If you are seeking a foolproof way for becoming a better writer, I should begin here by disclosing–there is no such thing.
While some authors opt for a quiet, isolated space, others get their best work done in a crowded coffee shop. Regardless of where or when you are writing, or how you brainstorm and organize your work, there’s no correct way to conduct a piece of creative writing. So, continue writing wherever or whenever works best for you–whether that’s after midnight, or at the crack of dawn.
Don’t stop reading here, though. In spite of freely choosing your preferred writing environment, there are changes you can (and perhaps should) consider making.
The following list will showcase ten pieces of advice from famous authors. Like myself, if you have a desire to improve your writing and wish to hone the art of creative writing, you will take a lot from this list. In fact, adopting some of these methods will require minor changes, yet will make an incredible difference.
After reading these tips, you’ll be well on your way to writing quality work, maybe a novel or a short story for Amazon, whatever you set your mind to. When you reach your goal and want to expand your reach, creating an audiobook can be a great next step. It allows you to connect with a whole new audience, those who prefer listening over reading. By working with an audiobook production company, you can save time and ensure every step, from production to distribution, is handled professionally and up to Audible standards.
1. Read Before Writing
William Faulkner emphasizes that you must “read everything–trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master.”
Allow yourself to absorb countless forms of literature. The reading you do will shape your own style of writing. You will discover two crucial things–how you do want to sound versus how you do not want to sound. So, when you do finally write, you will find that your writing incorporates the styles, phrases, and tones that originally captivated you, as a reader.
2. Take Charge of Your Own Writing Journey
Roald Dahl addresses how “you must have strong self-discipline. You are working alone. No one is employing you. No one is around to give you the sack if you don’t turn up for work, or tick you off if you start slacking.”
It is true that as writers, we must be entirely self motivated to accomplish our vision. If we slack off, the only person to hold us accountable is ourselves. In this way, the profession of writing differs greatly from other occupations. Before you can become a good writer that actually produces good work, you must exercise and master the act of self-discipline.
3. Don’t Be Afraid To People-Watch And Eavesdrop
Virginia Woolf advises writers to “observe strangers. Let your own version of their life story shoot through your head–how they got where they are now, where they might be going–and fill in the blanks for yourself.”
Go out into the public and become inspired by the people around you! Treat familiar places like something entirely novel.
For instance, on your daily commute, pretend it's your first time on a subway. Take in all the information in your surroundings, create different narratives about the people around you and what their life entails. As you gather this data and make these assumptions, you may just find yourself getting inspired.
4. Escape From All Distractions
Ray Bradbury once said that “you must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.” Meaning that to productively write you must enter this entrancing state where your concentration cannot be broken by external occurrences or thoughts.
Unfortunately, it is so easy to become overwhelmed and distracted by the pressures we face in our everyday lives. So much so, that it takes our focus away from the present moment. Thereby, when you find your thoughts drifting off, you must have the willpower to bring yourself back.
5. Don’t Try to Impress the Reader with Big Words
There is nothing worse than reading a piece of work that hides simple messages in complex, taxing phrases. Of course, that is quite dramatic, yet I cannot emphasize this enough. Unless each word is essential and conveys meaning, the extra jargon is entirely unnecessary.
Generally, readers are looking for a literary escape, rather than a test of their intelligence. So, as a general rule of thumb–be sincere and direct.
C.S. Lewis. gives a few notable examples:
- “Never use abstract nouns when concrete ones will do. If you mean ‘More people died’, don’t say ‘Mortality rose’.”
- “Don’t use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the thing you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us a thing was ‘terrible’, describe it so that we’ll be terrified. Don’t say it was ‘delightful’; make us say ‘delightful’ when we’ve read the description. You see, all those words (horrifying, wonderful, hideous, and exquisite) are only like saying to your readers, “Please, will you do my job for me?”
6. Write With Passion
J.RR. Tolkien urges writers to “let your interests drive your writing”. Do not write about topics that you find bland. When you write about something that inspires you, it will feel effortless and natural.
Pause here and take a few moments to think about something that you love doing. Imagine yourself doing just that, and think about how it makes you feel in that moment.
Regardless of what you imagined, it should bring you a genuine sense of fulfillment and enjoyment. Oftentimes when we are doing such things, we lose track of everything else around us and time passes by at tremendous rates.
Consequently, when you are passionate about your writing, the content will come naturally to you; it should excite you.
7. Don’t Exclusively Focus on the End Goal; Take Things One Page at a Time
When you finally sit yourself down to work on a new piece, it is so easy to overwhelm yourself by thinking about how long it will take. I, myself, am quite guilty of this, for sometimes we are so focused on completing the final product and reaching our end goal that we forget to enjoy the process.
To avoid these dreadful thoughts, a change in perspective can be very helpful. John Steinbeck says that you should “abandon the idea that you are ever going to finish. Lose track of the 400 pages and write just one page for each day, it helps. Then when it gets finished you are always surprised.”
8. Write When You Feel Most Inspired
No one is forcing you, I hope, to work between the traditional hours of 9-5. Instead, you may wish to stay up late at night, like HP Lovecraft. He admired “when the objective world has slunk back into its cavern and left dreamers to their own, there come inspirations and capabilities impossible at any less magical and quiet hour. No one knows whether or not he is a writer unless he has tried writing at night.”
So, try writing at various times throughout the day/night, see what works best for you!
9. Writing Anything is Better Than Nothing
When athletes want to achieve faster times, the most important thing they must do is practice. This repetitive act of practicing a skill will undoubtedly bolster your performance. And writing is no different.
Katherine Mansfield reflects on how she “was always writing. [Stating that it was] twaddle. But better far write twaddle or anything, anything, than nothing at all.” You mustn’t have the expectation that you will become an amazing writer overnight. Just like athletes training, you must put in hours of hard work before you receive any recognition.
10. Exude Self-Confidence
Hillary Mantel claims the “most helpful quality a writer can cultivate is self-confidence –arrogance, if you can manage it. You write to impose yourself on the world, and you have to believe in your own ability when the world shows no sign of agreeing with you.”
Be proud of what you write and your accomplishments. Confidence bleeds into your work–if you believe in yourself, it will show.
While reading this list is only the first step, you’re already on your way to becoming a better writer! Now all you have to do is put it into action–that can’t be too difficult, right?
I hope that you close this tab feeling inspired and confident in your future as a writer. But before you do so, I would love to hear your thoughts! Let me know–have you previously received writing advice that impacted your process for the better? If so, what was it?
Written by Emily Nyikos
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Jony Studios is a content marketing agency specializing in B2B podcasting and audiobook services. They have worked with many clients, from startups to larger organizations such as Penguin Random House, Amazon, University of Waterloo, Freakonomics Radio, and many others.
