Becoming a Writer
Four Important Practices Guranteed to Develop Your Writing Skills
Writing is not just accomplished through inspiration. Writers create at their peak when they follow regular practices that strengthen their connection to their art form.
Many people, including writers themselves, believe that writing is only accomplished in a fortuitous moment of inspiration. They feel that to begin their poem, novel or play they must be struck by the lightning rod of excitement before pen can be put to page. While a work of art is always improved by the presence of obsession, enchantment and a depth of involvement, one must often write to find this state, not wait for it. These four practices can assist you to make the creation of art part of your life, not a special occasion activity.
Write Every Day
For a creative writer, it is crucial to establish a schedule for your art. If you procrastinate, then the manuscript will probably never get written. Writing early in the morning, or first thing in the day, is often best. That way, your writing is prioritized.
Whether you write for a half an hour or three, do so on a regular basis. In the morning, your mind is fresh. Waiting until the evening can often cause frustration; you may be tired or other plans may have appeared to interrupt your routine. Once you've had your writing session, the rest of the day can be filled with a sense of accomplishment and pride. Alternating between manuscripts or genres, instead of working on the same piece every day, can also keep your writing invigorated. Don't forget to take time to revise your work too!
Keep a Writing Journal
Wherever you go, take a notebook with you. Whether plain or fancy, lined or blank, it doesn't matter as long as it's large enough to write your ideas down in and small enough to be portable. Some writers use their journal to express their feelings about the writing life. Others make lists of new words, quotes, dreams they had, conversations they overheard or any other source of stimuli for their writing.
The important thing is to be aware of the world around you and write down lines or ideas when they enter your mind. If you wait, they will likely be forgotten. Everything is a potential source for a project or manuscript. Process is at least as significant as the end result.
Read Regularly
There's a fear among some creative writers that reading has a negative effect on their writing. They think that they will be influenced, overwhelmed or distracted by reading other writers. The truth is the opposite, however. Reading is one's main source of education as a writer; other authors are one's deepest teachers.
If you read a wide range of genres and styles, you won't be overly influenced by any one in particular. Instead, the fusion of your sources will combine to create a new way of writing. Study the books you read for ways that the authors incorporate dialogue, sketch out descriptions or evolve character. Your writing will grow under this tutelage. In the process, you will join a community of authors and begin to comprehend the connections between your work and the work of other creators across centuries, genders and countries.
Attend Literary Events and Writers' Groups
Writers can spend a lot of time at home, chained to their desks. Important in developing your skills as a writer is attending poetry readings, author launches and signings and other mediums for artistic expression, such as plays, dances and concerts.
With poetry especially, it's important to hear the genre read aloud. You will gain confidence in your own rhythms, pacing and breath work when you listen to proficient artists perform. Opportunities for developing your own performance style will also be available. Through such events you will come into contact with other writers.
Join a writer's group where you can critique each other's poems or stories. Your work will grow stronger and so will your sense of lived artistic communities. Inspiration is wonderful, but rare. Establishing writing practices will make your art essential to your daily life. Your productivity has no excuse but to rise!
