Pastime With Books: Simon Jenner – 10 Tips for Becoming A Better Writer

10 Tips for becoming a better writer

by Simon Jenner

1) Be observant all of the time, especially when out and about – great inspiration is just around a corner.

2) Don’t try to write great literature unless you really are that good – there are great writers past and present who can write about anything and bring it to life with a vibrancy most of us can only dream of. If you aren’t one of them write good plots with interesting characters. They are just as much fun to read and you won’t die trying.

3) Read as much as possible but never try to copy the style of your chosen material. Always write from the heart and develop your own style. Unless it flows from the heart it will never be as good as it can be.

4) Write as often as you can – gaps in your writing timeline make you rusty.

5) Contact other writers and stay in touch – enjoy communicating with your peers as it is a great learning opportunity.

6) Don’t be put off by harsh criticism – many critics feel the need to offend and many don’t have a clue what the public want.

7) Edit, edit, edit – nothing is as good as it can be on first draft. Even your editor will expect you to have drastically trimmed your work before receiving it. Even if you are great, you can’t afford to be lazy.

8) There’s no such thing as writer’s block. There are such things as procrastination, laziness, boredom, being in the wrong business and being in need of a short break.

9) The public is diverse and you don’t have to appeal to everyone – don’t write about a subject because you feel it is what people want to read. Write about subjects and people that inspire you and your inspiration will shine through in your writing.

10)Practise, practise, practise – with every page you write, you learn. The more you learn, the better writer you will become. My father always says ‘If it was easy, then everyone would do it.’