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.
Tag: Storytelling
10 Easy Ways to Steadily Improve Your Writing Skills
"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.
Why Writing is Like “Spilling the Tea”
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”
Letting Go of Your Writing Fears
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.
Blank Pages: How to fill them with Meaningful Words
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.
Can Writing Be Taught? My Unique Take on This Topic
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.
Knowing and Developing a Writing Voice
Every writer wants what they've written to captivate and resonate with their readers. However, words on the page can't show emotion, so it's up to your word choice to evoke the correct feelings. Voice is one of the most critical yet difficult things for writers to develop. You could follow every grammar rule perfectly and yet the way you approach writing is completely different than someone else. That's because we all have our own thought processes and styles when it comes to presenting written information. Your voice marks who you are as a writer, which is why it's important to think about the way you structure sentences. Here's a guide for finding a writing voice.
Five Ways to Learn Writing Skills (Without Needing Much Money)
If you enjoy writing more than a hobby, you're most likely looking to improve your writing skills. While you could take a class, the prices of the best online courses are rising, and you might need a more flexible way to learn. Luckily, there's other options to continue learning writing without taking these financial risks. Here's five ways to learn writing skills without needing to invest too much money.
Unreliable Narrators: The liars, criminals, and sociopaths of fiction
A narrator tells the story of a book, but an unreliable narrator is a character who tells a story that lacks credibility. The unreliable narrator adds the concept of questioning the credibility of a main character, whether it's through what they say or how they react when new information gets presented. Writers most commonly use unreliable narrators in genres like mystery and supernatural fiction because they create suspense that keeps readers guessing until the last page.
What Point of View Should You Write in?
When you’re looking to write a book (or any other form of writing), one of the first questions that comes to mind is what point of view works best for your piece. While there’s plenty of success for each viewpoint, there’s no surprise that there’s advantages and disadvantages of each one. Here’s a guide that will help you decide what point of view you should use for your writing.