How do you make your writing better?
If you’re asking this question, congratulations! Pat yourself on the back.
So many writers focus on selling lots of books, winning awards, and living the fantasy writing life (complete with a cabin on an island). Those who focus on making their writing better are the ones who will eventually succeed.
In this post, I share seven activities that have helped me improve as a fiction writer in the hopes that they may help you too.
1. To Make Your Writing Better: Write Nearly Every Day
You’ve heard this advice, but it’s worth repeating here because it’s so fundamental to becoming a better writer.
No matter what skill you’re trying to learn, practice is essential. Some people may be confused about what practice is. In my world, it’s a dedicated, daily discipline. You have to get tens of thousands of words under your fingers if you expect to improve your writing.
For most people, writing once a week or less is not going to create the improvements they’re looking for. You need to write every day or almost every day to notice results.
It’s the same as getting your body in shape. Exercising once a week won’t do it. Daily runs will.
2. To Make Your Writing Better: Study Story Structure
In working with new writers, the one thing I often notice is a lack of knowledge about story structure.
I lacked this knowledge too when I first started. We all seem to think that if we can string a series of scenes together, we’re good. We’ve got a story.
But a good story requires so much more than that. Think of the books you love. They are wonderful because they contain all the elements we desire in a story: compelling characters, amazing settings, intriguing plots, strong pacing, believable worldbuilding, and more.
“Story structures are culturally recognized frameworks for telling engaging stories with maximum emotional impact,” writes author and editor Lewis Jorstad. “Your story’s structure will affect every aspect of your novel…which makes it a critical skill to master.”
Here are a few books that helped me understand story structure:
- Story Structure Architect by Victoria Lynn Schmidt
- 20 Master Plots by Ronald B. Tobias
- The Anatomy of Story by John Truby
3. To Make Your Writing Better: Outline Your Story
Now before you say, “I’m a pantser! I can’t outline!”, hear me out.
I’m a pantser too, meaning I write my stories without an outline. If I try to outline before I write, it takes all the wind out of my sails. I lose interest in the story and can no longer write it.
But, I outline my stories after I write them. After my first or second draft, when I begin to figure out the story I want to tell, I will create an outline to be sure my plot and pacing are working.
Usually, this outline is in the form of an expanded three-act or seven-step structure, which helps me to figure out which scenes need to be cut, which need to be expanded, and what I’m missing and need to add.
If you like to outline first, this step will be even easier for you. Either way, outline with your story structure in mind. Now that you’ve studied structure and you know more about what it is, you can apply it to your story to make sure you have all the elements you need to create something readers will want to read.
For more help with this step, particularly if you’re a pantser and already have your story drafted, I highly recommend Stuart Horwitz’s book, Blueprint Your Bestseller. He gives you a step-by-step process for revising your story that’s a lot of fun to follow. You may be amazed at what you discover.
4. Write Your Story Blurb
If you’ve ever had to write a back-cover blurb, you know how difficult it can be. You have to boil down all the elements of your story into a couple of paragraphs that you hope will entice a reader.
It’s not easy, but it’s undeniable how much doing this can help you. If you follow the standard process in writing a blurb, you’ll have to pinpoint your main character, what she wants, what’s standing in her way of getting it (conflict), what the stakes are, and what your genre is.
If you know all that and can put it into an intriguing, punchy blurb, you’ll be way ahead of most writers while working on your story.
You don’t have to wait until you finish your book to write the blurb. Writing it earlier can help you identify the flaws in your story so you can fix them. Of course, you can write it after you finish it too, which can help you during revision.
For some help writing your blurb, check out this article by Hannah Lee Kidder at Self-Publishing School, and this one by Kelly Exeter over at Kindlepreneur.
5. To Make Your Writing Better: Think of Your Reader
This is another mistake I see new writers making—they don’t think about their readers.
Granted, this doesn’t have to happen right away. When you’re first drafting your story, you’re likely writing for yourself, which is usually a good thing as it helps you tap into your inner muse and create something truly original.
Later, though, it’s important to imagine how your story may affect a reader. This is why having a group of beta readers (early readers) can help so much, as it gives you a chance to see how this story that is so important to you may affect others.
It’s difficult for writers to understand this early on. After all, we know all about our characters as we have lived their lives with them. They’re like family to us and we understand them well. Strangers, however, aren’t going to have the same knowledge. So the story can feel quite different to them.
Maybe your story has plot holes that confuse your readers. Maybe some of the characters are stereotypical. The settings may seem nebulous or be difficult to imagine. The pacing may be off—too slow or too fast.
It can also help to think of your reader early on in terms of how much you want them to know. Much of novel-writing is about revealing secrets. When should your reader know these secrets? If they figure them out too early, they will get bored. Too late and they will be confused.
Imagine telling the story out loud to a group of readers. Think about when you may pause for effect, spring something surprising, or create dread. You’ll want to do the same on the page.
Finally, consider the genre you’re writing in. What will your reader want to know? That can also help guide your decisions about what to reveal and when.
6. Get Help
The smart writer is the one who gets help early on.
This writer understands that to learn a skill, it’s best to have a mentor (or multiple mentors). Unfortunately, too many writers go it alone for far too long.
I was one of those writers. I spent many years toiling away on my own. It was when I finally got the courage to attend a novel-writing workshop and hire an editor that I started to progress.
It does take courage to do this. When you invest in a workshop, coach, or editor, you’re admitting that writing is important to you. Further, you’re asserting yourself as a writer, which can feel presumptuous.
But the sooner you take this step, the faster you’ll become a better writer. We can’t do this alone. We need the help of editors and mentors along the way.
“Whether you’re new to the game or you’ve got a big list of writing credits,” writes Ryan G. Van Cleave for The Writer, “a writing coach can be an invaluable career partner. She can give you extra accountability, create action steps toward specific goals, help you get unstuck, and offer a fresh perspective on your work. She can also guide you to find clarity on why you feel the need to write, who you intend to reach, and what impact you wish to have on that audience. Who wouldn’t benefit from all this?”
7. To Make Your Writing Better: Listen
Sometimes, we writers can hang on too tightly to our stories.
This has happened to me a few times. I’ll get about halfway through my story and start to feel like I need to control what’s happening and direct it all a certain way.
This may make sense if you’re trying to create a solid story structure. But writing a good novel requires a balance between creating a structure and allowing the story to unfold.
It’s the allowing part that we can forget.
If you find yourself struggling with your story—maybe you’re stuck in the middle—I suggest you let go, sit back, and listen. Close your eyes, imagine the scene your characters are in, and listen to them. Listen to what happens. Let it come to you through your auditory senses.
There’s something about doing this that helps us tap into our imaginations, bringing out our ability to create something from nothing. It can also be very freeing to loosen the reins a bit and let your characters take you where they will.
You can always go back and edit later.
How do you make your writing better?
This was really a helpful, it was almost as if all my errors were being addressed all at once.
So glad to hear that, Jennifer! :O)