Blog 58: Build up Your Writing Skills

Hello there, you creative bunch! I hope you all enjoyed Valentine’s Day. Talking of love, did you know it's National Library Lover’s Month? I’ve mentioned before how reading is useful to help us improve our writing. Gaining extra knowledge can only make us better, right?

My eldest daughter is an artist; however, she gets offended when people tell her she's talented. Her reasoning is that she didn’t just pop out of the womb with a pencil, drawing masterpieces (which would have been quite painful for me). She spent years learning what to do and put in a lot of time, patience and effort practising and building up that skill.

Adding extra blocks to your mental tower can boost your confidence, make you more flexible, creative, and can even spark ideas of topics to write about, and ways to approach your work. You'll be happy to hear that there are several options available for you to gain extra knowledge. Want to know what they are? Of course you do! Here we go: -

1.    Read

Yeah, I'm saying it again. Embrace National Library Lover's Month, go forth and grab those books of fiction and books about writing: characters arcs, worldbuilding, dialogue, plot development etc are all good chunky blocks to pop on your tower. Want to improve in a specific genre, then read more books from that genre, but do it critically and take notes. For now, here are some recommended non-fiction books on writing that you can check out: -

• On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King: memoir and practical advice.

  
  

• Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody: plot structure.

  
  

• Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg: the practice of writing and overcoming creative blocks.

  
  

• Story Genius by Lisa Cron: creating a compelling story driven by character psychology.

  
  

• Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell: crafting gripping narratives.

  
  

• How to Write Dazzling Dialogue by James Scott Bell: making dialogue realistic and engaging.

  
  

• The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass: techniques for making stories resonate deeply.

  
  

• Steering the Craft by Ursula K. Le Guin: the mechanics of narrative, such as pacing and point of view. 

2.    Writing Courses

There are quite a few online courses you can get onto that cover all kinds of genres and writing topics: -

• Udemy

• BBC Maestro

• Reedsy

• Learn Direct

• Curtis Brown Creative

• Jericho Writers

Or if you have the money and there's something available, you could get yourself onto a Writing Retreat where you go away, usually to a scenic place to write with others while being given prompts and guidance to help you along your way. Or you could apply to college or university and take a Creative Writing course in person!

3.    Writing Group or Workshop

Writing can be a lonely business, so being part of a group can not only be useful for learning but also from a social point of view. You may be lucky enough to have a local writing workshop where you can join other likeminded people, and take part in writing exercises, share ideas, give and receive critique as well as support. But if you don’t, you can join a workshop or writing group online through Facebook. Or you could pay for a Writing Coach to assist you pinpoint the areas that need improvement or fine tuning.

4.    Feedback

Getting other people’s opinions on your work is crucial for you to progress. As I've said before, it can be difficult to critique your own work and look at it from a reader’s point of view. Therefore, an outsider’s perspective is required to find those areas that need to be strengthened. You can ask friends and family to read and feedback their opinions, however it's much more effective to ask people who don’t know you. Join a Beta reading group on Facebook or find one or two people online who will be able to tell you what works and what doesn’t.

5.    Competitions

Entering your stories into competitions gives you that little nudge to kick start your brain and get into a writing mindset. Some have a charge to submit but there are free ones out there. And several give you feedback, so you can learn how best to edit your story. A few of them have additional challenges, such as a hundred-word stories, rhyming stories or having to add a certain word or topic. These are great to push your creative boundaries and encourage you to explore something a little different. Prizes usually include money but also having your work published in a magazine or an anthology, so if you’re lucky, it can get you noticed as a writer and put you on a career path. Frequent competitions can be found at: -

• Globe Soup

• NYC Midnight

• Penguin Books

• New Writers

• Reedsy

• Jericho Writers

• Not Quite Write   

6.    Routine

Many famous writers say they have a writing routine. However, with kids, work, and life in general it can be difficult to fit additional tasks into your day. But, like my daughter, you need to put the time in to get the results. Like all successful routines it's best to fix a time in the day solely to work on your writing. Find a place that's comfortable, where you'll be able to focus and not find yourself getting distracted. Even if it’s just an hour a few days a week, it all helps to keep your writing mind active. Perhaps buy a wall calendar and write down your schedule to remind you to keep at it. Why not reward yourself for doing a session with a bar of chocolate, sweets or dare I say cake? Yum!

7.    Inspiration

It can come from all kinds of places. Spending a lot of time sitting inside, may result in looking at an empty screen (or page if you are old school). So, get out and about to give your mind a boost. A walk in the park or to the shops can give you time to think and figure out that plot hole. The fresh air and change of scenery may inspire a new story. Even being nosey, and listening to people’s conversations, could spark ideas about characters, plots, or dialogue. Just listening to music or watching TV can nudge ideas into your mind. So, take a break from your screen and look for that inspiration in other places. And do make sure to carry a notebook or a device to write your ideas down. You don’t want to lose those little treasures!

I hope you've found the above suggestions helpful at boosting your skills. Aim big and build a skyscraper, though try not to knock it over. Keep working on your writing and watch how it develops.

Catch you next time.