Becoming a Better Writer

Writing a book is a daunting task, regardless of your skill level. The truth is it takes a lot of hard work and practice. This can be pretty misleading because it looks so freaking easy. 

Pick an idea, write the idea, publish the idea, make thousands of dollars, and one day- rule the world. It’s as simple as that, right?

Unfortunately, things that need doing are often done by people who are skilled at them. And if someone is skilled, than they will have an easier time than someone who isn’t.

Basically, if you’re reading a book that looks like it was a breeze to write, that means whoever wrote it did their homework.

So the question is, how do you go about becoming a better writer? 

Well, the only thing that separates the beginners from the doers is an easily attainable thing called experience.

“Trying and failing, losing interest and motivation, scrapping ideas and giving up. This isn’t part of failure, this is part of the process. It doesn’t mean you’ve lost. It means your story isn’t finished yet.”   

– Some Idiot

So How Do You Get This Experience the Kids are All Talking About?

There is an old saying:

“The first million words are practice.” 

This is a terrifying thought because- well, that’s a lot of words. For context, the entire Hunger Games series is around three-hundred-thousand words, the complete Lord of the Rings Series is just under five-hundred-thousand and the entire Harry Potter series is about a million.

So what does this mean? Well, when you’ve decided to embark on your writing journey a writing official will present you with thirty-eight leather-bound books for you to fill up and once you’ve reached your million words, he tells you the real secret was inside of you all along and hence forwards your gifted with creative writing ability.

No wait, that’s an underwhelming YA plot idea. If anyone like that shows up at your door- run.

The real truth is there is no real fixed number you have to reach before you get to the desired writing level. The actual word count doesn’t matter as much as the practice you put into it. Writing is like anything else in life- the more you do it, the better you get.

So the best advice I can give is to tell you to practice.

Then What the Heck is this Blog for?

Practice makes perfect, but you don’t have to go it alone. One of the best ways you can keep your motivation is by engaging in the writing community with other writers. When I was finishing my novel, I immersed myself in the writing world. Following writing, blogs helped me improve as a writer and stay focused on my goal.

 It may sound like a lot of work, but when you are doing what you love, it all feels worthwhile.

So, if you are ready to get started becoming a better writer, there’s no time like the present.

Let’s get started!

Be sure to check out my personal favorite, NaNoWriMo or National November Writing Month. Aspiring writers from all over the world sign up to write a novel in one month. They offer writing communities, free books, opportunities to publish, and prizes. Famous authors like Rainbow Rowell wrote her novel Fangirl through it. It’s non-profit, free to enter, and offers great resources for writers of all kinds. If you haven’t heard of it, I highly recommend you check it out here!

If you are in need of a beta reader, critique partner, or proofreader, check out CritiqueMatch. I wish someone had told me about this site back when I was sloshing through the internet, trying to find someone to beta my chapters. This site will let you match with other writers, editors, and artists who are looking to grow their skill. It’s free (they also offer a paid editor/ beta match) and you can match with hundreds of writers. Check it out here!

And of course, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter. The Aspiring Writer’s Toolbox, if you want free writing advice, delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up here!