segment. Although many bookstores have closed down, as have many other traditional stores, book sales are flourishing as prices decline and online stores grow.
Anecdotally then, this tells us that the human thirst for knowledge through reading is still evident. A market exists, therefore, opportunities exist for writers. As the world speeds up, the thought of devoting a year, or more, to writing a book can be daunting. Hence the gap is filled by other avenues.
Writing, as a craft, should have a top down approach. Those producing the longer form of writing and require research and dedication to accomplish a task, should be the high benchmark. The process having your work proof read and editing indicated the steps required to have an end result that is of a relatively high quality. Like any pyramid though, there is less at the top and more at the bottom. This is the case in writing.
Is this a good thing?
Yes, I believe it is. We need a strong foundation of individuals learning a craft. All markets have space for quality or price. To draw an analogy from the business world, we need only look at Michael Porter’s Generic Strategy model.
The basic assumption this model demonstrates is that you need to identify where you want your product or service, in this case writing, to sit. For example, Ferrari make high end quality cars for a limited market, this is a differentiation focus. Ford make a range of vehicles for many applications, this is a broad cost leadership focus. Both make cars but stay out of each others space. Ford could well make a $200k car but it is still a ford and consumers will be suspicious that there is value for money.
And so it is for writing. There are markets for highly technical academic pieces all the way through to short blog articles. They can all exist as there is an audience for their content.
However, to expand further on the car market analogy above, both Ford and Ferrari strive for quality in their respective products. If they didn’t they would lose out to their competitors very quickly.
So what’s the message?
Writing is not easy. There countless articles espousing the simplicity of the art are most likely written by talented individuals that DO find it easy. But like any craft, you need to work at it. Rise above mediocrity by either honing your wordsmith skills or by creating content that challenges how we all think. Just because it’s popular, doesn’t always mean it is good. It just means it has found a market.
Chose where you want to pitch your product. Broad or focused and write in a style that appeals to that audience, but strive for quality in what you do.
Keep writing though. It is rewarding at a personal level and with 8 billion people on earth, there can be an audience, for anything. Find your best fit and keep practicing. Never be happy with being mediocre. You are better than that.
