04 Oct 09 5 More Ways to Improve Your Writing Part-XIII

This is the final post in 5 Ways to Improve Your Writing series. In this post, I will talk about how to get new ideas for writing. The ideas I am going to discuss here will not only give you matters to write upon, but it will also bring depth in your writing.

Spice up your life

Try different things. Indulge in different activities. Bring newness to your life. The more experience you will gain the better and deeper your writing will become. If you want to make career in writing then be prepared to experience as many things as you can. Do not foster any inhibition.

Read literature from different culture

If you do not know any other language other than English then read the translated version, but read as many books from as many cultures as you can. This will deepen your insight into human life, values, rites and rituals, customs, traditions, and lifestyle, etc. This knowledge will help you bring depth and variety to your characters.

Deconstruct books

Have you ever thought what made a certain book so successful, and why some fictions are held as masterpiece? What is that one thing that is making one book reach to your heart? You can know this by analyzing and reflecting on the books that you like. Deconstruct books, stories and articles to see how it was created.

Learn the story wireframe

To be a better story writer, you need to know about the principal, construction, and architecture of a story. Once you know the framework on which a story is set, chances of your writing a good story will increase manifolds.

Learn Metaphors and read stories

Human thinks and communicate in metaphors and the richer your metaphor’s repertoire is the better your expression will be. Communicating everything in crude way is not the sensibility a writer is known for. To be a good writer, you need to be subtle. You need the art to say things even without saying anything else. Read famous lines, quotations, stories, and sayings. You will find each one of them filled with rich metaphors. Learn the art and practice it in your writing.

Links to all the articles in the series:

5 Ways to Improve Your Writing
5 More Ways to Improve Your Writing
5 More Ways to Improve Your Writing Part-II
5 More Ways to Improve Your Writing Part-III
5 More Ways to Improve Your Writing Part-IV
5 More Ways to Improve Your Writing Part-V
5 More Ways to Improve Your Writing Part-VI
5 More Ways to Improve Your Writing Part-VII
5 More Ways to Improve Your Writing Part-VIII
5 More Ways to Improve Your Writing Part-IX
5 More Ways to Improve Your Writing Part-X
5 More Ways to Improve Your Writing Part-XI
5 More Ways to Improve Your Writing Part-XII
5 More Ways to Improve Your Writing Part-XIII

Tags: Cultures, Customs, Different Culture, Different Things, Expression, Fictions, Inhibition, Insight, Language Other Than English, Life Values, Many Things, Masterpiece, Metaphor, Metaphors, Quotations, Rituals, Sayings, Spice Up Your Life, Story Writer, Traditions, Writing A Good Story

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19 Sep 09 5 More Ways to Improve Your Writing Part-II

This is the third article in the series that shares tips on writing. I believe there are small, mini steps that you can take every day to make a big change in your writing.

A word a day

Words and sentences are the pillars on which the structures of even gigantic epics are erected. From poems to stories, from drama to prose, from essays to articles, from fictions to non-fictions; everything is constructed from words. I hope I do not need to write more about the importance of words. The more you will learn the better will be your expression. Which word have you learned today?

Practice, practice, and practice

I know it sounds like some NBA or baseball coach shouting at you, but believe me nothing required more practice than writing. Leave writing for a month or two and you will see the significant drop in not only the quality of your work, but also in the way you use words and form sentences. Therefore, it is required of you to practice this craft daily, and keep your pen running and fingers moving on the keyboard.

Brush your Grammar

You must be wondering, why I am donning so many roles today; first I shouted like a sports coach, now I am advising you to read grammar with a stern face known to a school teacher. Let me put it other way. We need to practice grammar to keep ourselves aware of the rules, and grammar rules are nothing just a condensation of best writing practices that has been made standard. A common grammar rule book helps all of us remain on the same plane.

Remove distractions

Writing is not a social activity. It is a lonely journey through the highs of mountains and lows of valleys. This is the journey you have to take alone, and as soon as you get a company your journey is terminated then and there. Remove everything from the place that you are going to use to write. Remove all distractions.

Try different forms of writing

If you write just blog post then try writing press releases or sales letter and vice versa. If you are a fiction writer then write nonfiction. If you write poems, write stories. Change your genre and try your limit.

Tags: Baseball Coach, Condensation, Distractions, Epics, Fictions, Fingers, Grammar Rule, Grammar Rules, Keyboard, Lonely Journey, Lows, Pillars, Poems, Prose, School Teacher, Sentences, Sports Coach, Valleys, Word A Day, Writing Press Releases