1. Write about something you know.
By this, I don't mean that you should put a hold on your imagination and only write about things you've seen or felt. But...but, it's important to know that you have to truly understand what you've written. For instance, you can't just make up a poem that sounds fancy because it rhymes. The poem has to make sense. If not to the entire world, then at least to you.
You have to put yourself in the shoes of your character that you're writing. You have to become your character entirely. This doesn't just count for your main character, it counts for each and every character that you write.
What's the point of creating a character, if you yourself as a writer, don't even understand him/ her? You can't expect other people to understand your character, if you don't.
2. Your writing changes with your method.
You can't expect your style of writing while typing and while manually writing, to be the same. Typing and writing, even though both are accepted and equally glorious, are not the same. Both need the same talent of writing, yet, both make all the difference in the world. I am mostly a typist. Writing manually requires more patience and more time. Hats off to people who can do both with equal ease!
3. You have to be comfortable with what you write.
I am most comfortable while writing in 1st person: I, my, me, we, our. Being able to write in both 1st person and 3rd person with equal beauty is difficult. This is one important thing I learned while writing my book. Since I usually write in 1st person, I wanted to try something new by writing the second part of my story in 3rd person.
It was a task. I had to re-read everything more times than I'd like to admit. But then again, it was definitely worth it. It was a good practice as an amateur and helped me improve in what is not my biggest strength.
4. Make sure your tense is right.
Now, before you start thinking why I would write about this, the most basic thing in English literature, hold your thought. Because, even though tense is the foundation of writing, it is also a very tricky thing. It is easier for a reader to spot a tense error, than it is for a writer. Your tenses can make or break your entire story. For this reason, it is very important to have a third person to read your story. They can give you a review as a reader and you'll be surprised by how much they can help, even if they aren't avid readers or writers.
Don't be too full of yourself to accept a mistake in your writing.
5. Don't be afraid to edit.
While writing, if you're constantly trying to make sure everything is perfect so that you don't have to re-read it, then you're not going to go a long way. Being confident about your work is important, but even the best authors in the world have to re-read their work and edit it. This means you might have to re-read it even ten times (or more, if needed) to make sure your end result is perfect. While writing in your flow, even if you notice that you've made a mistake, don't stop. Let the words flow. Then, after you're done with a page, or a chapter, re-read the entire thing slowly and carefully. Reading it aloud helps to catch your mistakes even more easily.
6. Starting from the beginning is okay.
You're not always going to be fully content with what you write. And for me, being satisfied with my work is the most important thing. That is why, when I'm not happy with something, I delete the entire thing and re-write it. If I'm not happy with it yet again, I delete it and re-write.
You can't be lazy. You can't expect other people to appreciate your work, if you yourself are not thoroughly satisfied with it. Don't write just for the sake of writing. Mean what you write. Stand by your words.
When you're done with writing, always ask yourself this question: would I be happy with this work, if someone else had written it?
7. Read more than you write.
If you don't read, you cannot write. It's as simple as that. The best form of learning how to write and becoming better, is to keep reading books.
There is no such thing as perfect when it comes to writing. There's always place for improvement. The day you decide that you're done with reading, is the day you should stop writing.
I recently wrote a novel called 'Feather People' and these are some very important things I learned in the entire process. I am going to remember these things every time I write something; then whether it is a school essay or an article, or poem, or book, is irrelevant.
I hope this relatable to everyone who is passionate about writing!
My book is about the life of four different girls. It puts light on how every action of a person, affects every small part of their life. It's about how big a role coincidences and destiny can play in one's life. It is about courage, secrets and hope.
You can buy my book internationally on Amazon. It is also available on Flipkart, Bookadda, Infibeam. As an e-book, you can purchase it from Amazon, kindle.
By this, I don't mean that you should put a hold on your imagination and only write about things you've seen or felt. But...but, it's important to know that you have to truly understand what you've written. For instance, you can't just make up a poem that sounds fancy because it rhymes. The poem has to make sense. If not to the entire world, then at least to you.
You have to put yourself in the shoes of your character that you're writing. You have to become your character entirely. This doesn't just count for your main character, it counts for each and every character that you write.
What's the point of creating a character, if you yourself as a writer, don't even understand him/ her? You can't expect other people to understand your character, if you don't.
2. Your writing changes with your method.
You can't expect your style of writing while typing and while manually writing, to be the same. Typing and writing, even though both are accepted and equally glorious, are not the same. Both need the same talent of writing, yet, both make all the difference in the world. I am mostly a typist. Writing manually requires more patience and more time. Hats off to people who can do both with equal ease!
3. You have to be comfortable with what you write.
I am most comfortable while writing in 1st person: I, my, me, we, our. Being able to write in both 1st person and 3rd person with equal beauty is difficult. This is one important thing I learned while writing my book. Since I usually write in 1st person, I wanted to try something new by writing the second part of my story in 3rd person.
It was a task. I had to re-read everything more times than I'd like to admit. But then again, it was definitely worth it. It was a good practice as an amateur and helped me improve in what is not my biggest strength.
4. Make sure your tense is right.
Now, before you start thinking why I would write about this, the most basic thing in English literature, hold your thought. Because, even though tense is the foundation of writing, it is also a very tricky thing. It is easier for a reader to spot a tense error, than it is for a writer. Your tenses can make or break your entire story. For this reason, it is very important to have a third person to read your story. They can give you a review as a reader and you'll be surprised by how much they can help, even if they aren't avid readers or writers.
Don't be too full of yourself to accept a mistake in your writing.
5. Don't be afraid to edit.
While writing, if you're constantly trying to make sure everything is perfect so that you don't have to re-read it, then you're not going to go a long way. Being confident about your work is important, but even the best authors in the world have to re-read their work and edit it. This means you might have to re-read it even ten times (or more, if needed) to make sure your end result is perfect. While writing in your flow, even if you notice that you've made a mistake, don't stop. Let the words flow. Then, after you're done with a page, or a chapter, re-read the entire thing slowly and carefully. Reading it aloud helps to catch your mistakes even more easily.
6. Starting from the beginning is okay.
You're not always going to be fully content with what you write. And for me, being satisfied with my work is the most important thing. That is why, when I'm not happy with something, I delete the entire thing and re-write it. If I'm not happy with it yet again, I delete it and re-write.
You can't be lazy. You can't expect other people to appreciate your work, if you yourself are not thoroughly satisfied with it. Don't write just for the sake of writing. Mean what you write. Stand by your words.
When you're done with writing, always ask yourself this question: would I be happy with this work, if someone else had written it?
7. Read more than you write.
If you don't read, you cannot write. It's as simple as that. The best form of learning how to write and becoming better, is to keep reading books.
There is no such thing as perfect when it comes to writing. There's always place for improvement. The day you decide that you're done with reading, is the day you should stop writing.
I recently wrote a novel called 'Feather People' and these are some very important things I learned in the entire process. I am going to remember these things every time I write something; then whether it is a school essay or an article, or poem, or book, is irrelevant.
I hope this relatable to everyone who is passionate about writing!
My book is about the life of four different girls. It puts light on how every action of a person, affects every small part of their life. It's about how big a role coincidences and destiny can play in one's life. It is about courage, secrets and hope.
You can buy my book internationally on Amazon. It is also available on Flipkart, Bookadda, Infibeam. As an e-book, you can purchase it from Amazon, kindle.
