{"id":7149,"date":"2024-08-19T13:47:59","date_gmt":"2024-08-19T12:47:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.novlr.org\/?p=7149"},"modified":"2024-08-19T13:48:01","modified_gmt":"2024-08-19T12:48:01","slug":"how-do-i-strengthen-my-writing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/how-do-i-strengthen-my-writing\/","title":{"rendered":"How do I strengthen my writing?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-elements-42136940454d43f1b80706631fe46f5f\" style=\"color:#212638;background-color:#dbeeff\"><blockquote><p>&#8220;<em>How do I strengthen my writing? I tend to fall back on bad habits because I can&#8217;t find good habits to replace them.<\/em>&#8220;<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s a tale as old as cuneiform: you have an amazing idea for a story, but when you look at your inky splotches on the page (or a wall of digital text), it\u2019s not quite like you imagined it would be. Maybe it sounds stilted, or forced, or it lacks the depth and complexity you saw in your head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sound familiar? We\u2019ve all been there. Fortunately, there are ways to improve your writing so that this happens less and less often. Eventually, you\u2019ll be able to spin feelings and images that make your readers forget everything but the story they\u2019re reading.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to strengthen your writing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are ten (count em!) tips to make your writing the very best it can be.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Clear out your creative faucets<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many people who don\u2019t write as well as they\u2019d like become so resistant to the feeling of dissatisfaction that they don\u2019t write at all. This means they never get any better! What happens when you take a significant break from writing is your creative pathways get backed up, just like rusty old taps that haven\u2019t been used in forever and a day. What emerges isn&#8217;t going to be particularly palatable, but it needs to come out in order to access the clear, healthy water behind it.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This means writing clunky, cringe-worthy prose as long as it takes to clear out your mental blocks and get your ideas flowing smoothly.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Read voraciously<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You\u2019ll hear this a lot, because it\u2019s so essential. In the immortal words of <a href=\"https:\/\/novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/breaking-down-the-key-lessons-of-stephen-kings-on-writing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Stephen King<\/a>: \u201cIf you don\u2019t have time to read, you don\u2019t have time to write.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Read widely in the genre you\u2019re trying to write in, as well as other genres that you can learn from. Look at the way authors have structured their sentences and their stories, how they make you love or despise certain characters. Prose writing is just like learning a language; the best way to absorb it is through immersion.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Read some bad writing, too<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I know, I know, but hear me out. Have you ever read a novel or short story that made your eyes ache from cringing so hard? Maybe it was because their sentences were awkwardly put together, or maybe the plot felt unbelievable or forced. Breaking down exactly <em>why<\/em> these pieces don\u2019t work for us can be super helpful for understanding what to avoid in our own work.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, maybe you read a romantic relationship and feel like it\u2019s unconvincing because the author didn\u2019t take enough time to develop the characters\u2019 connection. Once you\u2019re able to pinpoint that flawed element, you can give it the attention it deserves in your own work in progress.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignfull size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" data-src=\"https:\/\/wp.novlr.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-cottonbro-4626371-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"Reading to strengthen writing - Photo by cottonbro studio\" class=\"wp-image-7151 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-cottonbro-4626371-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-cottonbro-4626371-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-cottonbro-4626371-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-cottonbro-4626371-1080x720.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-cottonbro-4626371-32x21.jpg 32w, https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-cottonbro-4626371-36x24.jpg 36w, https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-cottonbro-4626371-48x32.jpg 48w, https:\/\/www.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/pexels-cottonbro-4626371.jpg 1280w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/682;\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Try on different writing styles<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not all great writers are great in the same way. Some like long, explorative sentences pulsing with sensory imagery (see: Angela Carter), while others prefer concise, austere sentences that get straight to the point (see: Ernest Hemingway). You might gravitate to one or the other of these extremes, or fall somewhere along the spectrum in between.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/6-techniques-to-help-you-find-your-writers-voice\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Try out different approaches<\/a> to storytelling to find the voice that feels most like <em>yours<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Explore characterisation\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Breaking: people are <em>messy<\/em>. Accurately and compellingly <a href=\"https:\/\/wp.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/how-to-write-compelling-character-arcs\/\">conveying this innate messiness<\/a> is essential to creating a powerful story.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a warmup exercise, practice sketching out characters that you could incorporate into your stories. You can do this by looking at public domain photographs, or sitting in a public place and dreaming about who passersby might be. Consider where they\u2019ve come from, what they might be going, and what they\u2019re hoping to find or accomplish along the way. Explore body language, voice, and social cues that might tip off their intentions (but be wary of stereotypes and clich\u00e9s!).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Make friends with your thesaurus\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A great way to make a piece of prose shine even brighter is to <a href=\"https:\/\/novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/expand-your-vocabulary\/\">expand your vocabulary<\/a>. There are a lot of words in the English language that mean similar things, but have slightly different moods and tones. Finding the exact right word to convey what you\u2019re trying to say will help your writing land more emphatically with your reader.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For instance, if you want to describe a moment that feels a little chaotic, you could call it scattered, unsteady, distorted, unbalanced, cacophonous, pandemonious, discordant, anarchic, fractured, tumultuous, and so forth. Or you could just call it chaotic. Each of these words has a slightly different connotation and lends a different feeling to the sentence it carries.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">7. Banish filtering words<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Filtering is one of the most common mistakes new writers make. It involves describing a character\u2019s sensations or feelings with filtering words like felt, saw, heard, knew, watched, or realised. This holds the reader at a distance and makes them feel like they\u2019re hearing a story, rather than living it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An example of filtering would be, \u201cShe watched the sun rise majestically over the mountains\u201d. It would feel more immediate to simply say, \u201cThe sun rose majestically over the mountains\u201d. The reader already knows your <a href=\"https:\/\/novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/choosing-your-narrative-voice-which-option-is-right-for-you\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">point-of-view<\/a> character is watching; now, the reader can watch it with them.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">8. Glare disapprovingly at the passive voice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Passive voice <a href=\"https:\/\/wp.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/5-grammar-mistakes-you-can-make-without-worrying\">isn\u2019t necessarily wrong <em>all<\/em> the time<\/a>, but nine times out of ten, it will slow down the pace of your story and encourage the reader to lose interest in your characters. Passive voice means having something done <em>to<\/em> a character \u2014 \u201cJohn was punched in the face by Nick\u201d \u2014 instead of a character actively doing something: \u201cNick punched John in the face\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can adjust this in your editing process by doing a search for the word \u201cwas\u201d. You won\u2019t need to change every single one, but you\u2019ll find it helpful to ask yourself if the sentence is serving the story in the best possible way.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">9. Familiarise yourself with story structure<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The best stories follow <a href=\"https:\/\/wp.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/plot-structure-the-heros-journey\">an established plot structure<\/a>, and follow it so smoothly that the reader doesn\u2019t even realise there\u2019s an ancient storytelling template behind it. Before you write \u2014 especially if you\u2019re attempting a longer-form piece like a novella or a novel \u2014 it\u2019s helpful to look over plot structures like the three-act structure, the five-act structure, or Freytag\u2019s pyramid.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These structures are designed to introduce just the right amount of tension and suspense, and to give the reader the ideal payoff by the end. These predetermined patterns won\u2019t make your work feel formulaic; instead, they\u2019ll resonate with your reader\u2019s inherent storytelling instincts.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">10. Get peer feedback<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Finally, the best way to make your work as strong as it can be is to get some feedback from other writers. This can be from a professional editor, <a href=\"https:\/\/wp.novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/how-to-get-the-most-from-your-beta-readers\">a beta reader<\/a>, or a collaborative <a href=\"https:\/\/novlr.org\/the-reading-room\/writers-critique-groups-and-how-to-form-them\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">writing group<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When we\u2019ve been spending a lot of time on a big writing project, we can go a bit cross-eyed and lose the ability to see things clearly. Getting a second pair of eyes can help you catch plot holes or inconsistencies before you send your story out into the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Great writing abilities aren\u2019t something we\u2019re born with; we earn them through hard work and lots of practice! You can use these tips to take your writing from explorative to sensational.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;How do I strengthen my writing? I tend to fall back on bad habits because I can&#8217;t find good habits to replace them.&#8220; It\u2019s a tale as old as cuneiform: you have an amazing idea for a story, but when you look at your inky splotches on the page (or a wall of digital text), [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":7150,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"1280","footnotes":""},"categories":[108,24],"tags":[67,46,28],"class_list":["post-7149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ask-novlr","category-writing-tips","tag-character-development","tag-reading","tag-writing-tips","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How do I strengthen my writing? 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