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

Thursday, April 5, 2012

A to Z Challenge: E

E is for...Electrifying! If you are a writer, then you want this word to describe your writing. Your descriptions should be exciting and enticing, drawing your reader in. Your characters should be captivating and awe-inspiring. Your dialogue should be realistic and absorbing. Your storyline should be new and refreshing. Overall, your work needs to be the best the reader has ever laid eyes on. But, the question is, how do you accomplish all this?

The first bit of advice is a cliche at this point, but is definitely a worthwhile tip. You must read everything. If you are writing in a specific genre, your reading should be focused on that genre, but you need to read other things too. Just because you are writing fantasy doesn't mean that you can't learn a great deal about dialogue from a romance novel (or any other writing element, but you get the point). Reading across the board has the potential to infinitely improve your writing repertoire. This includes reading nonfiction if you are a fiction writer and vice versa.

The second bit of advice is to practice as often as possible. Write about anything and everything. Even if you think what you come up with is the most awful thing in the world, you have still learned from it. You can improve your writing simply by doing it all the time. This will allow you to develop your own style and voice and to discover what you enjoy writing about most. Your skills will continue to improve as long as you keep writing.

1 comment:

  1. My blog is posted every day. Amazing how quickly you can find things to write about. Especially if you read other people's blogs or their comments on yours.

    Electrifying is something I know about, as in near electrocution. Thanks! Another topic.

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