Have you ever read something and had it move you, make you think and make you dream and then wonder at the end: how did the writer do that? It could be a book, a poem, a story, or just a good news story or essay. Whatever the subject happened to be, the end result was that the writer managed to touch you in some way without even knowing you.
Certainly there are some technical aspects to it: grammar, organization, spelling, syntax, context and structure are all important technical details. You should also strive to have a good vocabulary, a store of puns and storytelling skills which are all good ways to hook a reader in and keep him or her interested. And while some people have a talent for it, no on is able to write perfectly from the get-go. Talent can only take you so far; practice will turn you into a master. And practice is something which takes time and effort.
1. Read: How can you expect to do anything if you don’t see how it’s done? Taking some time out every day to read a good book, poetry, essays, or the news are all good ways to see how it’s done. Plus reading is a good way to alleviate stress and get your brain working.
2. Brush up on Your Technical Skills: Grammar and style are booorrring to study, but like the foundation stones, they are important. Without a good grasp on grammar and an idea of style, you’ll just lose your readers, no matter how amazing the writing is.
3. Get Creative. There are heaps of ways to spice up any piece of writing. Try a new style of writing, a new type of content, a new genre or something you’ve never done before. Play with new words, goof off with new imagery. Creative writing is always more interesting than writing done strictly by the book for the reader and it’s a lot more fun for you.
4. Research. Both nonfiction and fiction require you to know how to research and with the entire world a trip to Google away, you have no excuse. You could be researching anything from the streets of Boston to the drugs of Columbia to how space-time interact, but make sure you get your facts right or your readers will not take you seriously.
5. Tools and Resources. All writers have their tools and their resources. Tools can include notebooks, note cards, pens, paper, a pencil, a dictionary, a thesaurus, a computer or any combination of the above (plus water and snacks). And for your resources, anything from blogs to magazines to books to other writers can help you out. Find your stuff and use them!
6. Find Your Process. Every writer (heck, everyone) has a process for doing things. Figure out yours for writing! Do you need an extensive outline or can you dive right in. Do you need it to be quiet or can you work in the middle of a hurricane? Do you work best with music, television or silence? This part’s kind of fun because you can see what works best for you.
7. Share the work. Share your work and get critique! Sure, it’ll sting the first… dozen… times, but as a write, developing a thick skin is important. Make sure you understand that the person critiquing you is not attacking you or your work but trying to make it better. A second set of eyes can help you find the wrinkles and the inconsistencies which you can then solve. And sometimes that second pair of eyes can get you out of a writer’s block too, so make sure you have some good editors on hand.
8. Edit, edit, edit! There is no such thing as a perfect piece of work and there never will be. But you can get pretty close by editing and proofreading. Check for blatant mistakes (typos happen!), make sure your work makes sense and is well structured and then edit it again. Grammar, spelling and consistency issues will all take your reader out of your work and lessen its impact, so make sure they’re not there.
9. WRITE all the time! Fifteen minutes a day is better than three hours a week so far as writing is concerned and making writing a priority is the only way you’ll get better. For this reason, doing things like a daily blog or taking part in the Write for Ten challenge can be quick and easy ways to write more. Remember: your daily writing tasks don’t have to be perfect (or even well done), but over time, you’ll get better.
Author Bio: Lena Paul is a medical school graduate who is an enthusiastic blogger and holds an editorial position in Prepgenie, a test prep provider that offers exam preparation courses for GAMSAT, PCAT, LNAT, UKCAT and UMAT.
