|
|
|
A Simple Contest with a Strong Message for All Writers: Wake Up Your Writing Spirit
The Blogfest 2005 Writing Contest has only been running for two weeks and already the results are overwhelming. And not because were getting far more entries than we expected. Its because along with entries, were also getting heartfelt messages...
Get Rich Writing Fiction
GET RICH WRITING FICTION
Copyright 2005, Michael LaRocca Some of us write simply because we can't not write. Ideas grab
us, move us, and demand to be written. We strive to make it as
real as we possibly can, to improve at our craft every...
Power Writing 101: Tips and Tricks to Get You Taken Seriously!
In my ten years as an advertiser, Ive encountered plenty of folks with a flair for writing. They were born having some idea of where to put the words within the sentence, and the sentences within the paragraph. They usually know what words to use ...
The Art of Writing Effective Web Site Sales Copy
If you're selling a product or service on the Internet, your words are the most important factor in determining your success. High-tech web sites with fancy images won't make sales however, many Internet entrepreneurs spend much more time...
Writing To Overpower Your Competition
by Karon Thackston 2005 http://www.learn-copywriting.com "We don't have any competition. We're a truly a one-of-a-kind company." I've heard that line from clients for years. I wish it were true, but it's simply not. In fact, it wouldnt matter...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Improve Your Writing
None of us will be brilliant writers the moment we first pick up a pen or hit the keyboard. Its a fact. Were beginners and while some will be beginning with better skills and understandings than others, none of us will be the best writer we can be.
Improving your writing is one of the great parts of being a writer. Theres no greater feeling than picking up a story you wrote a year ago or even six months ago, picking up all the mistakes you made and realising you dont do it any more. I bet you can go up to any well known writer and ask them what they think of the first thing they published and the response will be something along the lines of: Im glad it was published because it got me started but quite frankly, I read it now and I shudder."
It can seem overwhelming, when you consider how good you want to be and how far you need to go to achieve it. A famous quote is that you need to write a million words before you can be a good writer. The follow ideas will help you make steady progress in your writing and achieve that aim of being the best you can be.
1). Practise, practise, practise. Yes, youve heard it all before. Write every day. Or at least regularly. And its true. Writing is a skill and like all skills, will only improve if you practise. If youre only going to write once a month or will write ferociously for several weeks and then not again for six months, you cant expect your writing muscles to develop. Even if its only one hundred words a day (and that will only take ten minutes or so), write as often and as regularly as you can.
2). Pick one weakness and work on it. Dont try to improve every aspect of your writing all at once. The first thing I decided to work on was Point Of View (POV). I got books, asked questions in online forums and wrote a lot, focussing my attention simply on POV. I not only got a handle on POV but found the style of POV that best suited my writing.
Once youre feeling confident about that area, pick another one and focus on it. Sometimes, you might only need a week or two to get a handle on an idea. Sometimes, it might take you months before you feel really comfortable with the way your writing looks
and sounds.
The great thing is, even though you are focussing on one subject, the amount of writing you do will see small improvements in other areas as well. So you almost kill two birds with one stone.
3). Experiment with your writing. Each month, set yourself a challenge to do something different. May its to write a story in first person when you normally use third. Maybe its to try writing your story as a transcription of a tape rather than as an observer of the story. Maybe its to try and write one hundred words as one sentence.
You will end up with interesting ideas, new areas that you need to look at and perhaps will discover a skill that you didnt know you possessed.
4). Write short shorts. Nothing will test your writing more than trying to tell an entire story, with good characterisation and plot, in five hundred words. You learn the value of words, the importance of right word at the right time. Even if you think you cant possibly do it, try it. It gets you thinking about your writing in a way that writing a novel doesnt, and you cant help but see what your strengths and weaknesses are.
5). Get involved in critiquing other peoples work and having your own critiqued. It is amazing how you can pick up errors in other peoples work that you cannot see in your own. Youll learn a great deal from the process. And for your own work, a good idea is to ask for questions about a particular thing. For example: Im not sure how clear the description is in this piece. Can you clearly see what is going on? Get your critiquers to focus on the skill you are focussing on and then you can receive their comments without being concerned that they are attacking you or your baby.
Take you time to improve your writing. Allow yourself to make mistakes and learn from them. No ones going to come back at you in ten years and say How can she be on the New York Times Bestsellers List? Look at the crap she wrote in 2003. Except maybe you.
About the Author
Nicole R Murphy is a writer and copy editor. She can help you develop your writing skills by copyediting and critiquing your work. Try a free trial at www.yourbestwork.com
|
|
|
|
|
| Writing.Com: Writers, Writing, Poetry, Creative Writing, Fiction ... |
| An online community dedicated to fostering writing skills. With a free membership anyone may read, write, rate, and review works. |
| www.writing.com |
|
| Welcome to Writing-World.com! |
| Writing articles and resources. Tips about how to become a better writer, get published and find writing markets. From Moira Allen. |
| www.writing-world.com |
|
| Guide to Grammar and Writing |
| The Guide to Grammar and Writing contains scores of digital handouts on grammar and English usage, over 170 computer-graded quizzes, recommendations on ... |
| grammar.ccc.commnet.edu |
|
| Purdue University's Online Writing Lab - The OWL Family of Sites |
| Writing lab and resources. Email newsletter available. |
| owl.english.purdue.edu |
|
| OWL at Purdue University: General Writing Concerns Handouts |
| This page contains important links to the writing: planning/writing/revising aspects of the OWL website. |
| owl.english.purdue.edu |
|
| Writing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| The original Mesopotamian writing system was initially derived from a system of ... If it is deemed to be a written language, writing in China will predate ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
|
| Writing.org - Advice for Freelance Writers |
| Articles to help you launch a freelance writing career, from a former literary agent and PLAYBOY editor. |
| www.writing.org |
|
| Writing HTML |
| More than just an HTML reference, this is a structured approach for learning how to create web pages, designed by specialists in learning at the Maricopa ... |
| www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu |
|
| National Novel Writing Month - National Novel Writing Month |
| NaNoWriMo is an annual (November) novel writing project that brings together professional and amateur writers from all over the world. |
| www.nanowrimo.org |
|
| Poynter Online |
| Apply by Dec. 11 Reporting and Writing the Untold Stories Apply by Dec. 11 ... Reporting & Writing for Multi-Platform Newsrooms. Apply by Jan. 10 ... |
| www.poynter.org |
|
| Pages tagged with "writing" on del.icio.us |
| This short online course provides a practical introduction to writing fiction. During the course you will be expected to write two short pieces for ... |
| del.icio.us |
|
| BBC Get Writing |
| The BBC's online resource for writing drama and comedy for television, radio and film. |
| www.bbc.co.uk |
|
| TOC About Writing |
| Menu of articles on writing written by professional SF/F writers. |
| www.sfwa.org |
|
| 11 Rules of Writing -- a concise guide to important grammar ... |
| A concise guide to some of the most frequently violated rules of writing, punctuation, and grammar. |
| www.junketstudies.com |
|
| NAEP Writing Subject Area |
| NAEP assesses student performance in writing periodically in grades 4, 8, and 12 for the nation, and in grades 4 and 8 for the states. |
| nces.ed.gov |
|
| Writing: See what people are saying right now on Technorati |
| See all blog posts tagged with writing on Technorati. |
| www.technorati.com |
|
| IPL Teenspace: A+ Research & Writing |
| Includes step-by-step instructions on researching and writing, how to find information online and offline, as well as links to useful resources. |
| www.ipl.org |
|
| Dictionary.com: Writing Resources |
| Free online English dictionary and reference guide. List of sites writers can use. |
| dictionary.reference.com |
|
| WritingFix: Home of Interactive Writing Prompts and 6 Trait ... |
| Daily and interactive writing prompts. |
| www.writingfix.com |
|
| Advice on Academic Writing |
| Includes articles on critical reading, planning, researching, style and editing, grammar and punctuation. |
| www.utoronto.ca |
|
|