I enjoyed Kevin DeYoung’s blog “How to Write More Gooder,” in which he shares some great advice for writers. (You might also be interested in C.S. Lewis’s tips on good writing.)
Here are a few of my own thoughts about writing:
Be a voracious reader. To improve my skills, I continue to read and re-read books on how to write. I also analyze both the fiction and the nonfiction I read. What do I like or not like? What is the author doing to create this mood, develop this character, create this tension, set up a plot twist, etc.? Good writers are readers, and writers who don’t have time to read won’t ultimately be worth reading.
Work hard at it. Anything that’s easy to read is usually hard to write. What’s easy to write is hard to read. I heard one author say, “Writing is like giving birth to barbed wire.” Writing is 5 percent inspiration and 95 percent perspiration.
Learning to write well is not a matter of memorizing a set of rules. It’s a matter of mastering a set of techniques. The artist—and writers are artists—who desires to excel at writing must dedicate his life to mastering the skills. You’ve heard it said many times: How does one learn to write? By writing, and writing, and writing. … That’s because the writing itself is your practice. Every page you write is the equivalent of that half-hour at the piano keys, honing your skills.
Realize that the best writing comes in revision, not creation. I learned long ago that I should never wait for inspiration or a good beginning. I just jump right in. I’ll either cut it out or clean it up later. Years ago I heard someone say, “Never edit at the point of conception.” I think a lot of writer’s block happens when people wait for the right words. I just write. Later, I labor over the right words, and there’s no block because I’m already looking at something on the screen.
