by Felicity Annora

 

Hey guys! I’m back again with my self-help posts, and this time I’m going to tell you you how to become a better writer instantly. I know it sounds like one of those bad “get-rich-quick” gimmicks that you find in commercials- and you’d absolutely right. But this time, the tips and tricks are real and they truly are things that help you improve  your writing quickly.

So without further ado, here they are:

 

#1. Write What You Enjoy.

*Brains explode in the background*

I know- what a mind blowingly new concept!

But in all seriousness, people do make the mistake of writing about what they don’t really care for- and it shows. It doesn’t matter if you’re writing an essay or writing a book. If you write what intrests you, you get a better product because you’re willing to put the effort or research in to make it good. So if you have the choice to choose what you’re writing about, be sure it’s something you enjoy.

Even if it’s about Bigfoot or aliens.

 

#2. Ask For Advice.

Asking for advice is one of the biggest things that you can do to get better quickly. It shows you’re willing to listen to others’ opinions which could potentially influence the way you write for the rest of your life. I’ve gotten quite a bit of advice from my writing friends and family over the course of a few years, and it’s really impacted me in a big way.

Just be sure that you ask nice and trust worthy people for advice. There have been plenty of people who’s asked for opinions, and they weren’t helpful or nice- those types of people can suffocate a writer’s love for writing faster than a smelly fart in a hot car.

Acceptable type of answers:

“I really love your dialogue, but I think your descriptions are kinda wordy. How do you think you can fix this?”

“Your descriptions are done very well, but I’m getting weird character conflictions off of your writing. Do you want me to tell you some of the ways to fix that?”

 

Unacceptable type of answers:

“Your writing sucks. Stop writing. You’ll never get any better.”

“Your writing is boring. Fix it.”

A good advice giver will try to help you through your problems. A bad advice giver will tell you that your writing stinks without telling you what the problems are or how to fix it.

However, don’t automatically assume that the advice they give is bad when they tell you the negitives about your writing. Knowing what others think of as a problem can be beneficial to keep in the back of your head as you’re editing your final product.

 

#3. Accept The Advice.

Knowing is one thing, doing is another.

Don’t leave good advice go to waste. If someone took the time to help identify the issues in your writing and gave advice to help you combat them, not only is it a sucker punch to the person that helped you to ignore it, but it can really hurt your chances of making your writing even better!

Bob asked for advice. Bob got good advice back, but Bob decided not to use what he learned in his writing. Bob didn’t use the advice because his ego got in the way. Bob’s friends are annoyed because they wasted time with Bob.

Don’t be like Bob. Don’t let your ego get in the way. Understand that we can grow and get better with whatever we’re doing.

 

#4. Take Notes On What You Like As You Read.

This is one of the funest ways to improve your writing almost instantly. If you’re a writer, it’s very probable that you like to read. And if you like to read, you’ve probably already found a favorite story.

So if you’ve found your favorite story, here’s a little thing for you to do in your free time- look for what you like in the story/ies you love. What makes you love the story? The awesome characters? The great description? The relatable situations the characters are in? The witty dialogue?

Find what you like as you read, then use those things in your  writing. It kinda goes hand-in-hand with “Write what you enjoy,” only you’re specifically finding and cherry picking what you enjoy to add to your writing.

And I’m not saying to steal lines, phrases, or quotes from those stories. That’s plagiarism, and plagiarism is not okay because that’s stealing, and stealing is wrong. All I’m saying is to find the elements in your favorite reading material that you love, then add those elements to your own work.

We clear?

Good!

Let’s get on to the last tip that I have for you.

 

#5. Take Notes On What You Don’t Like As You Read.

Not only should you be looking for the stuff that you like in the stories you love, but be sure you make notes about what you don’t like also.

I think it’s safe to say that all of us readers hate a bad novel or conclusion. What makes it bad to you? Was it your favorite character dying? Was there too much suspension of belief? Was it the bad plot? Was there not enough romance? Too much romance?

Pay attention to even the smallest things as you read. It’ll keep you from making the same mistakes that others have made.

 

*Harry Potter SPOILERS*

For instance- WHY JK. ROWLING? WHY? WHY HEDWIG, SNAPE, FRED, SERIOUS, LUPIN, TONKS, AND DUMBLEDORE?

… I might be a little salty. *wipes tears from eyes*

*SPOILERS OVER*

 

So that’s about it! It’s good to be back creating quality content rather than the slapdash posts that I’ve been making for awhile. Once again, thanks for much for staying to read my posts!

 

 

 

Guest post contributed by Felicity Annora. Along with being a musician, artist, and singer, Felicity also blogs about the art of writing. She’s also the contributing author to Whimsical Wordsmiths.