What will you give up to become a better writer? Will it be the parties and the drinks? Will you give up your friends? Your leisure time? Will you consider taking a cut in your pay?
The list is endless. But you have to be willing to make a commitment to constantly improve your craft. It won’t come easily. You’ll have to practice patience, dedication, and perseverance. That’s how skilled writers get better. They practice. They write. And they rewrite. And they edit. Before you know it, they’ve improved their craft and landed a book deal or land on the stage.
Take a Class
If you’re looking to improve your creative writing, the first thing you should do is enroll in a class or workshop. Creative writing courses at the collegiate level are numerous and can provide you with the experience and the feedback that you need to succeed as a writer. The same goes for smaller workshops and courses at your local library or art studio.
Join A Society
One of the most beneficial things that you can do for your writing is join a society of writers. Being a member or associate of a writers’ group will give you access to a network of writers that can help you get your work published and potentially improve your career as a writer. You can find a writers’ group in your area through your local library or arts society. The important thing is to find a group of writers that inspires you and pushes you to better your craft.
Take A Short Break
If you’re looking to get better at creative writing, then you should take a short break from writing. Why? To give your brain a rest and let the ideas flow more freely. When you come back, you’ll have a fresh set of eyes and a willing brain. So take a little break. And don’t worry. You won’t lose your talent. You’ll come back even better than before.
Change Your Environment
One of the best things that you can do for your writing is change your environment. Moving to a new city, state, or country will have an incredible effect on your writing style. Going to live in a new place will give you an opportunity to meet new people and make new connections. Depending on where you go, you might meet people who can assist you with your writing project. Alternatively, you might discover that the culture in your home state is thriving and encouraging literature and creative writing. In either case, you’ll come back with a renewed sense of purpose and the ability to tackle your creative writing project with greater confidence.
Join A Private Club
One of the things that you can do to get better at creative writing is join a private club for writers. These are groups of people who get together to share their work and get feedback on it from others in a similar situation. You can find a writers’ club in your area through your local library or arts society. The important thing is to find a group of writers that suits your needs. Do you want feedback on your fiction or nonfiction? Would you like to share your short stories or novels with others? Find a group that allows you to do that. And don’t forget. Private clubs aren’t just for writers. They also offer various activities and social events where you can meet other people.
Create A Routine
Creative writing is a lot like any other skill. To get better at it, you have to practice. But you can’t just show up and expect to write well. You have to put in the effort and create a routine. Set aside a certain amount of time every day, whether it’s in the morning or in the afternoon, to just focus on writing. This will help you develop good habits and enable you to produce more content faster than you can actually read or write it.
Creating a routine doesn’t mean that you have to write for a set amount of time. It just means that you have to find a quiet place and dedicate a certain amount of time to it each day. If you write in the morning, you’ll be in a better frame of mind. You’ll be excited to get started because it’s a new day, and you’ll have a fresh set of ideas to work with. So set aside at least an hour in the morning to write. If you struggle to find the time, then start with five minutes and work your way up to an hour. Five minutes is easier for you to start with and then gradually increase your time as you get better at it. This will ensure that your creative writing practice does not become a sporadic attempt but rather a consistent routine that you build on and enhance.
Don’t Be Fooled By Perfection
Another important thing about getting better at creative writing is learning to be satisfied with your work. When you’re first starting out, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the tiny changes that you make and to obsess over them. But at some point, you have to learn to be content with your work. And the only way to do that is by constantly improving it. So when you make a minor change, don’t consider it a failure. Because nothing you write is perfect. And that’s OK. The important thing is that you’re constantly trying to improve your craft and move forward.
This is a very important point. There are many instances where we’re told that something is perfect just because it’s written by someone. But perfection is a subjective term. Just because your girlfriend, your roommate, or your best friend thinks your writing is perfect does not mean that you should agree. As a writer, you have to learn to be satisfied with your work and not let anyone else’s opinion get in the way of your own personal growth.
Get Inspired
Another important thing about getting better at writing is getting inspired. We’re constantly surrounded by news stories, social media, and other sources of inspiration. Learning to filter out the unnecessary information and to focus on what’s important is an important skill for a writer. When you have a specific problem to solve (for example, you want to write a short story about a murder, or you need a topic for a creative nonfiction project), then you can draw from your own personal experiences to solve that problem. Alternatively, you can look to recent events, whether they’re current or historical, for inspiration.
Whatever problem you’re facing as a writer, there’s usually a solution to it. You just have to look for it. So take some time today to explore the issues that you’re facing and to think of ways in which you could solve them. You might come up with a story idea that will become the basis of a short story or novel. Alternatively, you might discover that you’re unable to solve a particular problem but that you know someone who could. In either case, you’ll come back with a fresh set of ideas and an improved ability to write.
Getting better at creative writing is a lot like climbing a mountain. It requires effort and dedication, but as long as you keep progressing, you’ll make it to the top. And when you get to the top, you’ll have a brand new view of the world. You’ll see things differently. And you’ll be able to write even better than before.