5 Tips to Improve as a Writer

Writing is a skill, like many others, that requires practice to perfect. Follow these tips to increase and improve your literary output!

1. WRITE EVERY DAY!
This is probably the most dished out piece of advice when it comes to helping someone improve their writing skills, and for good reason. Exercise the writing portion of your brain daily! The most successful writers are often the most prolific. It makes sense, doesn’t it? The best way to get great at anything is to do it often. Get into the habit of writing everyday by seeking prompts, that way you won’t just stare at a blank document and rack your brain for a theme to write about. So…

2. Seek prompts
There are many websites out there that give writers a challenge to write about something. Wether it be, “What is your earliest childhood memory?” or “What day has so far affected your life most?”, the idea is to get the creative juices flowing. Make use of these free resources. They might often prompt you to write and think about something you otherwise wouldn’t have thought of on your own.

3. Write what you know
There’s a reason some of the best writers have led interesting lives. It’s much easier to write about something you have personal experience and knowledge of than to try to imagine and create from an outsider’s perspective. When you focus and put out material relevant to the things you consider most important, it comes of as expert testimony. Also, when you take it more seriously, you tend to put more of your heart into the work. Conversely…

4. Get out of your comfort zone
It may seem like a negation of the previous tip, but don’t think of either as mutually exclusive. When you put yourself in situations alien to your every day life, you may find you have takes on things you never even considered. Plus, it’ll help you become a more well-rounded individual than if you only pay interest to a select few things you already like. You may come to learn that you have a good ear for music you never appreciated before, or an eye for fashion, or tongue for the culinary arts. The point it, try something new. It will definitely give you some writing fodder.

5. Revisit your work
You may write something and never read it again. We all do. But sometimes, there are gems in the works we leave gathering dust beneath our desks. Even if the whole piece doesn’t exactly work, there may be some clever turns of phrases within them or quirky wording that you can apply to other pieces you consider more significant. Go through old emails, read the back pages of your notebooks where you let your brain leak onto paper, and check out older conversations with friends and family. Even in the rare case you don’t come across something you can reuse, it’s never a waste of time to reexamine the people and events in your life. You may even reconnect with an old acquaintance!

Most importantly, to become a better writer the best thing to do is to simply write. And write often. The more you write, the better you’ll write. It takes a while for an author to “find their voice”. Expedite the process by never letting slip the opportunity to flex your literary muscle. Have time between class? Work on your journal or to-do list. Waiting in line at the bank? Write memos to yourself on your smart phone to reflect on later. Your future publisher will thank you.