How To Get Better at Writing

You might be a beginner in writing.

Or a seasoned pro.

Maybe somewhere in between.

Imagine this: You’re sitting in front of your computer, and your biggest want is to be productive.

You stare at the screen for ten minutes, twenty minutes, an hour, and it’s just blank.

By now, you’ve probably changed the screen and are on to watching a YouTube video of ‘How to Make Mozzarella Cheese,’ or ‘Top 10 Romance Movies Of All Time.’

We’ve all been there.

This is the dreaded writer’s block everyone talks about.

I have been self-publishing my novels since the beginning of 2018. Since writing this, it’s been four years since I took on writing as a full-time gig.

Four years really isn’t that much in the grand scheme of things, but after writing multiple books and countless blog article, here is a list for how to get better at writing.

Learn the foundations

An artist needs their toolbelt to create with their craft. For a painter, it might be paint. For a drawer, pencils. For a writer, it’s grammar, rhetoric, and voice.

For grammar: I recommend this book — The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White

For rhetoric (i.e: what is a metaphor and how to use it): I recommend this one — Revision Power by Cindy Rogers

I have personally read both of these books, and they are wonderful resources for both beginners and seasoned writers alike.

Once you have a grasp of the foundations, you have enough tools in your toolbelt to write!

To be honest, you can start writing without knowing everything about writing right away. Wouldn’t you know that the best way to learn to write is to do the dang thing.

When it comes to courses or bootcamps, they can be helpful, but you don’t need a degree to produce beautiful works of writing.

Don’t let the limiting belief of needing a degree stop you from learning.

Pursue what sets your heart on fire, and don’t let anything stop you.

Read. A LOT.

Try reading books in the genre you’re writing in. Read all books.

It can get boring reading one of type of genre all the time.

You could get bored — we all do. I am a romance writer and I love romance, the interactions between characters, the internal dialogue, and the sweet lust that I can’t get enough of.

But I love reading horror novels too.

Get diverse with it. You never know where you can get inspiration from. It’s literally everywhere you look. There is so much to learn, you can always further develop your skill and gain knowledge from the most unsuspecting places.

Editing

To be honest, editing can be a b*tch. I won’t lie to you. I hate editing.

Maybe it’s because I hate reading my own stuff. Maybe because it’s tedious and takes a lot of time.

But trust me, it gets better. The more you write, the more you edit, the more things get easier. Just stick with it and you’ll see.

Editing can actually take up more time than writing. When you’re writing, you’re in the zone letting everything flow through you.

Editing is different. You have to put your thinking cap on and be critical about your writing.

There are a few types of edits you should do before you release any form of writing whether it’s a blog post, a product description, a novel. These are a few types to keep in mind:

Developmental edit –used mainly for plot or overall feel of the piece. The editor should go through the entire draft (with minor edits for sentence structure and flow) and objectively decide where things can improve. Using this type of edit, you will gauge whether the pacing of the story is okay as well.

Copy edit –used for flow and sentence structure. Can you write thing differently to make the writing come more to life? Does a sentence work better if structured differently? This is more or less also referred to as a ‘style’ edit. After the plot is all set, you comb back more for the places you can make prettier.

Proofread –final edit where you are reading reach line word by word. This edit should comb out all the errors. (Also called a line edit.) I usually get a second pair of eyes to do this edit for me. It can definitely be worth it if it’s a longer document. You might be too attached to the novel to see errors yourself at this point.

Beta test –This is when I’ll send my books out to readers. As known as an “ARC” — Advanced Reader Copy. I have a team of people who volunteer to read my book and give me comments on how they liked it. It’s after this that I make any last minute changes before publishing. For those without a dedicated team, use a spouse or a good friend who’s willing to read your work.

When you finish writing, move on to something else

Don’t wait around for your work to get edited. Move on to the next thing.

The best way to fight writer’s block is to write.

Sounds kind of crazy, but it’s true. Just write something. Anything.

If I get bored of writing or editing a novel, I’ll move on to writing for my blog or social media.

Writing is writing. Even if it’s in your journal or a short monologue.

You never know where that work might end up one day.

Consistency is crucial for building up word count

Stephen King says he writes about 2,000 words a day. I’ve also heard him say he writes six pages a day. And I know six pages is about 3,000 words. That figure might sound low, but he says his words are pretty clean, meaning, there’s not much to edit once he’s done.

Imagine writing 2,000 words every day. In a month, you’ll have a 60k word novel. That’s not too shabby. This is assuming you’re being diligent and working every day. Some people skip days. If you’re missing your 2,000 words, try writing something else, anything. Because once you start writing, you’ll keep going and that’s the amazing thing. It takes a person with discipline to write every single day for three hours. That’s amazing discipline.

In Conclusion…

There is a learning curve when it comes to writing. On one hand, you’re always improving your skills. And on the other hand, you’re writing.

I would advise you to write as much as you can. That’s the fastest way you’re going to learn. If you want to be a better writer; write!

The secret to combating writer’s block is writing. Literally, write anything. You’ll be surprised by how quickly inspiration comes back.