If you are reading this, it means that you want to be a better writer. This is a goal that many other people share with you – but they struggle with cracking the code and realizing how they can get there or what they can do to actually kick-start their writing career and be a better writer.
As an aspiring author who wants to make a living from writing, you might be searching for the secret formula that you could follow and that could finally make you a decent writer.
Make the Much-Needed Mindset Shift
To become a better writer, you need to start making certain changes. Everything starts with the much-needed mindset shift. The thing is that just like everything else in life; there is no easy route to becoming a published and successful writer.
Of course, there are tools out there that you can use to improve your writing or to speed up the writing process, but a majority of the work needs to be done by you. So, roll up your sleeves and develop a learner’s mindset that will propel you to actually sit down and read books that address all aspects of the art of writing.
After you have read a ton of books – or – even a few books, you will realize that there is no secret formula. You will need to do the hard work as well as the smart work and establish your individual routines and methods to master the craft of writing and have a successful career as a writer.
Tip #1: Read Tons of Books
Generally, if you want to be a good writer, you need to be a good reader, too. So, we recommend reading loads and loads of books. Don’t stick to one genre alone, but expose yourself to a wide range of writing. For instance, you might be interested in writing biographies, but you need to get out of your comfort zone and read fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and literary fiction and get involved in the wider world of books and words.
Tip #2: Read Quality Books
This tip is directly linked with the first tip, where we recommended you read tons of books. Now, you shouldn’t simply read any books – but you should read good-quality books. You should read the classics and all the good stuff that is there to read so that you know what good-quality writing feels like.
How will you be able to write quality when you aren’t exposed to good-quality writing? Believe us when we tell you that your taste in writing, as well as your voice and style, will be formed by the quality of the books that you read.
So, you must ensure that you are reading high-quality content as you try to become a better writer.
Tip#3: Read the Best of Your Chosen Genre
If you want to write fiction and be a fiction writer in your profession, you should read the best fiction books out there. You might already have a list of your favorite fiction writers whom you read. Besides, you should also read good fiction by writers that you don’t like but know exist.
Reading good fiction is great – if you want to be a professional fiction writer. But – if you focus on reading the best fiction that exists in the world, it will prove incredibly useful for your career and will help you polish your writing skills like you never imagined before.
Tip#4: Don’t Worry About Editing
Many aspiring writers get overly worried about editing to the point that they keep going back to the first page, trying to fix it before moving on to the next one. Not only does this slow down the entire writing process, but it also discourages you from writing effectively.
Now, you might have heard the popular quote of Ernest Hemingway, which states that you should write as if you are drunk and get everything out so that you can get back to your writing later and edit it when sober.
Now, you don’t necessarily have to take this advice literally and write when you are drunk. But what this essentially means is that you should write without worrying about the imperfections. Subsequently, you should take some time off and revisit your manuscript to edit it later.
Tip#5: Learn to Self-Edit
Another important aspect related to editing is that it doesn’t matter whether you are opting to become a self-published author or whether you want to become a traditionally published author; you should know how to self-edit your manuscript.
If you choose the traditional route of publishing your book, your publication house will get an editor for you. But – you will still need to self-edit your manuscript first and polish it in a way that a literary agent will be interested in working with you.
If you are interested in self-publishing, do your research and understand how to become a self-published author and what the best self-publication platforms are. But – also, in this case, you will need to self-edit your manuscript to the best level before reaching out to a professional editor to polish your manuscript further.
The point is that self-editing can be a daunting task, which is why we recommend taking a break of at least three months after completing your manuscript so that you can look at the manuscript with a fresh set of eyes and mind.
Tip#6: Believe in Yourself
When you are writing and working on your manuscript, write with clarity and remove all sorts of self-doubt from your mind. All great writers who you admire and whose work you love to read today were once just like you. They started their careers with self-doubt and wondering whether they were good enough or not.
Another factor is that the first draft is meant to be bad. All successful writers had a bad first draft, which is why it is okay to make mistakes in your first draft. Also, be okay with the idea of not being good enough yet.
All you need to do is to maintain a learner’s mindset and a positive attitude – everything else will fall into place on its own.
