If you’re wondering how to become a writer or how to write a novel, rest assured you are not alone. Lots of people feel like they have a story to tell, but they’re not sure how to tell it. Anyone can sit down and start writing some words on a piece of paper.
However, the physical act of writing is not what makes one a writer.
There are several elements involved in writing something good and there several elements that you should consider if you want to fully understand how to become a better writer.
There are six things you can do to be a better (ahem, more effective) writer. The following is what I recommend (click the links to read articles on each subject):
1) Read. Good writers read. It’s that simple. Words are the lifeblood of great writing. There’s no way to get good without lots of valuable input.
2) Get an editor. A good writer recognizes he needs help. He can’t do this on his own (neither can you). You need to get someone to critique your writing, someone you trust. I suggest a peer editor for starters.
3) Capture ideas. A good writer is constantly gathering creative input. Ideas are the inspiration for artists and writers. You need to have a system for collecting them. A great tool to help you do this is Evernote.
4) Write every day. This cannot be overlooked. It’s essential. You can’t get good without practice. Even if only for a few minutes, you need to write every single day.
5) Rewrite. An essential part of writing is rewriting, distilling the fluff down to some core content that will actually make a difference. This is hard, but important. Stephen King calls this “killing your darlings.” And for good reason. It ain’t pretty. But it’s necessary.
6) Get inspired. Learn from other writers, see their techniques, their successes, get inspired from anything that they are doing.
Have you ever wondered why some writers are more successful than others?
All my life I always wanted to be a writer. I did not, however, associate being a writer with being rich. All I wanted to do was read and tell stories. Don't feel you need to go from 1 to 100 when writing. Everything great takes time.
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