Tips For Writers

Other than the most important tip of making sure you write regularly, here are a few points to consider before you write.

1. Don’t edit your writing as you write. It’s always best to get something written down—no matter how bad—and then go back later to edit. If you’re always worried about how something sounds as you’re trying to get it on the page, you’ll never get very far. Just get it down! (This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t think about what you have to say before you say it. A little forethought can help the words flow once you get going.)

2. You can always improve upon your writing, it’s just a matter of figuring out how. Be prepared to scrutinize your prose, from your choice of words, to the order you’ve placed them in the sentence, to how a sentence fits in the paragraph, to the flow between paragraphs. Just don’t do this as you get your thoughts down on paper, or it will stifle your creativity, like a ball and chain on a trapeze artist.

3. Find your voice. The more you write, the sooner you’ll learn what you like to write and what you’re especially good at. When you get a strong sense of the style and tone that come naturally for you, you will be on your way to discovering your writing voice.

4. Learn to type. If you have to look at the keys to type, it’s slowing you down as a writer. Take the time to learn touch typing and you’ll forever enjoy the payoff from that investment.