Writing Advice
Take These Two Steps to Become a Better Writer
Number two is a good one.
Admit it: You want to become a bestselling author or a celebrated poet. You desire to get better at reaching people with your writing. The reason you write, after all, is to be heard — to share your message with a particular audience.
To achieve your writing goals, you must simply get better at the art. You’ve come to this realisation. And now, you’re in good hands. In this piece, I share two basic steps you can take to write better.
Some people say writing is a talent and you must have the talent to be a great writer. But Scott Fitzgerald, one of the finest American writers ever has this to say on the issue of talent: “You have talent — which is the equivalent of a soldier having the right physical qualifications for entering West Point.”
Fitzgerald’s words are a reminder that talent alone is not enough. Even if you feel you have the talent, or you actually do, there’s still substantial work to be done.
Writing is an art as much as is a skill. Having the knack for stringing words together is not a guarantee you’d be a great writer. The good news? Even if you feel you don’t have the talent, writing — like any other skill — can be learned and mastered.
I share some insights below that, if and when acted upon accordingly, can make your writing better.
For starters, know this and know peace: writing takes significant effort and commitment. You won’t become a great writer overnight!
The secret toolbox you need to write better
The importance of reading to a writer cannot be emphasised enough. Reading is simply going through the thought process of another writer. If you desire to get better as a writer, read extensively.
Read in your genre and outside of it as well. Read anything you can lay your hands on.
When you want to read, take Francine Prose’s useful advice in her book, For Those Who Want to Write. Prose suggests that you read slowly so that you can pay attention to how the writer has carefully arrived at whatever it is you’re reading.
The writing process is a painstaking one and a good writer will tell you how hard it can be sometimes to arrive at a perfect word choice.
When you read other writers, either those you wish to emulate or those that are established and successful, you’d glean various lessons. You’d learn how they write and about different styles, along with other things such as pacing and voice.
Before writing courses became popular, writers of old learned by imitating their predecessors. Modern writers continue to do so.
The other part of reading is to read on how to write better. Many successful writers have now written books outlining their writing process. Also, articles and essays abound today on how to get better as a writer. Find and devour them.
Although you might not do exactly as these materials suggest, you’re sure to gain actionable insights from each one of them. You can’t possibly exhaust all the writing resources out there these days. But read as much as you can, nonetheless.
Read books on the basics of writing as well — books on aspects such as punctuation, grammar, structure and even style. Learning the basics will lay a solid foundation for your writing endeavour.
A failproof strategy for exponential growth
“Write as often as possible, not with the idea at once of getting into print, but as if you were learning an instrument.” — J. B. Priestley.
Getting better at anything takes practice. Practice does make perfect. In fact, practice makes everything. The only way to become a better writer is to actually write.
You could take a thousand courses on becoming a better writer, but you still need to write a lot to truly get better. The ultimate way to become better is to write while continuing to improve.
Whatever genre you write — either poetry or prose, either fiction or nonfiction — if you don’t write, you can’t get better. It’s as simple as that.
As you garner more practical knowledge from reading, you must apply these insights by writing. No way around it. As Priestley said, forget that you want to get published for a moment. Get into the process of writing first.
Write, write and write.
Most writers advise that you have a certain amount of time daily to write. Most suggest you make it a morning ritual as that period seems perfect. For you, it might be in the evening or late at night. Just write with consistency.
Consistency breeds confidence and the more you write, the better you get at it. It’s like learning an instrument. You get better by the day when you practise with some consistency.
Today, we have many writing resources and tools online that can help you keep a routine as a writer. Maximise them.
One more thing…
What you write at a particular point doesn’t always have to make perfect sense. Just write, let the words flow. You can always make sense of it later. Always remember, you can’t edit a blank page. So, write away.
A maestro once mused: “It’s the amateur writer that waits for inspiration, the rest of us just go to work”. Picasso put it this way: “Inspiration does exist, but it must find us working”. Dear friend, stop playing the ‘no inspiration’ card.
Action engenders success. All the knowledge in the world without any action is null and void. Stop giving yourself excuses and get to work already.
Read every day and never let a day go by without you writing.
Let me know your thoughts in the comment section or let’s talk here. You can also join my inner circle to receive insights like this and other useful updates directly in your email.
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