How to be a good writer?

Here are some tips on how to become a good writer. It takes time, perseverance and practice. But with patience, good practical approaches and determination, you can turn your creative desire into concrete writing.

1. Write a lot every day. You may prefer to write in long or short sessions. Write a short paragraph or an entire page. See which works better for you.

2. Read all sorts of things, but really take the time to enjoy an old-fashioned book. Regular reading will influence your style, taste, background, and ideas. It will also help expand your vocabulary and improve your grammar.

3. Expand your vocabulary. Read the daily newspaper. Purchase a reliable dictionary and thesaurus. 

4. Meet a Writer! A writer could give you tips as well as tricks. Meet authors at Book launches or Community Book festivals and forums.

5. Use good grammar. Good grammar can mean the difference between a sentence that is graceful and translucent and a sentence that is awkward and ambiguous. 

6. Buy two notebooks. One is a “Vocabulary Notebook”, and the other is an “Inspirational Notebook”.

• In your “Vocabulary Notebook”, write down new words and their meanings as well as mnemonic devices (memory aids) to help you learn them. You may also want to write down some example sentences.
• In the “Inspirational Notebook”, write down bits and pieces from your daily life, such as a fun conversation that you overheard in the mall, or a joke that you were told by a friend.

7. Brainstorm before starting to write. In order to focus your writing, begin with the main idea. 

8. Be specific. Avoid implying or over-generalizing; vagueness and generalizations are less likely to grab your readers’ attention.

Cheers,
EV