Do I have any writing tips? Absolutely. Some of them, I’m sure you’ve heard before. Still, if you follow some or all of the suggestions on this page, I’m pretty certain you’ll see a difference in your writing:
Read
Read. You have to read. You have to read a lot. I’m not talking about reading for school, and I’m certainly not talking about reading for testing. I’m talking about reading on your own. You have to read on your own every single day. If you talk to any author, they will tell you the exact same thing. The key to being a good writer is reading. Reading is not optional.
Write Everyday
Just like you need to read everyday, you need to write everyday. Even if it’s only for a minute or two, write something. You never know when that next idea or character or image or moment of inspiration will arrive.
Write What You Know, Write What You Love
When you write, especially when you’re first starting out or writing for pleasure, write about what you know, and more importantly, write about what you love. If you’re passionate about something, it will come across in your words.
Take Risks
As you write, take chances. Try something new. Perhaps re-write your story from a different point of view. Or maybe change the setting of your story from the present to the distant future. I call this “flipping the script.” Sometimes, it doesn’t work. Other times, it’s when you turn something good into something spectacular. Just don’t be afraid to make mistakes. We all do. Check out some of these “mistakes” I made shooting the vids for this site:
Listen
A good writer needs to be a good listener. You have to be willing to listen to suggestions, ideas and criticisms. You’re not always going to like what you hear, but you have to listen. When you don’t like what you hear, don’t take the criticisms personally. Be thick-skinned. Just because your thoughts, ideas and creations aren’t of interest to someone else doesn’t mean they’re not worthy. Your ideas have value. They always have value.
Why Are You Writing?
Why are you writing? Whenever I start a writing project — no matter how big or small — I always ask myself that question. It helps me focus. Sometimes, the question isn’t as easy as it seems, and often, there is more than one answer. Are you writing for school? Are you writing in a journal? Are you writing to get published? Are you writing because you enjoy it? Are you writing because you feel as though you have something to say that might be of interest to others? Once you answer that question honestly, the ideas will flow more freely.