I failed English 101 in college, but I’ve written thousands of articles since then. It’s taken many years to hone my skills as a writer, but I still have plenty to learn. The good news is that no matter what level you’re at in your career, there’s always something new for writers to discover about their craft.
In this article, we’ll go over some of the tips and tricks that helped me become a better writer while also touching on how they can apply to yours.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| Embrace failure as a learning opportunity. |
| Develop a growth mindset towards writing challenges. |
| Experiment with different writing techniques and styles. |
| Seek feedback and constructive criticism for improvement. |
| Practice consistently to refine your creative writing skills. |
| Overcome self-doubt and keep pushing forward in your writing. |
| Use setbacks as motivation to improve and persevere. |
| Emphasize creativity and authenticity in your writing. |
| Remember that success in writing takes time and dedication. |
Editing Can Be Fun
Editing is not the same as writing. It’s a different process and it requires a different mindset than creating something new. Editing is about refining what you have already written, so it’s not just about checking for mistakes or making sure that you spelled everything correctly (although both are very important).
Editing is the process of making your writing better with each rewrite, which starts with being aware of what’s working and what isn’t, then making changes accordingly until your work is truly ready to publish.
Improving creative writing skills requires dedication and practice. Explore these 17 essential tips I’ve gathered to help enhance your writing abilities and storytelling techniques. Dive into the details on how to improve creative writing skills and start honing your craft.
Give Yourself A Deadline
Whether you’re writing a book or blog post, deadlines can be very helpful. Having a deadline makes it easier to stay focused and get things done in a timely fashion.
For example, let’s say you want to write a novel but don’t know where to start. The first step would be figuring out how long your book should be (i.e., the word count).
Then, once you have this number, decide if there are any milestones along the way that will help keep you focused on finishing before your deadline arrives (for example: “I will finish this chapter by Saturday at midnight” or “I will have my first draft completed by next Thursday morning by 8 am).
Write Without Worrying About What People Think Of Your Story
Write what you want to write.
This is the most important tip I can give you, and it will probably be the hardest one for you to follow. Writers are supposed to be creative, but there’s a stigma attached to writing something that isn’t safe or expected.
No writer wants to hear “I didn’t like your story because…” or “Why do people keep complaining about how much of a cliché this book is? It’s not even published yet!”
But if you want your work to truly stand out from others, then why are you so concerned with being accepted? Why are people’s opinions of your work more important than whether or not it works?
Don’t worry about whether what you’re writing will get published by a publisher. Don’t worry about whether people will enjoy reading it (that should come second). And don’t worry about what other people think of it (they won’t care anyway). Just write whatever comes naturally don’t edit yourself along the way and let fate decide what happens next!
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Look Up The Style That You Like To Give Yourself Prompts And Ideas
One of the best ways to learn how to be a writer is by reading. Find a style that you like and read it, so you can get inspiration for your writing.
If there’s something that helped me become a better writer, it was reading what I love.
As much as possible, join communities where people share their work and encourage each other. Failing English 101 will make most college students want to drop out of school; but if you can find one friend who encourages you through creative writing classes and assignments, then everything else becomes possible!
Also, permit yourself to write whatever comes into your mind even if it’s nonsense or gibberish at first! You’re not being graded on it right now; just let go and see where this goes.
Start With A Simple Idea, Then Add To It And See What Happens
One of the best ways to get started is to start with an idea. It can be as simple as what you might write in a title or blurb, or it could be a full-on synopsis. The point is that you have an idea in your head about what you want to write about and now you just need to get it out onto paper.
Once you have the bare bones of where you’re going, then add some meat to those bones! Start brainstorming ideas for characters and places and events that are important in this new world of yours (this tip will come up again soon).
You don’t have to know everything right away just make sure there’s enough information so everyone reading understands what’s going on.
The key here is consistency: if things change too much from one paragraph or sentence into another paragraph/sentence then readers will feel like they’re being jerked around instead of following a clear narrative path through whatever story they’re supposed.
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Go Back And Edit If You Think It Needs More Detail
Editing and proofreading are different. Editing is when you look at your writing as a whole and make sure it flows, edits out any typos or grammatical errors, and makes sense. Proofreading is when you go over individual lines looking for mistakes.
Rewriting and revising are also different things. Revising is making small changes to improve the flow of your writing (for example by adding transitions) while rewriting would be going through an entire piece from scratch so that it’s better than before.
It’s important to edit before publishing anything; this shows that you care about your work enough to make sure it’s up to standard before sharing it with others!
Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Help!
If you’re struggling, don’t be afraid to ask for help. You are not alone! There are a lot of people who want to help you and there are a lot of people who have been there before. We all make mistakes, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from them or help others when they struggle too.
The more you write, the better you will get at it! The more experiences you have in life, the more interesting and unique your writing will become!
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Take Care Of Yourself First
This is probably the single most important tip on this list: take care of yourself first. As a writer, it’s easy to get caught up in the stress and anxiety that comes with writing.
But if you don’t eat right, sleep enough and exercise regularly, how can you expect your mind to be clear enough for a good story? You need to be able to focus on one thing at a time in your story and not let any other distractions or drama affect that.
The same goes for social media. Don’t waste time scrolling through Instagram or Facebook instead of writing! If something interesting comes up in your feed, put down the phone and come back later when there’s actual work to do (if it needs attention).
And lastly…don’t let your inner critic take over either! It’s easy for me as someone who writes about what she likes best here at Thrillist (drinking) but also gets messages from people asking where they should go out tonight.
Get Over Your Inner Critic
Many people have an inner critic, who lives inside their heads and is always telling them that they’re not good enough. But you can get over your inner critic, too. If you want to be creative and put yourself out there as a writer (or any other form of the artist), then don’t let the voice in your head stop you from doing what you love!
You’ll find that once you’ve overcome this obstacle, it becomes much easier to share your writing with others and continue improving as a writer.
Draft First; Edit Later
There’s a reason why the first draft is called the “rough draft.” You want to get your ideas out onto paper before you start polishing them up and making them nice. Once they’re on paper, if you see something that doesn’t sound right or make sense, go back and fix it.
Don’t worry about getting it perfect just try to make sure your writing makes sense and flows well from one idea to another (or paragraph to paragraph).
- Write what comes naturally.
When I was in college I took an English class where we had to write about our favorite foods for three weeks straight as part of some kind of project for the class (I think).
They were supposed to be creative essays about how food relates to our lives or something like that but I barely wrote anything at all because my professor made us use other people’s examples from past years on how they wrote those kinds of essays! And then she’d grade them according to how similar they were
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Use Social Media To Share Your Writing
If you’re not sure where to start sharing your writing, social media is a good bet. You can post work-in-progress pieces on Facebook and Twitter, share link roundups of the most interesting articles and essays on Medium, or join a group of fellow writers on Goodreads.
You’ll also find new readers people who are interested in what you have to say but haven’t yet read your book or short story collection. Your biggest challenge will be separating the ones who are just being nice from those who are looking forward to reading what’s next from you.
Find A Community Of Writers
This is probably the most important tip on this list. To become a better writer, you need people who are as passionate about writing as you are. You need people who will challenge you, inspire you, and give constructive feedback on your work. If you’re doing it alone, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking everything is perfect (it’s not). So find yourself some like-minded friends!
Find A Writing Group Or Mentor
There are so many great groups out there for writers: local chapters of national organizations like Romance Writers Ink; online forums such as Absolute Write; monthly gatherings where participants share their work (these can be in person or via Skype).
These types of communities provide an invaluable opportunity to read other writers’ work while also receiving feedback from them and they’re free!
Give Yourself Permission To Write
We’re so busy living our lives, that it can be hard to carve out a few hours a day (or even an hour or two) to sit down and do something as simple as writing. But the more you write, the better you get at it. And the more you get better at something, the more likely it is that someone will want what you have to offer. Don’t have time? Make time!
Write in any way, about anything and for anyone who will listen to what comes out of your brain onto paper or into a computer screen – whether it makes sense or not (and sometimes, especially if it doesn’t).
When all else fails write anyway!
Read What You Love To Read
Reading is an excellent way to get inspired, but it can also be an effective tool for honing your writing skills. This is especially true when you’re working in a genre or subgenre that is new to you.
Whether you’re writing a sci-fi novel or memoir, reading books from other authors who are writing similar material will allow you to see what works and what doesn’t from their perspective. This will give you insight into their techniques and help organically guide your creative process without feeling like someone else has invaded your space and taken over!
Keep A Writing Journal
One of the most important things you can do is keep a writing journal. It doesn’t matter if it’s a physical notebook, a note in Evernote, or an app on your phone just write down everything that comes to mind when you’re working on your story. Ideas, inspirations, and even thoughts about what other people might think of your work.
Keep going back to that journal until the project is done because sometimes the best solutions come from the left field.
There Are Also Some Benefits To Keeping Track Of Your Progress As Well
When you’re stressed out about hitting deadlines or feeling like nothing is happening with the project (even if it isn’t), going back through previous entries will remind you how far along you’ve come since then and help put things in perspective again.
If someone asks for feedback on their writing process (which happens more often than not), being able to offer advice based on personal experience instead of guesswork makes an impression when talking about creative processes with others!
Read Anything And Everything
Reading is a great way to learn about the English language, and it’s also an excellent way to expand your vocabulary. As you read more and more, you’ll start to notice patterns in how words are used, which can help you be more creative with writing your own stories.
When reading for fun, try reading books that are outside of your comfort zone (in terms of genre or style). If you like fantasy novels but never read any sci-fi books before, try picking up one or two of those!
Or if all horror movies make you jump out of your seat and run away screaming but then again they scare the crap out of everyone else too then maybe pick up some vampire romance novels instead!
If there is anything I learned from my failed attempts at creative writing 101 as an undergraduate student at San Francisco State University it was this: Read anything and everything every day even if it scares us because we never know when inspiration will strike
Conclusion
We hope these tips will help you on your journey to becoming a better writer. Remember that the most important part of writing is just doing it! The second thing is to be open to feedback and criticism from others because this can help you improve as well. Lastly, remember that writing is something everyone should try at least once in their lifetime so don’t be afraid if things don’t work out immediately!
Further Reading
WordStream – Improve Your Writing Skills: Discover valuable insights and strategies to enhance your writing skills and become a more effective communicator.
Jerry Jenkins – Creative Writing Tips: Explore expert advice and tips for nurturing your creative writing abilities and crafting compelling stories.
The EdAdvocate – Keys to Passing English 101: Gain essential insights into excelling in your English 101 course and achieving success in college-level writing.
And here’s the FAQs section with questions and answers based on the semantic of the title:
FAQs
What are some tips to improve my writing skills?
Enhancing your writing skills involves consistent practice, reading widely, seeking feedback, and honing your grammar and vocabulary.
How can creative writing be nurtured?
Creative writing can be nurtured through exercises that stimulate imagination, reading diverse genres, and embracing experimentation in your writing style.
What are the keys to passing English 101 in college?
Succeeding in English 101 requires active participation in class discussions, effective time management, diligent reading and writing practices, and seeking help when needed.
How can I overcome challenges in creative writing?
Overcoming challenges in creative writing involves breaking down complex ideas, seeking inspiration from everyday life, and revising your work critically.
What strategies can help me excel in my college writing courses?
Excel in college writing courses by following assignment guidelines, organizing your ideas effectively, revising thoroughly, and using credible sources to support your arguments.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.