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Topic: How do you become a better writer?
| Author | Message |
| travelgirl | Posted – 8/7/2006 11:54:11 AM | show profile Question for other writers out there: How do you actively work to improve your writing? I've been a full-time freelancer for more than three years, and I generally enjoy it. I have several publications I write for regularly, with editors who are receptive to most story ideas I want to do. I really have no cause for complaint. Except this: Without a mentor or editor to work closely with (as opposed to my current e-mail and twice-a-year coffee meeting relationships), I don't think I'm advancing as a writer. When I worked on the staff of magazines, I found it was easy to ask the more senior editors for advice and guidance on my writing and reporting styles, and I generally learned a lot just by watching others and being involved in the editing process of the pieces I did. But now, I'm on my own. My stories get sent away with a click of a button and I generally don't see them again until they're in print. (Granted, there aren't many changes, but I still think I can do better.) I've tried asking my regular editors to please provide feedback or constructive criticism whenever possible, but their general reply is that they're very happy with what I'm doing. So now it comes to this: I think I'm a good writer, but I want to be a great writer. More and more often, instead of feeling like I'm improving with experience, I find myself automatically relying on routine descriptions and basic story structures. I'd like to learn to experiment more (within reason, of course), but I'm not sure how to become a better writer on my own. So, to other writers out there: How do you work to improve your voice and style? What do you do to take risks with your writing, especially those of you who don't have the benefit of regular editor feedback? Books, tips, tricks, resources and other suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I've been stuck in a rut lately, and I'd like to get out. |
| midwestwriter | Posted – 8/7/2006 2:29:54 PM | show profile Write more. Write often and have friends who are writers critique you. I would join a writing club. I have and the feedback is invaluable. |
| making cents | Posted – 8/7/2006 2:48:45 PM | show profile Pitch new markets...writing for a fresh set of eyes and in a different voice/for a different audience should prove challenging. Not that I would stop working for your regulars....rather, I'd active work to add to them. |
| writesonwater | Posted – 8/7/2006 2:56:20 PM | show profile | email poster Whenever I think about getting stale, I recall (with a smile) Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. Forced to live the same day over and over, his weatherman gets tired of cliches and at one point delivers his spiel "a-tiny-little-town-in-western-pennsylvania-bla-bla-bla-bla-bla..." I use books -- Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird I am redigesting, cowlike, at this point -- it came highly recommended and i LOVE it, a cult-like sort of love. I have branched out and tried kinds of writing that was new to me -- play, novel, even short little FOB pieces and internet copy -- and found the variety great for me. I have started checking out the many, many websites devoted to writers and writing. I have joined the Author's Guild and taken workshops there, and took a Stilletto Bootcamp course from MB. I live about 45 min from a big city, so I have taken advantages of a couple writer events there, and plan to do more of that. I love the idea of belonging to a writer's club. I also have started swapping out critiques and reading with a friend who's a poet, and that's very helpful. You're in good company -- ruts are easy to get into. I have access to a place at the lake ( hours) but not enough time I get to go out there and just write by myself. This winter, I'm going to go into my cone of seclusion there and WRITE. Feel free to email me, I'd be happy to share any resources. |
| caitlinkelly | Posted – 8/7/2006 3:18:06 PM | show profile It's a cliche but reading books by authors whose writing you admire, fiction or non-fiction, can be inspiring. It might be the way they interview or report, the way they structure the narrative, or use quotes or dialogue or color -- or the rhythm and poetry of the language they choose. If you have access to British, Australian or Canadian publications (certainly on-line) and/or can read in another language, it can be refreshing to see how differently writers and editors can approach even "evergreen" subjects elsewhere. I find that talking regularly to a few ambitious writers helps challenge my own thinking, even if we don't read each others' copy. If an editor has no appetite for risky writing, try it on your own in essays or op-eds or fiction. Some people swear by the inspiration/tips offered at the annual Neiman conference held in Boston every winter. |
| belinda | Posted – 8/7/2006 5:08:27 PM | show profile Read great writers. Figure out what you like about their writing, and try incorporating it into your own writing. Go to writers workshops and seminars -- they're good places to pick up tips. Try an online writing coach. They're not expensive, and you'll get good feedback. Because they're online, you're not limited to finding a coach in your area. |
| dribbledrive1 | Posted – 8/7/2006 5:43:42 PM | show profile 1. Try to break into better magazines, whose writing you respect. The fact is, editors don't care about freelancers' development; editors care about getting copy that meets the needs and standards of their publication. If the publications are mediocre, the editors are not going to push you to deliver better-than-mediocre prose. 2. Pitch articles you find challenging. If you're doing the same topics, in the same ways, over and over again, you'll drift into fomrulas. |
| fake.it.til.you.make.it | Posted – 8/7/2006 6:09:38 PM | show profile I blog... it enables me to experiment with style. It also helps to develop your own voice. So does journaling. I also like to watch angsty movies or TV shows like Dawson's Creek... for some reason that always inspires me to write. ------ http://writerwannabehack.blogspot.com |
| amyward | Posted – 8/7/2006 9:49:44 PM | show profile I would just echo the points mentioned above: 1. If you want to write better, read writers you admire. 2. Blogging can get you some instant feedback and help generate ideas for stories. 3. Join a writers group or even enrol for a workshop class to get some peer feedback. (eg, mediabistro has bootcamps and workshops both online and in certain cities, as do many community colleges and universities, although those appeal to students of varying skill levels). |
| travelgirl | Posted – 8/9/2006 1:06:40 AM | show profile Thanks! Thanks to everyone who replied. Sometimes the best kick in the pants is just talking about it, out loud (or in a web forum, whatever), and forcing yourself to really think about what you need to do. If it's of any interest, my first step was to pick up my old college copy of Zinsser's "On Writing Well." I'm working my way through it now, but it's been full of good lessons that I start to forget when busy life takes over. My second step is going to be to start final-editing myself on paper again, instead of doing it all on the computer screen. I really think that might help focus on my words and their rhythm, away from the computer for a change. Thanks again! |
| mailbag | Posted – 8/9/2006 5:36:37 AM | show profile | email poster screenplays Pick up some award winning screenplays -- it will give you an entirely new look on the craft of writing. |
