5 Things to Improve Your Writing. You’re struggling. We all are. But here are…
5 Things to Improve Your Writing Career
Simple in concept, but not necessarily simple in practice, but each of these five things will help your writing and your writing career. The line through, if you will, is LEARNING. Always learning. That’s something you can focus on in a myriad of ways that will get you further in your career.
Read (Tips 1 and 2)
- Read craft books. You can learn a lot by simply reading. And who doesn’t like to read? A couple of my favorites are On Writing by Stephen King, Thanks, But This Isn’t For Us by Jessica Page Morrell, and Gentle Writing Advice by Chuck Wendig.
- Read in your genre. You want to write contemporary romance? Read contemporary romance. You want to write science fiction, then read it, and read the specific type of scifi you are writing. If you want to write a space opera, then read that. The point is, be familiar with the tropes of your genre, the cover art, the types of characters that are popular, and the pacing that people seem to like. But, caveat emptor: Don’t just imitate it. Adapt it to write your story. Having an understanding of what a genre sounds and feels like gives you the opportunity to turn it on its head, or change something, but to do so with purpose and understanding of what it is you are subverting.
Meet People
- Go to conventions. This is easily the most expensive of all the actions you can take. Travel. Hotels. Food. PTO. It costs a lot. But it is undoubtedly the best opportunity you have to meet people and make connections. Pick one or two you can reasonably afford and start there. And don’t be afraid to talk to people. That’s what they’re there for as well. Also, many conventions have virtual components now. Those are great for folks who are watching their pennies, and also for folks with disabilities. I highly recommend starting with some virtual sessions. (Recommendation for a Writing Conference is SAGA: https://sagaconference.com/)
Write More
- Write more,without editing. Writing more is simply good advice but I’m adding a tiny extra. Write without editing. Set a timer for twenty minutes and write without stopping. Don’t go back and edit the next day. Just start up again. Who cares if it is good? It probably won’t be, but some of it may be amazing and you can take that part out and make something new. You’ll generate a handful of great words if you write a lot of crap first. It’s like panning for gold.
Never Run Out of Ideas
- Keep a notebook of things you hear or read that strike you or make you laugh. I keep a list in my phone’s Notes app. Pretend you hear someone at the grocery store say, “My, that’s a big head of lettuce!” And the person with them says back, “Not as big as that zucchini!” And then they get into an argument about how can you compare a round thing to a long thing, and you’re biting your tongue as no one comes up with idea of weighing it. Write that stuff down. You never know when you’re going to need those tiny pieces of inspiration.
Also read: Things I’ve Learned As A Slush Reader
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