Improve Your Fiction Writing
Eight Tips to Help You Get Better
Writing fiction is an art form. And just like any other skill, you need to practice and hone your abilities to become a more skilled writer. If you want your fiction writing skills to go from amateur to expert, try implementing these eight tips into your routine. With practice, dedication and time, you can develop excellent fiction writing skills that will put you well on the path to becoming a professional writer one day.
ONE | Reading
Reading is an excellent way to get into the mind of a talented writer, as well as get inspired to write yourself. Reading widely will help you understand what makes a piece of writing successful and give you a good idea of what you need to do to emulate that success. By reading fiction, particularly that which is outside your preferred genre, it can help you improve your writing in several ways. It’s a great way to develop your language and vocabulary, and can also help you explore other types of narrative and writing structures. Reading can also help you develop your critical thinking skills, helping you to understand how and why certain pieces of writing are successful, or why they fall flat.
TWO | Find your voice and stick to it
When you’re just starting out, it’s easy to get caught up in trying to emulate the writing styles of your favourite authors. While it’s fine to start out by emulating your favourite authors and their styles, it’s important that you find your own voice as a writer. You will have much more success if you find your voice and stick to it, rather than trying to be like someone else. Every writer has a distinct voice, a different way of telling their story. It’s important that you find your own voice and use it to the best of your abilities.
THREE | Write, write, write
There’s no better way to improve your writing than by writing. You’ll need to put in the practice to really hone your skills, and you can’t improve without putting in the time and effort necessary to master your craft. You’ll need to write regularly, and with the right mindset, you can turn your writing into a rewarding hobby. There’s no set number of words per day that you have to write in order to improve. Everyone is different, and everyone improves at their own rate. The important thing is that you’re writing regularly and frequently. If you do that, the rest will come with time.
FOUR | Don’t be afraid to delete
As you write and edit your work, you’ll notice that there are certain parts of your writing you’re not entirely happy with. You’ll likely have entire paragraphs or even chapters that aren’t working. There’s no shame in deleting those portions of your work. You can always go back and edit them back in later. Don’t be afraid to delete them right away, though, if you know they don’t work. Even the best writers make mistakes. You will too, but know that cutting and revamping is just part of the process.
Five | Learn the art of editing
As you edit your work, make sure you’re not just editing for spelling and grammar issues, but for sentence structure and clarity, flow and coherence of ideas, cohesiveness of paragraphs, and more. Editing is an art form, and it’s important that you get good at it in order to improve your writing. It’s a misconception that editing is something you do at the end of the writing process. Rather, editing should be a part of every step of the writing process. Always be looking for mistakes and ways to improve your work. Check the flow of your writing. Make sure that it makes sense and isn’t confusing. Look for sections that you can edit down or cut entirely; and look for repetitive words or ideas that you can remove or change.
NOTE: hire a professional editor whenever possible.
SIX | Develop a routine
Writing and editing a novel is a time-consuming process. You may have a full-time job and a family at home that you need to attend to as well. In order to fit your writing into your schedule, it’s important that you develop a routine and stick to it as closely as possible. If you have a set time each day that you write, you’ll be much more likely to get those words down on paper. Similarly, if you have a set time, each week that you edit your work, you’ll be more likely to get it done. If you have a set time, every month when you schedule a meeting with your writing group, you’ll be much more likely to follow through on those commitments.
SEVEN | Use writing apps and software
Writing apps and software, such as Scrivener, can be a very helpful tool during the writing process. They can help you keep track of your plot and characters, your research, and even give you a way to track your progress and see your word count at a glance. Using tools such as this can help you keep track of your progress and make sure you’re staying on track, as well as provide you with some helpful reminders to keep writing. Writing apps can also be helpful for editing your work. They can help you keep track of your edits and provide you with some helpful tools for ensuring you’re editing thoroughly. If you’re digitally editing your work, you can also use these apps to track your progress and see your edits at a glance.
EIGHT | Collaborate with others
As you’re writing, it’s important to stay in touch with other writers. If you belong to a writing group that meets regularly, try to attend the next meeting. If you don’t belong to a local writing group, Internet forums are another excellent way to stay in touch with other writers. Being part of a writing community can help keep you motivated, support you when you’re feeling down or get writer’s block, and help you learn from the experiences and knowledge of others. Collaborating with others on writing projects is another excellent way to improve your skills. If you’re working on a novel with a friend, you can share ideas, bounce ideas off of each other, and learn from each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
Conclusion
There’s no one way to improve your writing skills. Different methods work for different people. It’s important that you find what works for you and stick to it. Reading broadly, particularly outside of your preferred genre, can help you develop as a writer. Writing regularly and editing your work are both important parts of the process. Whenever you’re working on a new piece of writing, it’s important that you know what you want to achieve. You want to stay focused on the end goal and don’t get caught up in focusing on the smaller details along the way.
Before you go, be sure to check out my books.
