My thoughts on writing tips found online and in published works (with some random thoughts thrown into the mix).

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

The Writing Doctor is Out

Do you need to go here?

Sometimes, it is easy to wish that this type of place existed. A place where you could have all your bad writing habits extracted by an English surgeon and, after a few hours, be free to go back out into the world with improved grammar and spelling.

In the real world, you have to work to improve your writing. Read books on grammar, style, and punctuation. Use your grammar-checker and spell-checker to catch your basic mistakes. Keep a dictionary and thesaurus handy. Attend classes and seminars on writing. Join a writer's club. And, most importantly, keep writing. The best way to improve yourself is to write as much as you can. This gives you more practice and allows you to catch your own mistakes and, through repetition, eliminate them from your repertoire. While there is no such thing as a perfect writer, we can always strive to make our writing better.

3 comments:

  1. And the best writers never stop learning and always strive to be better. Thanks for the inspirational post! :)

    (And thanks for the twitter follow - I have a character's last name as Hoffman in my WiP, so I was like, that's awesome!)

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  2. I agree with David and you.

    Last year, I launched my blog, Dog Leader Mysteries on WordPress. I wrote and published three times a week, moving me to better craft in nonfiction. Soon, I found a rhythm in posting, Mutt Monday (featuring a CA dog rescue and dog), a meaty midweek post and a dog humor spot on Photo Friday.

    Seven years in a writers'group plus joining CWC branch, Redwood Writers Club, has helped my understanding of what works and why in fiction and nonfiction.

    PS. If you find any grammar errors, please correct them.

    Thanks, Deborah

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