These writing tips cover the basics and the most important aspects of writing.
- Do it. Write.
- Read as much and as often as you can. Remember, every writer is a reader first.
- Keep a journal or notebook handy at all times so you can jot down all of your brilliant ideas.
- Make sure you have a dictionary and thesaurus available whenever you are writing.
- Be observant. The people and activities that surround you will provide you with great inspiration for characters, plots, and themes.
- Invest in a few valuable resources starting with The Chicago Manual of Style, and The Elements of Style.
- Grammar: learn the rules and then learn how to break them effectively.
- Stop procrastinating. Turn off the TV, tune out the rest of the world, sit down, and write.
- Read works by highly successful authors to learn what pleases publishers and earns a pretty penny.
- Read works by the canonical authors so you can understand what constitutes a respectable literary achievement.
- Join a writers’ group so you can gain support from the writing community and enjoy comradery in your craft.
- Create a space in your home especially for writing.
- Proofread everything at least three times before submitting your work for publication.
- Write every single day.
- Start a blog. Use it to talk about your own writing process, to share your ideas and experiences, or to publish your work to a reading audience.
- Subscribe to writing blogs on the Internet. Read them, participate, and enjoy!
- Use writing exercises to improve your skills, increase your talent, and explore different genres, styles, and techniques.
- Let go of your inner editor. When you sit down to write a draft, refrain from proofreading until that draft is complete.
- Allow yourself to write poorly, to write a weak, uninteresting story or a boring, grammatically incorrect poem. You’ll never succeed if you don’t allow yourself a few failures along the way.
- Make it your business to understand grammar and language. Do you know a noun from a verb, a predicate from a preposition? Do you understand tense and verb agreement? You should.
- You are a writer so own up and say it out loud: “I am a writer.” Whether it’s a hobby or your profession, you have the right to this title.
- Write, write, write, and then write some more. Forget everything else and just write.