To develop writing skills you need to be doing a few things. You need to be writing, reading and learning.
Let’s break these down a bit further shall we?
Writing
If you’re not actively writing it’s going to be hard for you to improve. The saying ‘practise makes perfect’ didn’t become a cliché by being incorrect; it’s the cold, hard truth. The more you write, the more you will improve.
Reading
As a writer you also need to be a reader. This helps with expanding your creativity and your knowledge of writing. You will read books you can’t put down and you will read books you find hard to pick up again.
What’s the difference between the two?
Where did the author who wrote the ‘hard to pick up’ book go wrong?
How do you think they can fix the issue?
Don’t just think they should scrap that book and start again. If you want to be a great writer you need to dig deeper into the problem, find the issue and consider how you would fix this issue if it was your writing.
Then apply what you learned to your own writing.
Learning
Writing and reading are part of learning to be a better writer, but there are other things you can do to improve your writing.
A great way to improve your writing is critiquing. My book Better Critiquing for Better Writing will tell you everything a writer should know about critiquing with examples of how to do it. If you just want a brief overview check out: The Basics of Critiquing a Book.
Interact with other writers and go to writing events such as workshops, writing conferences and retreats, book launches and much more. Be creative and look around for what you can find, but remember to be smart with your money. Not every course or workshop is going to be good quality and teach you the skills you want to learn. Remember to always do your research before you commit to something: find out what they offer, what it will teach you and make sure it’s a reputable business.
I have a free email course to get you started on the right track.
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