When a writer prewrites, they're looking to prepare themselves for what's to come. Whether that's expanding the imagination or getting ready to put thoughts into words, the prewriting process is important to help boost your creativity and give you a direction. Here's a few prewriting strategies that you can use to start improving as a writer today.
"How can I improve my writing skills?" That's the question every writer asks, no matter if they're writing book one or twenty. As writers, we're always looking for ways to improve our writing skills. However, what if I told you that while you can't magically improve your writing skills, there's 10 easy steps you can take to help improve them. Here's 10 ways you can use to improve your writing skills, no matter the level, today.
Imagine this: a literary agent reads your query letter and decides to check out the opening to your story. You've passed the first test (writing that query letter and getting their attention), and now it's time for them to be bedazzled by your writing. But how you do go about starting a novel? Here's seven tips on how to write a good first chapter.
Everyone loves a cup of a piping hot tea -- I know I certainly do, especially when I'm in for the long haul. Okay, I'm sure there's some coffee people out there. I get it. But I'm not talking about actually drinking tea (even though I'm pretty sure my blood is made of it by … Continue reading Why Writing is Like “Spilling the Tea”
Have you ever worked a long time on your writing just to have someone critique everything about your piece? Maybe someone told you it sounded like a first draft even though it was the tenth. I'm sure every writer has been there at least once. But getting over our writing fears is how we grow as writers. It takes courage to have someone take your work and circle everything with a red pen. You can let go of your writing fears by learning to embrace critiques and rejection.
Writing the first draft is one of the most exciting things in a writer's journey. This is the first time you're working with your characters/information and putting it down into prose for your audience. However, it can also be daunting to write and finish the first draft. Sometimes there's a lot to keep track of, and you want to make sure you're putting yourself in a good position for when you start making revisions. Also depending on your work's length, it can take a long time to finish the first draft. But how do you write a good first draft? Let's find out!
Every writer knows how it feels to "not be in the mood" to write. This feeling comes in the form of procrastination or focusing our attention on some other "more important" task. So how do you get yourself into a writing mindset? Here's a few tips on how you can start approaching writing today.
Whether you write digitally or on a sheet of paper, all your writing starts with a single blank page. However, once you start to fill the page with words, you doubt yourself. You then decide to erase and rewrite what you wrote. It's not a secret that writing is a process. There's drafting, outlining, character creation, and structuring your narrative. That means the words you write will go through multiple edits as you work through the piece. Yet how do you start filling your blank page with meaningful words? Here's a few tips on how you can write content that makes it into your final draft.
Every writer has their own opinion on the topic. Some believe it's nearly impossible to learn from classes while others think that this craft can be studied under a teacher. You'll find hundreds of differing opinions on this topic, and the answer usually depends on the outlook of the writer. Can writing be taught? Well, my unique take is this: if you really want to learn the art of writing, of course writing can be taught -- but it might not be in a traditional classroom setting. Here's how.
When you think of the perfect writing place, you might imagine a quiet place without any distractions. Many writers dream about a cabin with nothing but a notebook and a beautiful summer's day. Unfortunately, this dream doesn't exist where most writers live, and even if you do live by the woods, chances are it isn't a beautiful summer most of the time. However, that doesn't mean you can't and won't find the perfect writing room. Here's six things your writing space should have.
