Become a Better Writer

To establish my credibility as a writer and ensure you that the tips you will read in this post are worthwhile, I want to say that I have written more than 500,000 words in my life so far, which includes the book that I am currently working on, stories, poetry, self-published blog articles and much more and I am about to turn 26. I know it is nothing compared to what other writers have written, but I can assure you it took a lot of courage and grit to write these many words, and I don't plan on stopping ever.

"Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout with some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand."

― George Orwell

Writing is not easy, and it never does get easy. George Orwell, in the above quote, sums it up quite comprehensively. If you are starting as a writer, let me ask you why you write or why you want to write? If your answer is related to money, I can promise you that your goal to become a writer will probably never bear fruit. If it doesn't pertain to money, dive into the tips below and become a better writer.

Remember, writing is a marathon, not a sprint.

1. Persevere

You resign yourself to write lots and lots of rubbish. You can become a better writer only after all the garbage is flushed out of your system. Sooner or later, you will hit what you should be doing.

You will face many rejections, which are part and parcel of being a writer. This rejection will make you stronger. Remember why you are driven to write whenever facing any failure. Writing can be rewarding in the long term because you live in your work even after you die.

Writing is not a career for people who are easily discouraged.

It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer.

- Albert Einstein

2. Daydream

A lot of writers dread the question, "Where do you get your ideas?" If you ask me, then I will probably freeze as I did when writing this particular paragraph and won't have any tangible answer to this question.

An idea is born out of inspiration, and this inspiration can take birth from many different places. However, I have realized that I get my best ideas when I am doing the most mundane tasks, such as showering, cleaning, turning, and tossing in my bed. A lot of ideas for a lot of people come confluence of two things flowing together.

In a nutshell, through daydreaming. Every human does daydream, but writers train themselves to notice these ideas over time.

Daydreaming is free, but you have to pay for everything else.

― Marty Rubin

3. Write and love your process

If you persevere enough and keep on writing, then you will define your process to write. It is imperative to have a process and not worry about the outcomes. If you love your process, then you won't have difficulties putting out the words.

Write whenever you get a chance. Don't sit and wait for the perfect opportunity to arrive. It never does. Create your own opportunities by continuously writing. Find satisfaction in your work.

For me, the fun of writing novels isn't in the finished product. All the books on the shelf are like dead skin.

- Stephen King

4. Distinguish Yourself from Others and Just Do It

Incorporate your personal legends and experiences when writing. Set yourself apart from others. Don't copy what others are doing but bring your personality to your writing. Don't be afraid of the newness you bring; embrace it. A creative genius is never understood the first time.

If somebody discourages you from doing anything, don't listen and bring life to your creation and put it out in the world for people to wonder.

Your obligation as a writer is to distinguish yourself. … The ultimate result should be a book that you write that no one else could have written.

- David Morrell

5. Don't Blow the Stakes Up

There is a tendency to make the stakes so high in an artistic endeavor that artists are terrified of failure. But remember that if a poem or an essay or a book you wrote bombed, then it doesn't take away your life from you. You are still here, looking forward to a brand new day.

Failure is essential to growth. If you don't fail, you don't learn what not to do.

It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all - in which case, you fail by default.

― J.K. Rowling

6. Read as much as you can

Lots of reading will allow you to recognize good writing and bad writing. Those are excellent things to have in your arsenal as a writer. Reading allows understanding the writing style of your favorite authors. You might imitate them when writing yourself, which is perfectly okay.

Somewhere on your journey as a writer, you will create your own style of writing, which I can assure won't be novel but an amalgamation of your inputs and your favorite author's writing styles.

Reading also opens the mind's eye to different avenues on how you can approach one thing in multiple ways.

"If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There's no way around these two things that I'm aware of, no shortcut."

― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Putting it all together

There are a plethora of writing tips. I shared the ones I conform to. These tips have helped me write without being forced and become a better writer every day.

• Persevere
• Daydream
• Write and love your process
• Distinguish Yourself from Others and Just Do It
• Don't Blow the Stakes Up
• Read as much as you can

Thank you for reading.