Content Mastery Guide

Editor and Ghostwriter

Is dyslexia blocking the brilliance of your writing?

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Note: If you’d rather listen to this post, here is a link to an audio recording.


MP3 File

When you have dyslexia and/or dysgraphia (written dyslexia), writing online content is an enormous challenge. This really hit home for me recently, when some of my colleagues and clients revealed that they struggle with these issues.

As I learned in this informative article by Miriam Darnell, writing can be an agonizing chore for you, because:

  • Organizing your thoughts is difficult
  • It’s challenging just to sit still and keep at it (extroverts, can you relate?)
  • It’s frustrating when your ideas don’t materialize on paper the way you want them to

I know that you know what you want to say

This topic reminds me of my time as the music therapist at the Aphasia Institute. The philosophy, “I know that you know” was ingrained in all interactions with clients with aphasia, who knew what they wanted to say but had difficulty expressing it.

Content marketing can improve your confidence and clarity

Because it’s harder for people with dyslexia and/or dysgraphia to explain their ideas in writing, content marketing may seem out of reach. Yet, it’s even more important. That’s because of how content marketing can impact:

  • Your confidence – Even though there are many intelligent, well-known, talented and successful people with dyslexia, there is still a stigma attached. When you have difficulties with reading and writing, it can lead to low self-esteem and isolation. Not to mention that imposter syndrome feeling that so many of us exerience.

    If you can get your great ideas into writing (maybe with speech-to-text software or a ghostwriter) you can build your own mountain of expert content. Then you and your prospective clients will see just how much knowledge and experience you have to offer – because it’s there in writing!

    As well, Action Club members tell me that their confidence soars when they get their articles edited before publishing. That way they can be sure their message is getting across.

  • Your clarity – When you have dyslexia or dysgraphia, it is difficult to sequence the details of your topic and get them sorted out in the right order. You may be excellent at delivering a big picture strategy or solution, but struggle to help your client break down the steps to get there.

    Getting your thoughts down into writing and/or talking through them with a ghostwriter will help you clarify your methods. You’ll be able to systemize your approach and use your content as an anchor for your work with clients.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:

Content marketing is worth the effort – especially when you have a communication hurdle such as dyslexia or dysgraphia.

Another benefit of content marketing: It’s easier to plant your flag of expertise on top of a mountain of content

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Do you feel like a fraud when you call yourself an expert? Many of us do. It’s called the imposter syndrome and I’ve written some tips to help you deal with it. (Actually, it’s nice to read that original post from 2007 and notice that I don’t necessarily have an “imposter thought” daily anymore.)

What is happening every day is that I’m meeting tons of new people, whether it’s in person (maybe at a Barrie Chamber of Commerce event or down the road at the Williams Coffee Pub) or online (on Twitter or LinkedIn).

Today, with a mountain of 385 blog posts and counting, I’m much more confident about presenting myself as an expert web writer, editor, blogging consultant, content marketing strategist and writing coach.

I know that I can point a new colleague or prospective client to any number of blog posts I’ve written about whatever topic we’re discussing.

Joe Pulizzi from Content Marketing Institute pointed me towards a wonderful blog post last week, Ten reasons to blog – even if nobody reads it from Mark Schaefer’s Grow blog.

Growing your confidence as an expert will be a lot easier for you if you persist with your content marketing, publish consistently and keep building your own mountain of content.

If your content isn’t working, check for these root problems

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So you're blogging, tweeting and updating and you're growing your numbers of friends, fans and followers. Yet you're discouraged by the lack of concrete results (i.e., more clients and sales) and you're not sure that content marketing is worth the HUGE effort it seems to take.

Before you give up completely, have a look to see if some of these common root causes are to blame:

  1. Lack of planning – Your lack of planning may be more noticeable to you than it will to your readers. Are you constantly scrambling to come up with your next "big idea," or always questioning whether you're on the mark? Back up and do some planning.
  2. Rushing – I'm all for efficiency and batching similar tasks, but be honest: Are you always pushing out your blog posts at the last minute or rushing through the process? Writing artfully is a skill and deserves the respect of your attention and time.
  3. Skipping the editing step – Do you click "Publish" the instant you type your last thought? Or maybe give the article a cursory read-through immediately? That might not be enough - I guarantee you'll find more errors if you walk away and come back to it later.
  4. Patchy publishing – When is the last time you updated your blog? Writing takes practice, like every other skill. Writing and publishing regularly, even if your creativity comes in fits and spurts, gives you that practice. It also sends the message that you are reliable in other ways.
  5. Writing in isolation – What's going on in your industry? Even more importantly, what's going on outside of your industry? If you're in a writing rut, click farther and farther outside of your regular circle. You're bound to find new inspiration and ideas. Then write and share with those new people and expand your network of possibilities.

In my brand new book, Write Your Way to More Clients Online: How to craft captivating content for newsletters, blogs and social media, I address each of these root causes in five parts:

Part 1: Plan Mindfully
Part 2: Write Artfully
Part 3: Edit Skillfully  
Part 4: Publish Consistently
Part 5: Share Widely

The first test copy of the book is already en route to me and as soon as I've signed off on that your orders will be shipped! 

P.S. Here some other article writing mistakes to avoid when you're trying to grow your business with content marketing.

It will all come out in the wash

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I don't like clutter. That was the topic of the first article I ever wrote as a self-care coach and budding content marketer.

Right now there is a HUGE mess building up around me in my home/office. Only it's not clutter; it is all of my material possessions, separated into small cardboard boxes in preparation for my move to Barrie.

(I was going to include some photos of my messy apartment – in fact, I even snapped them with my camera. Then I realized I have already packed away the dock that connects my camera to the computer – oh well, that must be perfect, too!)

As uncomfortable as it is to be in this chaos, mess and clutter, it will all come out in the wash. In just a few days I will begin unpacking in my beautiful new home in Barrie. And in a few weeks, these cardboard boxes will be a distant memory and I will send you some "after" shots.

How does my messy apartment relate to your content writing? When you're publishing consistently (I recommend 2-5 new pieces of content every month), things are going to get messy on occasion. Despite your intentions and hard work, you're still not going to make a L.O.V.E. connection with every new article. Why not? Because you're human. You're going to:

This is another strong case for consistency. When you've been publishing relevant, well-written and helpful posts on a regular basis, one messy post won't be the end of the world. If you get right back on track with your usual quality, it will all come out in the wash.

Perfection is overrated and unachievable – so please just keep writing!

Missed a step in your editorial calendar?

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As I was tooling around Barrie this morning taking care of some last minute details before the move, I was reminded of a great article I once read. It used the analogy of a GPS system for how to get through the inevitable twists and turns of life.

What do you do when life throws you these curves? Just “recalculate,” like the voice of the GPS machine says (mine sounds like a very friendly lady, although I haven’t given her a name yet).

It’s the same with your editorial calendar. It’s a plan, after all, not a court order. As a tool to assist you in publishing consistently (especially during busy times), I’ve also found it helps me balance my blog. I plot out when I will post in different categories, as well as which of the three types of online content I will use.

And then life happens, and sometimes I don’t follow through with a planned post. The topic lost its appeal, I was busy with an urgent client project, or another reason.

Jump right back in and keep posting

I see too many people suffer from blog fade, abandoning their blogs after a few of these missed posts or false starts. Like any other setback in life, it’s important in these moments to just get back on track.

You may want to replace the planned post with another spontaneous topic, or just skip to the next item on your calendar. You may even tear up your whole plan and start from scratch – and sometimes that’s not a bad thing. You definitely want your blog to remain relevant to what’s going on – in your industry, for your readers and in your own life.

P.S. If YOU are the one who wrote that article about the GPS, please comment below and include a link! I hope you’ve continued to write and publish, and haven’t faded away…