How to Become a Better Writer? Write. Write until you can’t possibly make something any more beautiful, and then ask for feedback and watch people nitpick your creations. Learn to sift through sound advice and terrible advice. Find sources outside of your echo chamber that will make you grow. Asking “How do I Become a Better Writer” is like asking, “What are the painful lessons I must learn to do great things?” or, “Can I sit down and write when I don’t feel like writing?” It’s a necessary skill…
How to become a better writer when criticism reigns
Can you write courageously despite it?
I keep hearing variations of a quote. I even hear successful writers say it from time to time:
- The number of people who finish a novel is marginally better than winning the lottery. Truth
- For a writer to sell their writing and make a living is like winning the lottery. Fallacy
The first quote is true; the second is not. I know of many highly successful writers, and they’re called Tech Writers, Curriculum Writers, Bloggers, Speech Writers, Biographers, Editors, Journalists, etc. A writer doesn’t have to write a novel. If you love writing and want a consistently steady income, you should seriously consider these options. If you’re determined to be a novelist, don’t let the quotes above scare you, but it likely requires more dedication than you’d think.
Sad Fact: Most writers starting a novel, short story, or poem will never finish it.
You WRITE the story, edit the story, get feedback, rewrite the story, and rinse and repeat until your dreams crystallize into a body of work proving you’re a writer. Quite often, your first dozen stories are brilliant, flowery, JUNK! I should know; I speak from experience. You have to get several bad stories out before you develop the skills to create valuable content. Many dreams die before you understand the reality of writing. Do you have the courage to be a writer?
WARNING: Writing may trigger the following:
- Self-doubt convincing you that you’re not any good at this writing thing.
- Arguments with your partner because your protagonist is having issues with trust… and so are you.
- Visits to the Therapist.
- Knowing your characters better than your loved ones and feeling guilty about it.
- Developing coping mechanisms you never thought a sane person would need.
- Breaking down and crying so hard your computer takes water damage.
- Grappling with huge concepts and making them understandable to unrelatable people you will never meet.
Becoming a better writer as illusions are unveiled
Carry yourself with wit, repetition, stamina, and belief
I don’t have much time in my life. I work a full-time job and have several offspring who demand my attention. I get my writing done late at night, and I try to write 2-3 hours a day. How many hours do Tech Writers or Journalists write? Around 6-8 hours a day. How many hours do the average novelists write? Typically 0-6 hours a day. I say zero because many novelists are people with good intentions who never write anything. Many young writers are enamored with the idea of writing but don’t. Writers write, and they write a lot. Writing is where the rubber meets the road. It’s where Dreamers become Writers.
Let’s discuss Dreamers. I would argue that penning notes, researching topics, and discussing your ideas is not writing. It’s dreaming, and you SHOULD dream; it’s a critical component for ideas, but it’s not writing. Writing is planting yourself in front of your typewriter, laptop, or pen-and-paper and delving into your dreamland. The dream state speaks to you, and you write the words down. Those words usually look like garbage on the first draft. They look a little better after the second draft, and with each rewrite, the story becomes refined. It’s work, and many Dreamers are not cut out for it.
“Oh! Writing is easy! I write all the time. LOL.”
But do you? Do You? DO YOU!?
Do you enjoy bullet-pointed lists & preachy blogs?
Good! Neither do I!
BEHOLD! A bullet-pointed list that writers run screaming from:
- Writing is not a 401k that one can passively dump talent into.
- It is not spouting good ideas without putting in the work.
- Nor is having intentions to write, then playing video games.
- Writing is not a sense of entitlement that everything you write is brilliant or will be successful.
How to become a better writer!?
Get a cat, sunglasses, and order unknown drinks
I have a friend who once said, “Oh, God! Writing is a joy! It’s the easiest thing I’ve ever done, and it only gets easier as I go!” Her family and friends clamored all over themselves with agreement telling me how amazing a writer she was. The evidence of her talent was shelves FULL of journals. I was so impressed! I asked to read some of them, and she permitted me. None of it was in the form of a story. She would write ideas but never scenes. She had exquisitely detailed characters but would never have them interact with each other. She couldn’t handle it when she asked for feedback, no matter how nicely I phrased it. To this day, she believes she’ll be an International Best-Selling Author, and maybe she will. I hope so, but she doesn’t work on her craft. She doesn’t write; she dreams.
Multiple Choice
Writing is a herculean act that turns naive dreamers into:
A: Articulate God Beings.
B: Knowledgable Curmudgeons.
C: Someone who means well but never writes anything.^ Choose Your Adventure
It may be callous to say, but if writing is easy, why can’t she park herself in front of a computer, reference her material, and write that novel? I think it’s because the act of writing forces authors to grow, and growth is scary. Our minds have to be open to some uncomfortable truths, and we have to accept feedback we DO NOT want to hear. Writing requires us to work on ourselves.
How to become a better writer: WRITE MORE
Get good at outlining, being witty, & funky plot twists
Does this sound passive? If you’re a writer, you don’t have to love writing itself, but you do have to write. You have to WRITE A LOT. Writing looks ‘passive,’ but it isn’t. I need to finish my novel, and so do you! If you’re a writer, WRITE! Write Something Great!