Must be, you wish to reach success as a writer or blogger, you read numerous books about writing mastery and try to find out all the possible information about this field. But, from time to time, you find yourself thinking: “What is I just waste my time in vain?” What if I do not have talent, and I won’t learn anything?”
If you overcome these thoughts and kill first fear signs, it gets even harder. You think: : “What if no learning can lead me to a result that I want to get?”. Really, most part of writers do not know that craft at all. But the reason is not covered in the fact they lack the gene that is responsible for text writing. They do not keep up to certain principles in order to become better. They stay on their amateur level for the whole life.
A Myth About Good Writing
There is a certain snobbism around writing:
- Literature fiction is better than genre one;
- Journalism is more cool than blogging;
- Paper books are true, they must dominate electronic ones;
But there is no any form of writing that is worse than the other ones “by default”. Good writing does not exist in vacuum. The only criteria of each text’s usefulness is the effect it causes onto the target audience. Did it attract them? Did it make them change? The rest does not matter.
Can Everyone Learn How to Write?
That is a very complicated question. Of course, your personality and skills you’ve gained while being a child matter a lot here. Not every newbie will obligatory turn into a great writer, scientist or sportsman. But many can become good ones.
Some practice and patience, some persistence, and you won’t recognize yourself in a couple months. It is important just to go towards that goal, and not to give it up like most people do. Many people get disappointed right after some days of practice thinking that there is no way to write well for them. Yes, you can’t learn how to compose good texts after few days. So, get ready to a very long journey.
Three Main Stages
If to say simply, everything can be summed in three general stages:
1. Studying
You study basis of good writing and matters of the type and genre you’ve chosen. You learn language rules. You dare to understand other elements of pro craft, like tempo, structure and tone. You investigate the goal and the topic. And claim, that you are going to have to study for the whole life.
2. Practice
You go on writing and rewriting your text until it becomes as perfect as your current skill level allows. Create a habit to write and have an everyday goal. Write when being inspired, and when not feeling like that, too.
3. Feedback
You look for commentary and criticism from different authors, your friends, your teachers or mentors. You know people like that to be the example of audience you try to please (though maybe not the best one), and now the received feedback to become a fuel pushing you forward. And when that other people’s feedback tells you need to make your writing skills better and higher, you come back to practical learning.
This sequence of three stages is the key for those who want to learn how to write. It helps sharpening instincts of the author inside your mind.
Qualities of a Good Writer
Studying, practicing and analysing the received feedback can improve the technical side of your writing skills, but some qualities essential for becoming a good author are not that easy to mention them. Here they are.
Empathy
This means the ability to imagine yourself on the place of your readers and heroes. It helps a blogger or author to find connection with their reader. It helps romance writer to create real characters who do not look similar to their creator.
Imagination
Unique connections and ideas existing under the surface of your text. Imagination is what helps fantasy writer to create unknown but real worlds. It helps public texts’ authors to look onto old problems with a new point of view. Imagination helps creating unusual and unique character that is going to wonder readers.
Passion
Love to the language, wish to learn and ability to get satisfaction from telling stories. Passion is a creative energy that carries you through the moments of loss and being unaccepted by yourself even. It is that voice telling you calmly and persistently: “You are a writer”.
Those are qualities helping you to conquer minds and hearts of your readers. Those are qualities differencing a writer from a mimic.
But if one can’t study empathy, imagination and passion, how is it possible to get them?
Simple Habits
It is a wonder, but habits giving you best chances to become a good writer are not connected to the writing mastery itself that much. If you integrate them to your life, you’ll be able to reach great successes.
- Live a full life. Life experience is a fuel for the real and powerful writing. Get out of your comfort zone in order to meet unusual people and circumstances: that is going to pimp your empathy muscle. Place yourself into complicated situations. Take it all. Sometimes life wants to be an art, but in most cases life is what inspires art.
- Develop eclectic tastes. Read literature that stands beyond your subject or genre. Watch different movies and documentary shows. If you do same things everyone else can do, you can’t be different. Unexpectable connections are created through unexpectable experiences.
- Stay with your passion. Real passion is a rare thing. If it shows up, catch it with your both hands and develop it!