Writing can be essential to anyone who is passionate about it. There are people who believe that they can write and others who simply can't. The thing with writing is, that you can produce good writing. We all pick up from somewhere and we certainly have the potential to build up upon our skills. But the real question is how can you come a better writer?
My advice I try to explore different existing stories and ask yourself "Is there something I can add to it?". It usually helps to start with something that already exists and expand on it, until it becomes something new. – RadosianStar8 years ago
For everyone, writing is different, whether someone is writing because it's therapeutic, or because it's the best medium to express their thoughts on. Expanding on existing ideas is one way to improve your writing, but also reading work from people you admire. You can then experiment, infuse your own style, and create your own improved writing style. – simplyangiec8 years ago
I think ultimately the trick to becoming a better writer is to be passionate about what you're writing about. The ideas in the writing are most important, not the grammar. As long as the ideas are there, grammar can always be fixed. Also, I think it's important to read different styles of writing, try to see what you like about the different styles and adopt it into your own writing. – sandrasung8 years ago
Writing everyday, even if it is something you deem insignificant, can be a great help. Keeping a journal in which you write anything from short stories, to controversial arguments, to just a sensory description, or even poetry- it can all help improve your writing. Keeping a variety of topics and experiments with writing can also open you up to what you like and what you are good at, and can also reveal what you may want to work on. – aishtea8 years ago
I think this topic is extremely important. I've always been intimidated by the writing process. It wasn't until I started taking classes and starting with the basics of writing that I began to feel confident about putting myself out there in the world of writing. This could be a very interesting article for those who are scared of the writing process. – Sydnee Larson8 years ago
You can become a better writer by reading Prose Style! It is a great tool to help you read and understand what everything about writing is. It also has exercises in it that allows you to practice on the important points they made in the reading before it. – Nads438 years ago
I would say you just follow your passion because that I feel is what makes a great writer. – BMartin438 years ago
As cliche as it sounds, the most foundational basics to becoming a better writer are writing a lot, reading a lot, and sharing your work with others. This isn't to say that those are the only three things that must be done in order to hone your craft, merely places to start. You may start out reading as many genre books as you can, really growing your skills in that area, and eventually branching out into reading more literary works or articles, which will improve your range of understanding. You may start out writing journals or poems, getting a sense for your own style, which may lead you to trying journalism, extended prose, or screenwriting. You may share your ideas with your best friend and start gaining enough confidence to read something at an open mic or share it online.
I'd also say, know what "good" means to you. Are you going for general popularity, commercial success, personal fulfillment, etc? In his book "Write Tight", William Brohaugh stipulates that the only thing that defines the quality of your work is whether or not your target audience enjoys it. Therefore, if you write something that you want to use to please your parents, your siblings, your friends, or even yourself, and it achieves that end, then you are a good writer. And while it can be said that any work can be good despite its critics, I full heartedly agree with the spirit of what Brohaugh says. At the end of the day, the one who decides if your writing is good is you. – nikkimacahon8 years ago
Write about things you know. Whether that be your own life or topics you have knowledge in. It makes it easier for the words to flow and it sounds more authentic. If you are interested in writing about things foreign to you, then take time to learn more about them before jumping into a project. It helps to motivate ideas. Also, practice makes perfect. – Jessica Guillory8 years ago
My advice would be to do a little research to realize that this question has been answered in hundreds of ways since professional writers started walking around the Earth. – T. Palomino2 years ago