How To Become A Better Writer: Helping Other Writers, Part 7 Of 12

Published by Brad Johnson on 05/19/2016

helping

Altruism is a lovely concept, but how often do you see it in the real world?

When is the last time you saw someone helping another person out of pure-blooded desire to help?

The answers to these questions can reveal a lot about the world you see on a daily basis. Truth be told, I don’t often see (genuine) altruism. It’s hard to come by in today’s world, with seemingly every kind of problem one can imagine.

It’s not to say there aren’t wonderful and positive things happening in the world; there are plenty of them! But it’s extremely courageous to see someone standing up on their own and being generous, and this is much more rare.

It’s funny because it turns out that helping other writers – in other words, being pretty darn altruistic – is a great way to build your own name and business. Granted, you should feel genuinely excited about helping other people and seeing their projects become successful, but these kinds of activities truly do boost your own bottom line. Without further elaboration, let’s get to 10 ways helping other writers can expedite the progress of your own goals.

1. Helping Others Is Necessary

Let’s be honest; helping other writers is often the backbone of a writer’s business. For example, one of my favorite writers Jeff Goins structures his entire business around helping people go from (often) no idea to published author and successful business. He has already made a name within the non-fiction sphere, and his influence doesn’t look to be waning any time soon.

I’ve learned countless nuggets of wisdom from this man, and I’m sure you can too. Plus, he’s only one example! When you commit your work to helping other writers, good things will happen over time. As Goins himself says, “When you do the work, the results will come.”

Before we go to the next point, how is it exactly that people can grow a business and make a full-time income off helping other people? Well, when you boil it down, the process is very simple.

To start off with, being helpful and practical is the mode in which people desire you and your content in the first place. Now, you may read this sentence and think, “I’m already helpful! I write a blog post every week, share it on social media and I’m always researching for new ideas.”

First of all, this thought is not a bad thing. But remaining in this mindset without stretching to new possibilities and levels of work ethic will keep you in the same place in life. There’s more required when it comes to being helpful for other writers.

2. You Make New Connections

One of the coolest (and most efficient) parts about helping other writers is making new connections. There’s no easier way to network than to help other people do what they want to do. It’s a dynamite combination when you both love the task at hand.

One of the best places to make connections with other writers is on the blogs of other writers. Do a quick Google search for top writing blogs, or make a list of your own and then head over to the blogs themselves. Always leave blog comments that can fit into most or all of these characteristics:

Genuine
Insightful
Helpful
Practical
Conversational

3. You Get To Read Other Material

If you’re of even moderate professional standing within the public eye of writing, and you can communicate well to others in person and online, you are going to be asked to read the work of others. It’s virtually guaranteed.

You’ll receive this from friends, coworkers, admirers, fellow writers, perhaps even family members. As you continue to make a name for yourself, this will only grow and you’ll have to decide what you have time for. This can be a pretty cool feeling!

You get to see what other writers are up to, then read and appreciate their work. I used to think that at some point, everything that’s worth writing about will be written. As I’ve grown older and constantly pursued writing ends, I’ve found nothing could be further from the truth! While one should be discerning in what to read and consume, the ends of what can be written (and in what context) are limitless. There are 7.5 billion people on the planet right now; this number is still growing, which means the number of people who love writing is growing, too!

Take the chance to read other writers’ work, provide feedback and become a better writer in the process. As a writer, it’s hard to find activities that are more fun or fulfilling!

4. It’s A Great Opportunity To Gather New Ideas

Helping other writers is a fantastic opportunity to gather new ideas for your own work. Idea and content generation can be difficult in the early months and years, because you’re trying to make an impact while remaining consistent. Having a constant stream of ideas is often the most effective way to accomplish these two ends.

Fortunately for you, ideas (just like words) are limitless. You can always discover a brand new one, a reiteration of an existing idea, or the combination of two or more ideas. James Altucher, the popular investor, blogger, author and entrepreneur, has essentially coined the term “idea sex”. This is when two or more ideas are combined to produce an even more incredible result. The term itself is a bit risqué, yes, but it’s certainly accurate!

If you don’t already consider yourself an idea person (this is fine), you’ll begin to see the power of ideas as soon as you start using more of them. Obtaining new written information or stories is the best way to curate and implement ideas. Read the work of other writers; it will stimulate your mind and encourage your heart.

5. You May Find A New Future Business Partner

Regardless of what field you find yourself in, one of the most common questions asked among entrepreneurs, startups and business ventures is, “How do I go about finding people who are likeminded?” Often, some of the most honest CEOs chalk it up to luck, and there is some truth to this. But, all truth be told, there is more to finding great people than pure “luck”.

The most important aspect of finding someone who you can potentially collaborate with long-term is simply paying attention for them. The thing is, countless people miss individuals with a lot of potential because they’re looking for someone who’s already fully established. Honestly, the majority of people who are already moderately successful – or are still fighting extremely commendably on their road to success – are hidden in plain sight. They’re almost always the people who exemplify some or all of these characteristics:

Having a vision
Humble
Committed to excellence
Understand they aren’t perfect, but give it their best every day
Working smart and hard
Creative
Open to new information and possibilities
Committed to the long haul
Their schedule is already quite packed
Looking for ways to help others

It’s true that most people you meet will not check all these criteria. In fact, even the best I personally know check many, but not all. The point here is to look for someone who models the majority of these. The aforementioned characteristics have been proven repeatedly to exist within people who eventually become successful.

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6. It’s One Of The Best Feelings In The World

A lot of people read about the importance and necessity of helping other people and start to cringe or roll their eyes. Believe me, I’ve been there before. We all want to know the “true secrets” of being successful; we say, “Give me the meat of the message already!” Yet, if we make this mistake, we pass over the truest secret that’s right in front of our eyes.

Perhaps the reason a lot of people (writers included) shy away from helping others out is because you can’t fake it. In other words, if you’re actually helping other people reach their goals, it means you’ve been sincere from the get-go. This is challenging (if not impossible) to fake!

You can't fake helping others! Share on X

What’s more, this is for good reason. You shouldn’t be helping others (or attempting to do so) if you don’t actually want to see them do just as well (or better) than you.

I can say from years of experience that helping others – whether it be with health aims, personal goals, non-profit events or other matters – really is one of the best feelings in the world. You don’t really get to experience this until you try it out. I cannot encourage it enough! Plus, helping other writers is legitimately the fastest way to go anywhere with your business. On top of all that, people will love you for it!

7. You Can Build A Business Off Of This

There are now hundreds of writers who have made a full time living through blogging, publishing books and creating infoproducts to help other writers. Helping other writers little by little is the best way to make your name known, build credibility and find out what niche you can serve.

Take a look at your favorite Internet marketing entrepreneur, and ask yourself what they really do. Chances are they are serving a select group of people who want the expertise they can provide, and they’re obviously doing it at a profit (otherwise it would be a hobby, not a business). You can do the same as them! You just have to find a niche of people online that haven’t been served yet (or are underserved), start connecting with them and delivering value for them.

8. You’ll Understand Your Own Efforts

When you’re first getting started with any effort online, no one realizes you’re there and they accordingly don’t pay attention to you. It can be extremely frustrating and debilitating to chug through the moments of anonymity.

As you progress and start to make traction with your writing, there’s nothing like stepping into the shoes of others who are now where you once were. You can provide them tons of encouragement and useful insights that will inspire their trust in you. You’ll quickly gain ground as an expert in their eyes, because you’ve helped them with real information that assists them with their own goals.

9. It Simplifies Things

Perhaps my favorite part about helping other writers within your business is it simplifies things. Business can’t really work unless it’s simple. If it’s too complex, that means the owner/contractors are doing too much, or the customers aren’t being served well enough.

When you know how to best help others, you’ve officially just (re)discovered the most important part of your business. Helping people with their problems or pains is the core of all effective businesses. Uber offers a more convenient way to get around. Facebook gives people the opportunity to find friends and family and stay in touch throughout the world. Apple provides extremely attractive and high quality personal technology that you can do pretty much anything with.

It’s essential to be focused on the type of quality information you’re providing to your readers as a writer. Hone in on the relationship you’ve built up, and why they’ve come to you in the first place.

10. It Changes The World Faster And More Powerfully

The best part about helping other writers is it changes the world more effectively. Ultimately, the reason any of us should be doing our job (or building our passion) is because it’s making the world a better place for everyone. Assisting others in their goals is what makes life worthwhile. You can have all the money, fame and power in the world, but if your relationships and environments aren’t being elevated to new heights and fulfilled with purpose, none of the former matters.

Collaboration, trust and hard work are the components that will make this world better, faster. So much of doing better work is about communicating better with each other, and writers represent a massive chunk of said communication. Use these tips to create more trust and support with your writing, and make the world you dream of!