How does one improve their writing?

Question

I am a journalism student and I am a great lover of all literature and so I would like, just for my own amusement, at least for now, to write maybe short stories or little novellas. I am just wondering if anyone has any suggestions for how to improve as a fictional writer. I spend alot of time writing reportive type essays for school and I also spend alot of time reading the classics. Both of these are probably great practice for writing, however, I am just wondering if there are any ways to really improve fictional writing. You know all, all of the great literary devices, character develepment, symbolism etc. Im just looking for some ways to improve besides the obvious continued reading of the classics.

Answer 1

Reading is definitely a must. It's like studying the art of writing itself. But make sure you're reading the same type of stuff that you want to write. If you're not going to write a classic type of story you shouldn't be studying the classics. Besides which you don't see any new classics around do you?



Short stories are written in a completely different way to novels and novellas etc so if those are the types of things you want to write, that's what you have to read and study. But don't forget the study part. It's so easy to get lost in the story and forget that you're supposed to actually be watching out for the techniques - how the author wrote a certain part or how he introduced something/someone or what this particular little thing has to do with the main story itself etc.



There are a lot of "Learn how to write" type books and websites which can help you out with the basic structure of the different types of written works and other basic things like that but they can only go so far. In the end, you're going to have to create your own style of writing just by practising heaps.



Also, perhaps the most important thing is to find someone you can bounce your work off who will give you useful and honest feedback and won't just say that everything's good because he's you're friend. This person can be hard to find because someone who has different reading tastes won't be helpful and likewise for someone who rarely reads at all, if ever.



Try signing up with a writing website where you can post your work to be reviewed but even then don't expect all useful reviews. The main purpose of having someone else read your work is so that you don't fall into the pit of despair when you feel everything you do is terrible (which may or may not be the case) and so that you won't give up because of it.



The worst critic of them all is the writer himself.

Answer 2

I asked one of my favorite authors that question 20 years ago when I was thinking of doing the same thing myself. His best advise that he could offer me, is before you start writing your own material ... quit reading others about a month before (this will help clear your head and also help you not to palagerize by accident), the next thing that he told me was keep a notebook handy at all times, and when you see or think or hear something interesting, take note of it, you may be able to use it in your stories, and things that are reallife happen to make fiction a little better. The last thing that he told me ... make an outline of the story that you are thinking of writing before you start, then take that little note book of yours and see if any of the stuff that you wrote will fit in anywhere ... never toss out a bad part ... just keep going ... there will be time to rewrite it after the fact, and stopping to do a double take on what you are writing at the moment only slows you up and is one of the many things that enhances writers bloc.

Answer 3

I have the opposite problem. I am a fiction writer who is finding it difficult acclimating into an analytical writer of essays for my English degree.



For your problem I would suggest that you not give up the classics, but do pick up a modern novel of some sort. Read a modern short story collection (there are many out there). This will give you an inkling of how modern writers operate.



While the classics are important, I've found that whatever I read I tend to imitate grammatically in my writing. I would suggest that you digest some modern prose so that your frame of mind is more contemporary and geared toward the modern reader. Writing like Henry James will get you nowhere, I'm afraid.



Really and truly, the best way to improve your writing is to read. I wouldn't suggest any other method, actually.

Answer 4

Believe it or not, I am a college English prof....so maybe something I say will be helpful...maybe.

I am sure you have heard some of these before. 1) Write and write often and write more

2) Be invested in the drafting process...write and revise....rework....and revise again.

3) Find honest and critical peer reviewers.

4) Read their (peers') work and critique them. Being able to dissect another's work helps in examining our own.

5) Find (short) pieces with some quality you wish to work on and then try writing your own version of the same piece. Use the devices of that author and frame it in your own words.

6) This last you are already doing...read....reading to write is tried and true. But don't only read the classics. Read crap too. Sometimes it helps to see what doesn't work.

Answer 5

Write write write. The more you do it, the better it gets. Take a favorite novel, analyze it. How many chapters, how soon is the main character introduced, when is the plot really clear. Then rewrite a chapter for the book in your own style. It's great practice. You begin to find your own style that way, and it's great fun.

Answer 6

Read a lot of fiction and you'll begin to absorb different styles.



When you write your short stories and novellas, just type it all out. Don't worry about technique or mistakes too much -- you can always edit later -- just get it out there in raw form so you have something to work with. And don't read too many 'how to write' books; they'll box you in with so-called 'guidelines' set by authors who have only made it selling how-to-write-novels books (without actually being successful novelists).



Does that make sense? Hope I've helped.

Answer 7

The best way to improve your writing is to read other peoples writing. Just take note on their writing style, once you read books from a wide-spectrum of authors then you can easily develop your own style. The trick is to pick out the things you don't like about their style of writting and then make improvements.



Use your imagination to extreme depths if you want to make your stories interesting, one tip is to become the main character....imagine what your world would be like....become the story but do not do this for a long time because the story may become you forever. The Imagination is the key to all great stories, unlock it wisely and you'll see.

Answer 8

You improve your writing by writing, writing, and rewriting. Then you write some more.

Answer 9

best practice......practice makes man perfect.

Answer 10

Wow! It appears that you've touched on a subject that inspired people. Great!



The only bit I would add would be consider joining a writer's group. One that writes in the same genre that interests you.



I had been in one for several years that had a couple of professors, a news paper editor, and several authors who published their work.



Feedback from your peers can be very helpful.



Good luck!

Answer 11

Reading and writting will help a lot, but try listening too; it has help me a lot. I don't write short sotires, but I've other essays and I even enjoy it. So try listening to others, to the TV, music, etc. It help you with new words, meanings and even ideas.

Answer 12

Read a lot. Read every genre, lots of classics, lots of modern stuff. Every single creative writing class I took in college emphasized reading.

Next, listen to the ideas running in your head. Don't push anything and absolutely throw out the idea that great writing is based on emotion and angst. Have fun with your writing. Words are a playful instrument.

If you do come up with a brilliant idea, go ahead and outline it. You don't need to slavishly stick to it, but it'll give you a road map.

A wonderful book of writing exercises that I bought a long time ago before I even thought about going to college is What If? It'll give you some inspiring exercises that may turn into stories. You should be able to find it for cheap on Amazon.

Mostly, just have fun and don't take yourself too seriously. Learn all the rules about grammar, etc. and then you will know how and when to break them. Learn your lit history as well.

Answer 13

The most beneficial thing I have found to improve my creative writing ablities was round-table discussion with other creative writers. If there's no class like this for you to enroll in that has an instructor who will organize and lead but not control, take a bold step and organize a group of creative writers. Meet at least once a week for an hour or so (however long it takes to go around the circle and have each writer read aloud from a creative piece he has written during the week -- and to receive critique ... "constructive criticism" and "applause" ... from each and every writer there.) This is good for the soul and good for the creative juices, but mainly it will hone the craft like nothing else. Wear a very thick skin to the sessions, and speak with a very honest yet very gentle tongue. A semester, or better yet, a year of this will do more to improve your abilities than any structured course in which a teacher simply scribbles all over your creations and hands them back. Good luck to you.

Answer 14

As a writer, improving your craft is a life-long task. It’s the way we view the whole issue of revision of our work, it’s simply never quite enough. You have, however, begun well by reading the classics and continuing to write. I suggest that you expand your reading to include the best sorts of representations of what you want to write yourself. Read such things with the editor-observer in your brain taking notes about how they manage their form, whatever that may be. Note how you react to what you read for pleasure and what you read for information and why, because, as a journalism student, you have been learning to present facts, and fiction, although a reflective interpretation of life’s truths, is a creative lie. Observe people. Listen to everyday conversations so that you can reproduce the natural rhythm of dialog, which is different from exposition. The “bottom line” is simply: write, write, write. Don’t even think of a project of any sort unless you need to do so, just begin and go on. If the idea loses its power, begin something else. Try to finish, of course, because that’s ultimately important, but it’s essential that you put in the time and words that are the apprenticeship of any writer endeavoring to master their craft. Finally, don’t give up. The greatest percentage of wannabes give up after the first year of attempting to publish. If you can make it past that, if you keep writing and believing, you will already be ahead of the game. Good luck.

Answer 15

Besides the obvious activity of practicing, a good writer needs the kind of feedback needed to make effective changes. Find a reasonably well educated, well spoken adult to read your material. This kind of person can offer a construcive form of critique.



Of course, teachers can do this kind of work, but I am sure you understant how busy an educator can be. Best if you can line up SEVERAL teachers and other adults. You might discover different, opposing insight to the same piece of work.



For an interesting and fun practice exercise, find a good piece of popular fiction, such as a short story. Retell the same story, but from the point of view of another character. Don't try to copy the writer's style. Remember, YOU are seeing the events as another charater. That character will not relate events in exactly the same way. I suggest a classical piece of work, such as one of Mark Twain's. That way, your critic should recognize the story, and be more prepared to read and comment on your efforts.



Another exercise is to take a news story and retell it in narrative form. Practice this in first AND second person, so that you don't get stuck into a rut.



But, what ever you write, you need the constructive criticism to know how well you are doing. To many people make the mistake of counting rejection letters from publishers as the guage of their writing skills.



Writing is the mostest funnerest thing I like to do!

Answer 16

The easiest way for someone who is a novice to become a better writer is to read as much as they can.



But I guess you're not a novice... Never force yourself to write. Only write when you're inspired. Listen to music. If your mind wanders to something else and you find yourself thinking more about something than your writing stop until you've got that off your mind, but do not let yourself stop every time some little thing pops in to your head, only stop if it's a distraction.



Take breaks. To get food or drink or get a smoke.



After you write something that you really like but find yourself writing stuff you like less stop writing. And never ever delete anything. Keep everything. I wish I had done that.



And most of all don't pressure yourself and don't set deadlines. I'm writing an album, when my friends ask when they can listen to it, I say 'about a year.'



Watching TV or listening to music isn't a distraction for me, but I think it probably isn't the best idea.



I should caution that these are my writing tactics for writing music and lyrics and not literature, but I have found myself writing from late in the night to late the next day.



Good luck. I hope you find yourself on the New York Times Best Seller list, and get yourself a good job at a fine paper.

Answer 17

Reading is the only way. Read everything you can, it doesn't matter if it's modern or classic. Get used to the way that good sentences flow. Develop an ear for it, like a musician listening to a great symphony.

Remember that writing does not happen in a burst of divine inspiration. It is incredibly difficult work. The first draft of anything you write will be worthless crap, and what will make you a good writer is being willing to rewrite it, over and over and over again.

Answer 18

On a personal note, I myself found out my writing improved greatly by writing and writing a lot. You must find a theme or something which really interests you and part from that. That way, I think, is the bestway to practice. But well that's just me, hope it works for you.

Answer 19

As with any profession, and as I'm sure you know, it's important to start with the basics. Brush up on basic grammar - it makes writing and editing a lot smoother.



Then, just jump in! If you want a really fun writing exercise, you're just in time. National Novel Writing Month takes place during the month of November. You can read more about it on the official website, http://www.nanowrimo.org But briefly, it is a one-month challenge: write a 50,000 word novel in one month. It's a fantastic way to jump-start the writing process.



Another suggestion is to read. See what appeals to you (and what doesn't) and try to mimic styles. What IS it about Faulkner or Dickens or Palahniuk (or whomever it is that you read) that keeps you turning pages? Is it character development? Dialogue? Description? The narrator's voice? Use what you learn from reading and mimicking when crafting your own stories.



I had an excellent instructor in college who taught a class on learning from imitation. He also wrote our textbook, which I found on Amazon.com. It's a little expensive, but you might pick up a used copy if you think it might be a useful tool: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0072414715/sr=8-1/qid=1156444989/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-3779611-4031148?ie=UTF8



Finally, find online writing groups on blogging websites like Livejournal (www.livejournal.com), etc. that allow you to interact with other amateur writers and provide feedback to one another.



Practice makes perfect, as they say. Good luck!

Answer 20

I recommend becoming a member of a good writer's workshop or group. I also am a writer and my writing group has helped me immensely with my writing. Be careful about joining public groups, you would be surprised how many people are out their looking to steal peoples work online. Only join a writer's workshop that the work can't be veiwed by the public and never post any of your work on a public site in it's entirety.



My writing workshop is linked below. We are private and exlusive and we only accept serious writers, which you appear to be. We have workshops and markets and we do line-by-line critiques, not nice-nice sewing circle comments. We're there to help, not flatter people, but we don't shred people's work either. (Hey, we all make grammatical errors, that's not what a critique group is about, it's about improving our skills as writers.)

Answer 21

First of all, I found that your question was extremely well written, and the rest of it well polished as well. So any criticism from these jerks out here who wouldn't know an answer to a question if it hit 'em upside the head, just ignore these little losers. Yesterday someone answered that pork was kosher and it was picked as best answer, so that's the level of gray matter out here.... the best way to improve your writing is to constantly read good writing. Start with E.L. Doctorow, Stephen King (yes), and how about John Steinbeck and any other author you have enthusiasm for. Imitating is genius.

Answer 22

I also have read the classics in literature since childhood and written in a technical style as a nurse. What helped me the most to perfect my writing skills was simply taking English Comp I and II and also Creative Writing. There are good instructors that can be found in local junior colleges as well as the university setting. There you learn the basic rules and also are allowed to write as your class assignment.

Answer 23

I'm not a writer, but i love to read books, fictions and fantasies. The best ones make me feel like i should take a shot at writing myself. The way to go about it is to figure out a general plot, read a book that inspires you, try and relate it to experiences that you want to tell to people. this helps you to be inspired and independent. When you start off like this, eventually you will let go of the "hand holding" i.e. looking at ur fav. book for inspiration & start writing stuff urself, even re-writing the first few chapters that you might have taken as inspiration...

Answer 24

Ray Bradbury said that to improve your writing, you should write 300 words every day.

Write in your head. I do it all the time.

Keep a blog/journal thing to write in.

Whenever you have five minutes, pick something, a person, object, or a place, and practice describing it in great detail.

Answer 25

Going to school is the best thing you can do!.

Just because someone is a teacher, does not mean he is an expert in all fields. Some teachers are jealous, so they tell you are a bad writer because, they wish they had your talent.Follow your heart and head on that one!

It looks like you have a lot of good answers on this question! Heed what you can and use your best judgment . You can't follow everyone advise.

On what to write about, Use your imagination, study what you are interested in. The old adage of , You have too live it, is just that , many famous writers never lived , one day in the life of their character, but they have best selling books out there.

I am an avid reader and hope one day to read one of your books. Good Luck!

Answer 26

I used to write for our school paper. I think the more you write the more you will improve. Accept criticisms positively and as a challenge. Ask someone to read and edit your job. Watch some good english movies, read some good books, even comics and then write your very own short stories. It's also good if you have a dream, write it down.



My editor once told me that there are 3 A's secret in writing and that is:

1. Accuracy

2. Accuracy

3. Accuracy



God bless you.

Answer 27

I haven't written creatively in a while, but what I used to do to develop characters was to outline what type of characteristics the person would have. Kind of like listening to their dialog in your head and writing it down. If you build great characters you can plug them into a story line later on. Call upon the traits of interesting people you've met along your way; the crazy guy that stands on the corner yelling obscenities, the grocery clerk, people at the bus stop, whatever. How did the guy end up on the corner, why is he yelling, who was he before? Did the grocery clerk ever dream of doing something else? What does her tattoo mean? Where does she go when she leaves the store? Be ever observant of human behavior, and like another person here said, write down your thoughts on little note pads or your hand. When you start to develop personalities that you like, you'll forever be on the hunt for something else to "feed" them and flesh them out. You'll "speak" to them everyday! You should be able to write a short story based upon a days worth or less of observing someone in their everyday life, or piece one together based upon a bunch of snippets. Just decorate and embellish it to your liking! Hope that helps.

Answer 28

Well, after reading what you wrote, I did find some grammar errors, but I will let you go since you're probably writing in a hurry. Check out http://www.lessonplanspage.com/articles/ImproveWriting.html but on the issue of coming up with IDEAS for writing, then you're on your own. Fictional writing can be hard. Some authors can be really good fictional writers, and some can just suck at it! If you go to http://www.fanfiction.net you can see some examples of fictional writing with characters based on a movie, TV show, anime, etc.

Answer 29

Whatever kind of writing anyone pursues reading is the best source to writing better. Then, practice writing and submit short stories to sites where others do and the site audience can rate the writing skills. There are many sites like this for writers.

Good luck!

Answer 30

Watching TV or listening to music isn't a distraction for me, but I think it probably isn't the best idea.



I should caution that these are my writing tactics for writing music and lyrics and not literature, but I have found myself writing from late in the night to late the next day.



Good luck. I hope you find yourself on the New York Times Best Seller list, and get yourself a good job at a fine paper.

Answer 31

How does one improve their writing?



At first, I assumed you meant to say, "How does one improve his writing." After reading that you are a student of journalism, though, I could not possibly imagine that you would fall prey to such a common grammatical error. You must have meant, then, that you are on a quest to improve the writing of others. In its subtle play of words, these six words paraphrase the artistic purpose: to create art that not only impresses upon but also generates creativity in others. You crave to see your writing inspire fellow language artists around you to refine their own expressive skills because, as your brilliantly crafted question suggests, is not the purpose of our vision to enable others to see for themselves?



Sorry about that-- you left yourself so open with that mistake (emphasized in bold typeface no less) that i just couldn't resist. The point of that was: master the English language first. Most people think in words. The more proficient you are with your language, the more proficient you are with your thoughts.

Answer 32

Well I write all kinds of literary pieces. I am published. in a Museum

Reading the Classics isn't the answer evidently . Read a variety of topics ,styles. and venue's/. Then Ideas. will flow from the different plots. real or fantasy. or a little bit of both, I love writing about Mysticism, is that real or illusion.cooincence.???

Answer 33

what you need to do is just get a book of all the literary terms and their definitions and spend a day going through that. then, you need to try to use some of those ways of writing in what you want to write. try to be as descriptive as possible with everything and eventually, with a few literary devices that you read about and make it as interesting as possible



by the way, irony is a great way to start ;-)



good luck!

Answer 34

How does one improve whose writing? If you mean how does one improve one's writing, the most important thing is to make sure your words are not misunderstood. If in doubt, re-cast the sentence, as they say. Get hold of Modern English Usage (many revisions now, but original by Fowler), and, if you can find a copy, The King's English by Kingsley Amis.

Answer 35

In college, i took writing classes, i even took an advance writing course. Check out your local college or institute and find out from their English department what do they have available. Good Luck! And don't forget if you want to become a good writer, you need to READ, READ....

Answer 36

write say 1000 words every day [besides your business work] - any subject - autobiography, biography, thoughts - anything - sometimes just let words flow at random - sometimes start a story with no idea where it is going, not caring how silly it is - but be strict in writing 1000 words every day - it will activate your mind to pull good stuff out of you - your mind will settle down to preparing for your 1000 words a day - if you are regular and strict



read every interesting book on any subject - go through the library shelves in all subjects and pick out books so interesting that they read themselves, so to speak - that'll be about one in thirty books - one or two on each shelf - never read hard-slog books - they are never enlightening



a lot of books are not actually saying anything!



if they have anything to say, it will show



sometimes all they are saying can be got out of them in a few minutes, by scanning blurb, contents, random pages, last paragraphs, first lines of paragraphs, etc



you can also tape whatever comes to your mind and then type it up, or just store them on tape - never throw these away - play them back, at random, every day, for a minute



writers have a responsibility to write the most valuable thing that can be written - they have a duty not to fill the world with lesser stuff that prevents people getting to better stuff



where is the knowledge we have lost in information?



writers are supposed to be enlighteners - more awake than their readers - lifters, not droppers



sails, not anchors



helium, not hot air



read all good books of quotes



esp the great quotations, george seldes [NOT his, the great thoughts]



the quotable woman, elaine partnow



bartlett's familiar quotations



penguin dict of modern quotations [cohens]



mark with blue pencil any 'good' quotes, so you can later toy through the quote books re-enjoying them, when you need a break



ask your friends and family always to buy you quote books for presents - nice big fat ones with lots of material



[i wish there were quote books of aristotle, plato all the great writers - there dont seem to be good collections of quotes devoted to one author - but often there are people who wish they were deeper into aristotle, aquinas, plato, etc, etc, but will never sit down and read their way through the whole of their writings - although plato is very easy to read - but even having read plato, there are things i have missed, and would be good to find in a quote book devoted to plato



such books could have longer than usual quotes - best bits - or even an edition of such authors that had a vertical line beside the most interesting, influential bits



jefferson, for instance - everyone should know all his most important thoughts - but he seems to be buried in the quantity of his writings

Answer 37

Aristotle said that there are some things that you learn how to do by doing them. That said, I would also add that I,too,am very interested in writing. I checked out what the others had to say.

The poet Dylan Thomas said that he learned his craft by taking a work, a specific poem, and then trying to write one like it. I notice that Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison was inspired to take structural ideas from Virginia Woolf and combine that with the graphic realism of James Baldwin in order to say what she was trying to say.Specific advice:

1.They all agree:Write everyday,even if only in your journal.

2.Brainstorm concepts:structural concepts(Does a plot have to be developed in a linear fashion? Why or why not? What other conventions in writing might you try to challenge successfully? e.e. cummings successfully challenged a number of poetic conventions. You might want to challenge any or all of what you see as literary conventions.Also, what I have read in some books related to screenwriting apply here, namely, they say that a dramatic work rises or falls on the strength of its conflict, that it is conflict that drives a novel, movie, whatever.You certainly should brainstorm conflicts or explore conflicts in your thinking.Given a protagonist,think about who or what might oppose them the greatest and why? Think about conflicts everywhere, and pick one to write about, conflicts in relationships, conflicts between nations, conflicts between ideas and ideologies. Explore them.

THE STRONGER THE CONFLICT, THE MORE POTENTIALLY POWERFUL THE STORY!

3.Derrida is noted for his method of post-structural literary analysis known as "deconstruction," in which he breaks down a work into its essential binary opposites and then reverses them.

You might want to experiment along those lines.Take a famous novel like"Dracula,":and deconstruct it, that is, write a story in which Dracula is the hero as opposed to the monster. Choose another novel of your choice, and try writing it from the other perspective;make the hero a scumbag and the villain the good guy.

4.You did not specify a particular genre. The sci-fi author Robert Silverberg has a great book out entitled "Sci-fi 101" for people who want to learn how to develop as sci-fi writers, but some of what he says can be applied to all fields. Also, Steven King wrote a book for aspiring writers entitled"On Writing."

You might want to check them out.

Answer 38

you can practice - first set your mind on any topic and think about it for 2 minutes. then get your alarm clock and set a five minutes alarm - during these 5 minutes, write down whatever you know or comes to your mind about your chosen subject NON-STOP. you can't put your pen down. when the five mins are over, read what you wrote. if you practice this regularly, maybe you can do better.

Answer 39

Yes, those who suggested READING as the solution, is the best and easiest way to improve one`s writing. It broadens your mind into the different styles, stories, and ideas on presenting your fiction.



Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Answer 40

I would say study thesaurus's and dictionary's go outside sit, listen, watch, and write what you observe until your writings are so descriptive that your reader can see, hear, touch and taste what you are writing about. I'm no writer so no need to correct what I've written OK just tryin' to help

Answer 41

Have you searched the web "journalism improvement"? Perhaps you can check with Department of Journalism, San Francisco; at www.journalism.sfsu.edu Good luck.

Answer 42

Are you living in a town with book stores? College town? Are there zines, (zeens) in the bookstores? You can write and publish your first work amazingly fast! I don't think anybody has heard of them, or else they just don't appeal to people like I think they would. Nobody seems to recognize the word. I think they are amazing!! I just typed zine in web search and they have heard of them, so...

Answer 43

Read EA Poe for plot, style, vocabulary, Shakespeare for simile and metaphor.

Write, submit, edit, continue until sale, continue until self supporting.

Meet the demands of various editors, and collaborate with other authors, in different genres.

Answer 44

First thing the remember:



You are writing for ME not for YOU



That means you may have to simplify things because I'm a dullard and you're not.



Keep to a topic.



Don't repeat yourself in other paragraphs.



Follow the format



WHO

WHAT

WHERE

WHEN

WHY



The most IMPORTANT THING goes first, the LEAST IMPORTANT THING goes last.



Style is also important.



I think it was Paddy Chayefsky that said he removes all the adjectives on first re-write.



The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dogs.



The fox jumped over the dogs.



Now, you have to decide if all that flowery stuff is REALLY required for the reader to understand you or if cutting to the chase works best.



Being clever can be nice.



One reviewer of "Dukes Of Hazard" the Movie called it:



"Everything you expected and worse!"



At that point they don't have to go on.



Read good writers.



Let's take a case in point. Howard Hawks considered "To Have and Have Not" Hemminway's WORST book.



He got Faulkner to write the first draft.



Faulkner gave us lines like: "It's even better when you help!" (Bogart to Bacall over their second kiss)



"YOu do know how to whistle, don't you! You just put your lips together and blow!"



Bacall to Bogart



Hemmingway wrote that sober and Faulkner probalby wrote it drunk.



I occasionally write a gem. I did a piece on film editing and I said "that is where your budget goes from here to Mars and back!"



That's a metaphor.



It's rare I come out with a gem like that!



It does paint a picture, doesn't it. You have a budget, Mars is 32 to 64 million miles away, that is a long distance.



A picture is worth 1,000 words. I could have elaborated on budgets, but instead I gave people a metaphor they could grasp.



Be concise.



Say it in as few words as you can.



Einstein said, you have to Make Granny understand it!



Of course if you read HIS explaination of Relativity, NO ONE's GRANNY could grasp that!



But his point is well taken



YOU WRITE FOR ME NOT FOR YOU



Marilyn Lewis-Mayer taught me that and as a result I got published 5 times in a row.



Re-write.



Make it squeeky clean.



Don't giive the editor anywhere to go with your work. Make every word COUNT!



Otherwise they will chop your work to shreds!



YOU need to chop your own work to shreds!



If you cut all the FAT away and all the BONE away, all they are left with is the meat.



Sometimes you have to tell the dullards at the magazine.



I wrote a piece on BEER making and the group that made beer was called the MALTOSE FALCONS



Some dullard copy editor changed it to MALTESE FACONS



MALTOSE refers to the ingredient MALT which is in BEER



So in your COVER letter you have to clarify that.



Tell the IDIOTS at the MAGAZINE, you know the difference between MATLESE (which, by the way, is a Bogart film and not real) and MALTOSE



Otherwise THEY will make YOU look like an IDIOT in print!



Writing for publication is just like writing for a graduate thesis or dissertation, you have to CITE.



Except you CITE in your cover letter.



MALTOSE, that's the name of the group, it's a play on the word MALT and TOSE, don't change it!



It will sink into the copy editors brain.



The copy editor tries to out guess you, that's how they keep their job!



They are RIGHT and you are WRONG



If you are RIGHT in WRITE, then YOU MUST TELL THEM UP FRONT, it's a name, a play on words, don't change it or GOD WILL GET YOU!



They'll snicker and leave it alone.



For me, doing an internet based magazine that comes out every two months improved my writing a lot!



I still make MISTRAKES, but not as many as I did in the year 2000!



Yahoo answers is a good test. Write here. MAKE IT PERFECT. It doesn't matter if you have to re-write 25 times and spend 2 hours doing it.



I screw off, because I'm not paid and I'm already in PRINT and in the Reader's

Guide to Periodical Literature and in Who's Who in Entertainment.



I don't have to prove my self to be PERFECT here, just in the ball park!



They are lucky to have me around researching and writing for "points" and "levels!"

Answer 45

Take a good writing course.

Answer 46

Begin with a structured outline, then build upon it with ever increasing detail and voila, you have the backbone for a story whether it be fictional or classic. Just add embellishments as you go without straying from the outline.

Answer 47

Try a fictional writing conference. I've heard of a great one. I'll try to find more info and repost.

Answer 48

At some point you must stop reading and begin writing. As the old saying goes"There is no time like the present".

Those that can, write reading, those that can't, read writing.

'Nuff said.

...jj

Answer 49

just write and write .. carry a note book around to put ideals in ... read (mostly things in the gender that you want to write in like fantasy of horror) have your self a good editor like me (hugs my 3 editors) write a page every day. And for me I started to keep a dairy (because I’m dyslectic this helped me) that’s about it oh and never let a ideal pass you write every one down.. Right down your dreams too that is fun and gives you practice)

Answer 50

don't worry about your grammar too much if you want to write fiction. (MS Word can check your grammar for you!!) Rather try to write in the colloquial lingo of the street, i.e. the way real people speak. If you can get that right, you have a better chance of success as a fiction-writer.

Answer 51

Proofreading and lots of it. Keep reading, it seems to help you out. You know i am trying to get my writing skills to become better. I hope this work for you and good luck !!

Answer 52

Applying the basics in your particular field. Adroit use of vocabulary. And writing, writing, writing ... and writing some more! Never say you've read the classics. They told you that's what they were. Final vote is yours. That's ... an accomplished writer.

Answer 53

try writing a couple pages in a journal everyday. write about anything you want. you can write poems, short stories, diary entries....anything. just do it a lot in your free time, because practice makes perfect!

Answer 54

Read. if you read a lot you tend to write a lot and practice makes perfect

Answer 55

Well, can I just say it is "How does one improve his or her writing?"

Answer 56

i'm definetly not a nerd but some books that i do read are very hard for my age group in kinder garten i was reading chapter books i finished all four harry potter books in one day and i have really good writing skills ive never got lower than an a+ in any of my grades especially writng and don't wory about being anerd i am really pppular in my school just because i don't show my friends my grades if you do then your in trouble and get stuck with reputation of being the oppisite of me

Answer 57

um,i write things down in a common place book that i think are interesting

so that one day i can make it into a book

like i already wrote one about "the lady and the blow"

also when something pops into my head i write it on my arm

it looks like i have freaking tattos all over me

but it works

Answer 58

Not exactly on how to write fiction, but rather writing in general. As a non-English individual, I find it very informative:



http://www.economist.com/research/StyleGuide/



Not only useful, but actually also funny

Answer 59

If you plan to write fiction, then your writing must be readable.

You could ask your friends to sample your work.

If the first paragraph of a book, fiction or non fiction does not grab me I don't buy it.

Answer 60

Begin with what youre familiar with and what you enjoy. Take an incident from childhood for example and entertain yourself 'first' with your creativity. Enjoy what youre writing. Good luck.

Answer 61

I think that the best way to improve your writing is feel it!

You express your self from heart! If you put your heart in to every thing you do you can't ever go wrong!

Answer 62

I think if you would write about your life that might help you with your writting a story.

Answer 63

I think you should get a journal and just write about anything. Don't stop. Just keep writing. It will improve your skills. Trust me.

Answer 64

By reading a lot

Answer 65

find someone who has nice hand writing and ask them to write all the letter of the ABC's down in capitals and lower cases. trace them for a while then try it on ur own.

Answer 66

to improve your writing...

a. you have to read a lot.

b. you have to write a lot.

c. you have to read what you wrote to people who would like to listen to your stories.

d. you need people to like your writings..and encourage you to write more and more.

...

you have to be persistent and keep writing. if you do it to "make money" try sending your writings to local publishers, newspapers...etc...

if you see your writing in print..you will be encouraged. good luck.

Answer 67

read. read. practice. practice some more.

try letting others read your articles/item & let them criticize it....

dont be afraid to commit mistakes. accept corrections from others.

good luck!

Answer 68

Practice and Read.

Answer 69

wow thats alot to read, thank god you dont have to read that to get the 2 points lol....... according to your title.. just write and write youll get better

Answer 70

Practice makes a man perfect,...

Answer 71

you should write as slow enough as it takes to whatch how your letters look as you write them, and then once you have learned to write really good, the speed will come later as your hand and mind take over

Answer 72

just keep writing and eventually it will improve........

Answer 73

The best advice I ever got was "Write about what you know."

Answer 74

Just needs concentration, dedication and practice

Answer 75

Read and read and read!



Read the good, the bad, the ugly.



Suck it all in like a sponge.



And then read some more!

Answer 76

Read many books, different genre and varities of books.

Answer 77

by writing more. practice makes perfect

Answer 78

same with drawing.it takes practice and determination. you cannot be a "Great Writter"

in just a flick of a finger.

Answer 79

Find a copy of "Skull," by Joe Buffer. Read it.

Answer 80

Write casually and for fun. Also, read more.

Answer 81

read write and find someone to read wht you wrote

Answer 82

write everyday and keep pracitcing dude. ull need it if you want people to be able to read the things u write.

Answer 83

read and write as much as you can.

Answer 84

by writing more.when u keep writing

you ll learn your mistakes and will not do it again.

Answer 85

well, you just have to write more and read more stories so you can get more ideas from them.

Answer 86

go to a writing school,college etc.

Answer 87

reading

Answer 88

I let others, that I trust, read my work and give me feedback on it.

Answer 89

practice makes perrfect

Answer 90

slow down when you write and you will get beter, maybe

Answer 91

learn how to spell

Answer 92

Oh, I thought you were talking about your handwriting. Oh well. God Bless you.

Answer 93

take a brake and relax, let the spirit take the flow.......

Answer 94

by write more and more

Answer 95

ask some to read what you read, then ask them they opion.

Answer 96

keep trying and get help

Answer 97

READ...read...read...



Think...think...think...



Write...write...write...



Imporove is write ,read, think.,..each every time.

Answer 98

practice

Answer 99

read

Answer 100

practice !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!