Developing writing skills

Thank you for the books everyone. I'll definitely invest in any that are on Amazon. I heard the writing by ear tip before and it definitely is the most helpful writing advice I've had.

 

Make sure when you 'practice' writing, you practice something specific. Just writing over and over doesn't necessarily teach you anything. Try writing 300 words of dialogue. Or 300 words of just narrative description. Try writing in different POV. Make it an actual exercise and then read the results out loud and see how it sounds. And then maybe try the exercise again to see if you can change/improve.

And there are lots of places where you can post your work and get some feedback. like the Writing Workshop here. But it also helps to find a group of like minded folks who you can work with regularly, that way they can see your progression.

 

Read. Read alot. Slowly but surely you will start learn and pick up on grammer without even noticing it. That,a nd every time you feel inspired to write, no matter what it is. Do.

 

Rather than recommending websites, I would suggest an in-person, face-to-face writers' group in your area. Some meet weekly, some meet monthly; some are focused on productive writing while others tend to be as much about the socialization as the actual writing. Some groups will spend time on a number of different members' projects at each meeting and others focus on one writer's work each week/month.

It is up to you to find the collective conscious that best suits your needs.

Don't know of any guilds/groups near where you live? Not to worry. Check with the local library (Yeh. They still have those!) and see if they know of any groups in your area. Check on local social networks online to see if there are any sites for local writers. That usually leads to their physical group. Check small bookstores in your area, they may know of groups. Still no luck? Not to worry. Consider starting a group yourself.

Post notices in all of those same places you were looking for a group yourself. When you find a small group of people interested in joining together for the common goal, decide just what you want your group to focus on. How often do you want to meet? Do you wish to establish a set place for meetings, like a library or restaurant (where you can meet and eat at the same time!), or would you prefer to have a "moveable feast" and meet at a different members home or location of choice each time.

Lastly, the remarkable thing about being in a group, or even an online group such as this, you can learn as much - or more - by critiquing other people's work than you can by having them crit yours! We tend to be more removed and less emotionally involved in others' works and it is easier to stand back from it and judge it objectively. Then, you start to see those same issues in some of your own writing and the little light bulbs just start going off!

Good luck.

 

You only know what works and what doesn't when you do it yourself. It's like learning anything else - sure, you can read books, teachers can teach, friends can give you tips, you can have perfect understanding of the subject and STILL be unable to actually apply it, because the theoretical and the practical are actually two very different kettle of fish.

Theoretical knowledge is helpful because it highlights things, gives you pointers and makes the learning process faster as a whole. But none of this can substitute the act of actually putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) - when you actually write, you experience the knowledge you have first hand, you see now why it works or why it doesn't, you see which parts work personally for you even if all the tips advise against it and which don't etc. All that knowledge in your head comes to life - it morphs, swells, breathes, you find a heartbeat in the very flow of your sentences and you see for the first time that writing is truly beautiful, and exciting, and breath-taking.

And as you write more and more, you'll get a better and better sense of what works and what doesn't. People say "Don't repeat" but sometimes repetitions are good and adds rhythm. People say "Show, don't tell" but there're times when telling is better than showing. People say there's a difference between infodump and exposition - where's the line? People say, "Dialogue should be natural and not natural at the same time." What the heck? You can't know these fine differences without getting your hands dirty.

Think of it this way - my husband fixes computers, software and hardware, but sometimes he comes across something he doesn't know so he researches on the internet, gets the tips, sometimes even follow a youtube video on how to dismantle a particular make of laptop. Does watching this video - without actually getting out the screw drivers and taking the case apart - mean he can dismantle it and fix it? No, of course not. Does reading all those tips mean he can fix laptops? No. How does he know? He has to get that screw driver out and start the painstaking work of disconnecting motherboards, based on all those tips and videos, and go through the trial and error of connecting the wrong things or not putting it back together properly. Nothing can replace the hands-on knowledge.

Not everyone who is a writer, artist, or even computer technician or mechanic have had the proper/formal education in the field and yet they're wonderful at their jobs. On the other hand, not everyone who has had the formal education can actually get the job done. So tell me, which is more important?

 

Practice is only effective when it reinforces good writing habits. You have to constantly examine what you are doing and correct the mistakes, or you will reinforce those as well.

 

You can join a writing group and receive more feedback there. Some of those websites are anoymous, where the reviewers don't know who wrote what, so that those reviewers cannot judge your story based on who you are instead of judging based on what the story is about.

I hope I'm making sense.

That's what I do, is join a writing group. I know most of these writing group websites cost, but you can find a few that are free, like this website, where you can post your writing in the review section to receive more feedback than just being your own reviewer.

 

Thank you everyone for the tips. I know it sounds a little stupid but it has never even crossed my mind to buy books that can help with writing. I've been reading fiction so much to try and improve my understanding when there are more direct approaches available. When I've been writing it feels like I'm in the middle of an ocean and I don't know which way to swim to find land, but in truth I probably need swimming lessons first. Need a lot more research on the craft itself. Again thank you.

 

This is what works best for me too!

 

It came to my mind just now that I have not done a lot of entertaining writing in a long, long time, yet it appears my skills in writing have improved. I am very grateful for my AP Literature & Composition class, as well as my AP US History class, as I assume they are the culprits in this steady advancement towards writing proficiency. With In-Class essays, FRQs and DBQs, out of class essays, journals, analysis', and everything between, I have been growing competent in the art of articulating my thoughts well, while keeping my ramblings to a minimum by being concise, yet effective, and being deliberate and focused on a main theme or thesis in which I am writing on. In conclusion, if you want to become a better writer, for God's sake write all of the time, but you should also take an interest in high-level classes that involve a lot of essay writing, literature analysis, and grammar practice.

 

This is basically another avenue of the "Do you need a degree?" discussion. Classes can be helpful to some, but are a waste of time and money for others. I'm not interested in writing essays, don't really need practice in grammar, and find most analysis of literature boring and typically based on what the analyst wants to see - so obviously I wouldn't be a good candidate for classwork.

 

This is all also very true. Mainly however, I think the time constrained, In-Class essays are an amazing practice. One of the biggest problems I hear writers becoming victims to is not being able to focus their ideas into coherent writing. These ICEs force you to write what you need to say, effectively, and in a short amount of time.

Also, my advice with the classes was geared more for high school students who have a genuine interest in becoming better writers, as those classes are free in high school enrollment.

I think in order to be a good writer, you have to have some level of competence in analysis of literature, and in a high school setting (I am not sure how it is in college), your analysis is valued for you ability to support it, not for its alignment with what your instructor found.

Yet as Shadowwalker said, this won't be for everyone.

 

Having completed my degree a couple years ago while also holding down a full time job, I can agree somewhat with what you're saying. But I also am squarely with shadowwalker's point that it isn't for everyone. It's a boot camp approach to writing, like weekly forced marches with a thirty pound pack. It will whip you into shape, if it doesn't put you off writing entirely.

I think it will strengthen your work ethic more than it will improve your actual writing, because it will train you not to fold under pressure or procrastinate. But it is by no means the only way to go.

 

Wait until you get to higher education. I'm working on my doctorate in political science at the moment. It's the biggest challenge I have ever faced and to be honest, I'm loving every minute of it. One of the hidden benefits has been that I get the opportunity to write something every day. And while it's all academic and non-fiction, it's writing nevertheless and does help me in the rare moments when I have the opportunity to sit down and write fiction. My professors and advisers demand perfection. They're smart enough to understand that it's unattainable, however, they want us to strive for it anyway. They give us the line that we are the 'creme dela creme.' PhD candidates at an Ivy League school....blah blah blah. When one of my papers is under review or being graded, I know how closely they are going to examine it. Grammar, spelling, word choice, everything in that paper goes under a microscope. So, I'm well aware that my writing has to be perfect.

I'm learning how to apply that level of perfection to writing fiction. The smallest mistake in a manuscript can wipe out my chances of having it published, for example. I respect that reality more now and I view fiction writing entirely different now than I did when I was younger. I am hoping that when I have the opportunity to write more, it will help me. My fall break is coming up next week and there's a nor'easter heading our way, so I'll have the chance to spend some serious time writing fiction. We'll see how it goes.

 

not really a 'should'... as noted above, what works for you is not what will necessarily work for everyone...

 

Then again, all of these skills are valuable in a variety of ways. Even people who don't write should take these sort of classes to broaden their perspective on life, become better communicatores, or anything in between.

 

Again, there's that word "should". Taking such classes, unless you're already committed to college/post-graduate studies for professional reasons, is an expense most people don't need! Even for those who MUST take such classes for their profession have to work many years to pay off that debt. Despite the propaganda put out by the schools, a degree doesn't particularly increase your earning potential in a position you already occupy. It opens the door to positions that are closed to you without the degree, and THAT is responsible for most of the higher earning statistics.

Your enthusiasm for higher learning is charming, but many writers do quite well without it.

 

For my part, attending college was worthwhile. I needed the degree to continue to compete in the job market. I had the experience and the knowledge for my profession, but the degree became a gating issue.

Naturally, I did learn from the college courses, particularly the required courses outside my major. If that sounds conceited, the context is that I had been working very productively in my profession for three decades already. I have always studied best on my own, so the bottom line is that college got in the way of my studies for that period of time.

 

I would imagine it is easier for those with an English or History degree to write competently. If that is what is important to you then go for it. However, my ultimate goal was to land a job. I choose the path that lead to an in demand occupation and I'm glad I did that. Now I can work on a story in my free time rather 100's of cover letters.

 

I have taken only two writing classes: the same class both times, since I failed it on the first try. The classes that really helped my writing skills weren't even writing classes, they were instead two years of French and a Discrete Structures course. French because it helped me understand how natural languages 'work' and Discrete Structures because it taught me how to formally relate what I'm thinking--to some extent. There're still loads of things I have to learn though.

Briefly, I think it's a lot easier for some people to learn a particular concept if they learn it sideways, since that was my experience.

 

one might think so, but i can tell you from years of experience helping people improve their writing that it's not true for many... quite a few of those i've mentored and had as clients did have degrees in those fields and needed me to teach them how to improve their writing skills... even those who teach english or history are likely to be poor writers...

one of my first clients was a high school vice-principal with a masters degree who was a terrible writer and paid me to guide her in writing her phd application essay and later, her dissertation... another was a double phd'd professor of history who needed me to correct his coffee book text... so higher education and degrees obtained do not necessarily 'good writers make'...

 

That's kind of disturbing that she needed help in writing her PhD application essay AND her dissertation. Let's be honest, if you do not have a firm grasp on writing by that point, you shouldn't even be in a post graduate program. Sorry if I come across as insensitive or cool, but that's my take and it comes from personal experience. Sounds like your client got into a more forgiving PhD program than I did.

 

Did they receive their degrees from DeVry?

 

no, not dvry... and yes, she did get her phd... her problem with writing stemmed from the fact that her earlier degrees and her career were based in sports education... she was a coach and gym teacher, did not train for teaching academic studies...