20Nov

Nov 20 2020

7 Strategies That Will Help You Become a Better Writer

John Mc

Experiences

If you think that in order to write a good poem, novel, article, or well, pretty much anything, it’s enough to have a good idea, that is an initial requirement, yes, but in reality - it’s just a first step. Sure, you can start writing spontaneously, but if you really want to write something good, impactful, and meaningful, you need to make yourself comfortable and start working on a strategic plan.


That being said, in this article, we are going to talk about seven different strategies that you should incorporate into your writing process in order to be a better writer.

Spontaneity is something you shouldn’t stray away from

Let’s get this straight, the fact that you need to have a good plan doesn’t necessarily mean that you should abandon everything that comes to you spontaneously. In fact, embracing it, and ensuring that you always have a place to write your ideas down is going to help you a great deal.

  • Always have a notebook on your side

The best way to ensure that no idea gets forgotten is having a notebook to write your ideas down when they come to you. In fact, a couple of them is even better, each one in different places in which you spend the most time, you never know where you are going to get inspired.  


This will help you a great deal, because in case if you have a good writing idea, you don’t risk forgetting it until you reach your writing station. Write it down, it will help you later when you come home and continue writing, even if it’s just a few words, it will remind you of an idea that you maybe had even while doing something completely different. 


Basically, be sure to always have one notebook with you, in your purse or bag. You can put one near your bed because sometimes - the best ideas come to us before or even during sleeping.

Comfort is important, but subjective

Everyone has their own preferences when it comes to the environment that is stimulating for writing. Whatever it may be that gets you creative and productive, utilize it to your advantage! Experiment with different things, sometimes, things that you didn’t even consider tend to be the secret ingredient that set the scene just right.


If you aren’t sure about your preferences, for starters, just try and make yourself as comfortable as you can. That means that you can put on some nice, inspiring music, or light a candle of your favorite smell, pour yourself a glass of wine or hot beverage. If you are working on a novel that has a specific theme you can also find a lot of ambiance sounds on the internet in order to immerse yourself even more.


Lights and scents can greatly affect your emotions, memories, and inspiration - be sure to utilize these powerful tools. You need to be completely relaxed, and the story that you are writing is going to begin unfolding.

Your equipment should never be an oversight

As with pretty much any profession or hobby, good equipment makes a huge difference. A big screen can be important, as well as the mouse you use, but having a good keyboard is imperative for writers. After all, writing comes down to typing on your keyboard, so, be sure to make the most of it! 

  • Things to look for in a keyboard

Finding an ergonomic keyboard that suits you best is going to entirely change your writing process. Ergonomic keyboards are designed in such a manner that they position your hands as naturally as possible, having a big impact on your back and whole body. Taking the time to do your research on the Best keyboards for writers is going to help you find the one that suits you most since there are a lot of different ones out there. After you find your perfect match, you will be glad that you did so.

Immersing yourself in writing 

All the things that we have discussed previously play a big role in this topic, but one that is the most important, and yet incredibly often overlooked is muting your phone.


The notifications from your social media can disturb you so much that you can easily forget what it was that you wanted to write exactly. Nowadays, you can’t get yourself totally out of this world, but at least you can try to do so. You can easily check messages or missed calls from time to time, but in order to be more concentrated on what you are writing, stay away from your phone while you are in the zone. 

Finding a perfect place to write

This means finding the perfect place for writing for you, not in general. Naturally, different people like to write in different places, so, if someone has an opinion on your preference, take it with a grain of salt. 


Surely, you should try out different things before settling on one - some people like to write in bed, some in nature, but most of them think that the best place for writing is a classic desktop. In nature, you can enjoy aspects that you otherwise wouldn’t get from writing in your living room, but sometimes, you might end up getting distracted more than inspired. 


It goes without saying that, from time to time, it’s pretty helpful to switch it up!

Letting your intuition guide you

We all have different tastes. In music, movies, art, fashion, books, you name it. Not everyone can like or even understand what you wrote. So, don’t give your unfinished work for reading to just about anyone, some comments are going to make you doubt yourself or spend time on changing things, while this really isn’t necessary. 


Constructive criticism is great, of course, but if you are just beginning to write something - leave it for later, when you finish it. Otherwise, you can push yourself to change something that you didn’t want to change just in order to please somebody else, straying away from your initial ideas and the core of what you are writing.

  • Staying true to your work

Keep your own style and write in your own way, no matter if nobody else will read it except you. Maybe you really write it only to yourself. It’s your poem or novel, it must be written with your own style. Give yourself time, don’t write it like you have a deadline. 


Give yourself the freedom to stop writing when you don’t feel like writing, even if you gave yourself a task, for example, to write every day on ten pages. One day you will maybe write 20 pages, one day not even a word, but never push yourself to write more than you can. 

The importance of being kind to yourself

Writers perfectly know how hard it is to write even one page. Everyone who has ever tried to write something, even a letter, knows how complicated can translating words into sentences be at times - especially since there are always constrictive rules on how you are supposed to write whatever you are writing. Even a private letter needs an introduction and a conclusion. And sometimes we don’t have them. Not an introduction nor even a conclusion. 


So, writers have to be proud of themselves, what you are doing is by no means easy, but by all means beautiful. Many people would say that writing is only a hobby, not a job, but, don’t let yourself be swayed by unnecessary comments. Be kind to yourself, at the end of the day, that is more important than anything else.


So, if you are a writer, even without any published books, when somebody asks you about your job, say it out loud and be proud that you are a writer!

To wrap things up

All of us can, in theory, be writers. The thing is, every writer can get better, and no writer is perfect. But if we want to better ourselves as writers, we need to have a few strategies and to follow them. 


Maybe some writers will not agree with these seven strategic insights, maybe they will, some of them will take what they like and modify what they don’t like - but generally speaking, these strategies can only make you feel better and more comfortable and free when you start writing. In the end, always leave space for growth, be consistent and committed, and good luck!

 

 

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