Writing is a creative endeavor. And there are varied ways that writers approach their craft. I’ve found that the key is finding my own style of writing – one which fits you and your personality. Think about how much more enjoyable reading would be if every book you picked up sounded exactly the same as every other book on that shelf?
Create Your Own Style
The best way to develop your style is to write in your own voice. Try not to use the same words and phrases over and over again. Instead, use different words and phrases that mean the same thing so that it doesn’t sound repetitive.
- For example: instead of saying “spent” or “wasted,” try using the word “consumed” instead! This gives you more variety, which can make writing more fun for both yourself as well as your readers!
- Another great way you can learn how someone’s style has changed over time is by looking at their different writings from different points in their life – such as childhood vs adulthood; adolescence vs adulthood; etc.
Write Every Day (10 minutes minimum)
Writing is a habit. Like any habit, it takes time to build. Don’t get discouraged if you only write for 10 minutes each day because that’s better than nothing! Write about anything. Don’t start writing your next novel on day one. Also, remember that writing isn’t the only way of expressing yourself — there are many different mediums in which we can express ourselves and our ideas: poetry, songwriting, drawing.
Take Your Audience Into Account
The best way to improve your writing is to write for an audience other than yourself. If you’re not writing for someone else, it’s too easy to fall into the trap of writing what you wish instead of what others would find interesting. Write for an audience and you’ll start thinking about how your work will be received by readers outside of yourself.
Study the Best: from magazines, books, online and offline articles
- You should know your audience and what they like, but sometimes it is good to step outside of your comfort zone.
- Check everything from magazines, books, online and offline articles. They all have something valuable to offer you.
Get Organized
Have a plan to stick to. The plan can be as simple as creating a range of things to do for the day or week. Using a planner or calendar will help you stay on track and make sure that you complete all assignments before they’re due. One may use the time to keep track of your own personal writing goals, such as the amount of time spent writing each week, how many words you write per day/week/month and how easy or difficult it is for you to write during certain times of day. Keeping records like this will allow you to see changes over time and give valuable insight into what works best for YOU!
Surprise Yourself
A great way to surprise yourself is by writing about things that interest you, surprise you, or are completely new to you. This can be writing about topics that have never been written about before or writing about something in a new way.
If your topic interests you, then it’s more likely that other people will be interested too! So take advantage of this and write about something that truly interests you.
Make It Fun!
Here I wish to emphasize three things:
- Be yourself in your writing.
- Write about things that make other people uncomfortable or angry. If there’s a topic that stirs up feelings in some people, then it’s something worth exploring! The world is full of interesting topics and perspectives on them — from politics to religion, sex and relationships (or lack thereof), etc. — and if someone else has already said everything there is to say on a particular subject matter…then go ahead and do so anyway! You may have some fresh insights into what has already been said before or find another perspective altogether on an issue we’ve all thought about before but never considered from this particular angle (or vice versa).
- Lastly: don’t worry too much about whether or not anyone will read what comes out at the end because once again…you’re writing this stuff down for YOURSELF first before anyone else even gets their hands on it!!
Experiment
When writing, it’s important to find your own style. But you don’t want to let your own habits keep you from learning new techniques and methods. Experiment with different styles when it fits the topic or your mood!
- Write in a way that makes you comfortable – if this means using a pen and paper, then do it! If this means being loud on social media, then go for it! And if this means typing on a computer using Microsoft Word, then so be it! There’s nothing wrong with sticking with what works best for you as long as it gets done well.
- Write in a way that is natural for you – this can mean many things depending on the writer: whether they prefer poetry over prose; whether their instinctive style is stream-of-consciousness rambling or structured storytelling; how much detail they include when describing things; etc. The most important thing here is simply finding out what comes naturally rather than forcing yourself into awkward situations just because other people might expect something else from you (“I thought all writers wrote memoirs,” she said before closing her laptop).
- Write in a way that is authentic for YOU — this applies mostly when trying new genres/topics/styles of writing (short stories vs novels) but also applies across all forms at times too: some people may write nonfiction better than fiction while others might find writing historical fiction easier than modern day plots because they already have experience doing research/reading books related to historical events/etcetera… So make sure whatever story idea comes next fits both thematically AND literally.
Final Note from Sara
Writing is a skill that can be developed. You don’t need to be an expert writer or have years of experience under your belt. All it takes is some time and effort!