Tips to Instantly Improve Your Writing

How do you go from being a good writer…to a great writer?

The longstanding advice of creating a daily writing practice and reading widely still holds true, but there are a few other things we can all do to quickly improve our writing.

Here are our top three tips to instantly improve your writing:

1.     Write in Short Sprints

If you enjoy writing for hours upon hours then please do continue. However, if you find the pressure of the blank page to be a deterrent, rather than an inspiration, then give the ‘pomodoro technique’ a chance.

By writing in 20-30 minute bursts and then taking a break, you motivate your brain in a race against the clock, you avoid procrastination (the thief of joy, remember) and then you allow your mind a crucial breather, which can positively influence your creativity – allowing some time to work through character development, perspective and all those wonky writer problems that seem unsurmountable when your engaged in actually writing.

2.     Plan for Success

‘A goal without a plan is just a wish’ – Antoine de Saint-Exupery

It may sound more creative to simply spill your imagination out onto a blank page, but it’s also much harder to harness that unchecked imagination into a publishable and cohesive narrative.

At the very least, understanding your beginning, middle and end is crucial to crafting a strong story. You may also benefit from outlining the key moments, pivotal scenes and a chapter by chapter synopsis.

3.     Write Your Worst Work

Accept that you will write a lot of rubbish, subpar and insignificant work along the way – give yourself permission to write the good, bad and awful without judgement.

To reach the great writing, we often have to wade through the mediocre – many potentially wonderful writers give up before they find their stride, casting work aside or editing it to death. Understand that not everything you produce will be good – but that there can still be elements of fantastic writing hidden within. Becoming a better writer lies in building upon those nuggets of excellence, but to do so you need to get it ALL out into the page.

Keep writing!

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