How to be a better writer

23 Sep How to be a better writer

“Writing is easy; all you have to do is cross out wrong words.” – Mark Twain

Let’s have a look at what our literary pillars have to say about it. Taking inspiration from their stories isn’t enough, if we look forward to bring out the unknown author in ourselves, we should get inspired from their behind-the-scenes strategies too! Because, when a writer talks about writing, it’s worth taking note, esp. if you’re a budding author.

Quoting one of the Mark Twain lines again, “Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’  your editor will delete it, and the writing will be just as it should be.” This is a widespread phenomenon of going off-track while writing and putting more casual words instead of relevant ones. On the other hand, some writers will make you incline more towards being yourself while writing! Quoting one of David Ogilvy’s saying in this reference, “write the way you talk.”

“Write the way you talk.” – David Ogilvy

Harper Lee asks you to enjoy writing, “he says, any writer worth his salt writes to please himself… It’s a self-exploratory operation that is endless. An exorcism of not necessarily his demon, but of his divine discontent.” Putting forward a precious advice from Toni Morrison, he says “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”

“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”- Toni Morrison

When we are talking about inspiration and motivation, we cannot forget to quote Stephen King, can we? There are many good pieces of advice Stephen has given, we would like to quote one significant all-in-one. “I’m convinced that fear is at the root of most bad writing. Dumbo got airborne with the help of a magic feather; you may feel the urge to grasp a passive verb or one of those nasty adverbs for the same reason. Just remember before you do that Dumbo didn’t need the feather; the magic was in him.” The magic is in you. Just these five words from him are enough to boost your confidence!

“The magic is in you” – Stephen King

Let’s have a look at the prominent examples from our own country. Dakshayani, the first Dalit member in India’s constituent assembly 1946, had written under the urge and worst circumstances of discrimination and inequality. She said “writing is a form to feel light. It’s not just an art, but an expression”. In a letter of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, he has asked Indira Gandhi to take inspiration from nature. His book, Book of Nature, tells us about thorough evolution. Indira Gandhi said, “he wrote based on an aroused feeling of concern for people and interest in the world around. They taught one to treat nature as a book”. Even the circumstances can turn you out into a writer who speaks for himself!

If you ask us, there are some useful tips on being a good writer from us;-

You should start writing. This might sound very stupid; we all know it’s the basic step and everybody knows it. But we are stressing over cutting the delay. Don’t just sit idle and think where you should start. Begin once, and you’ll know how to keep going!

Stay motivated and calm. Don’t hype up if you’re stuck somewhere. Don’t rush into it otherwise; you will not be able to give it your best. Take your time, do research, make plans, and feel good about it. Positivity is your best friend in the whole process.

Make a routine for your book every day. You should set a time and should work on your book, daily. If you don’t keep in touch with it daily, you might lose your track. But, don’t just sit onto writing the whole time. Engage yourself in other things too. A relaxed mind does a better job!

You should definitely set a deadline for yourself. It motivates you, pushes you to work hard.

Write as if your life depends on it! This the most important point. You should always write it from your heart. Don’t ever take it for granted. Write like there is no tomorrow. Give it your best shot every day! Writing should not just be your hobby, but your passion!