Five Ways to Become a Better Writer
Writing well doesn’t happen overnight, or even in years. In fact, I still have many more years to go myself. However, I have picked up some helpful guideposts to move in that direction.
It costs nothing, it’s fairly easy, but you have to devote a lot of time to this noble endeavor. A lot of time, that is. Don’t worry because this shouldn’t discourage you. Shakespeare spent years creating his masterpieces; Charles Dickens devoted his life to it; and Melville may or may have not succeeded as well.
Er… I only joke about Melville because he undoubtedly wrote beautifully and poetically, but Moby Dick is sort of a pain. Let’s not waste anymore time. Here are five ways to boost your writing abilities.
Write First, Edit Later. Writers too often chunk out their words but wear out the backspace button, as they attempt to edit on-the-go. Don’t hinder the thought gears with formality breaks. Write everything you can, then you edit, and edit again, so on and so forth.
It’s Not Shameful to Use a Dictionary or Thesaurus In fact, it’s simply necessary. Most word processors and/or operating systems include a dictionary and thesaurus. In Word, you simply right click and toggle down to “Synonyms” for a thesaurus. My German professor once showed me his English dictionary, in which highlighter ink covered most of the pages. “If I look a word up,” he said, “I underline it. If I look it up again, I put it on a notecard and memorize it.” Danke, Professor Mueller.
Read, Read, and Read More. It is truly better to give than receive, but on the other hand, you cannot give when you never receive. Take some time and research. If you’re stuck, pause a moment, take a break, then hit the books – or your web browser. Spend a few hours each day reading, make appropriate notations, and you’ll never be without something to write or, at least, practice writing.
Create. Do Not Generate. If you want to make it as a writer in today’s age, you most likely have a day job as well. If writing is your day job as well, then the market probably demands too much from you. Capitalism doesn’t translate words into dollars as well as we would like. However, you should remember that writing is an art. Don’t become a gear in the crank and burn yourself out for the sake of production. All writing, from manuals to reference work, requires creativity, and to better yourself, don’t bog yourself down with over production.
Become an Editor. I suggest this, not as a profession, but as a hobby for practice. Reading someone else’s work for the sake of improvement will often highlight both our strengths and weaknesses. Also, one can easily overlook mistakes and stylistic faux pas’s when editing your own work because your mind presupposes and anticipates the entire text. Partner up with another writer and build community, and let iron sharpen iron.
These are just my mere opinions, and I know there are other effective methods out there to help improve your writing. However, I have found these to be the most helpful, and I wish to share them with you. I might even suggest psychopharmeceuticals – those within the law of course. Pour some coffee into your eccentrically decorated mug and sneak a cigarette when your wife isn’t around. Disclaimer: smoking can kill and harms children of nursing mothers. Have fun writing.
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