Tips for Writers

Here are some of my favorites:

1. Read – A LOT! When you notice something a writer does to get or keep your attention, make you laugh or feel sad, create a picture in your mind that sticks, try to imitate that strategy when you write.
2. Keep a writer’s notebook or journal.
3. Write every day, even if it’s for 5 minutes. Get in the habit of writing and then increase the amount of time you spend doing it.
4. Pay attention to what’s going on around you and write down what you notice.
5. Write about what you care about and what interests you.
6. Don’t be afraid to write crummy first drafts. The idea is to get your ideas down and then LATER go back and revise.
7. Speaking of revision, don’t be afraid of that either. Re-vision is like the chance to get up at bat multiple times to improve your average.
8. Try writing different genres. If you always write poems, try writing a non-fiction magazine article. Don’t limit yourself to only what you are comfortable with.
9. Only share your work with people you trust, who WON’T put you and your writing down. The idea of sharing is to get constructive SUGGESTIONS about how to improve your work, not get slam-dunked!
10. Remember that your writing represents you. Once you get ready to put it out for the public to view, you want it to be the best it can be at that place in your writing life. (That “best” will change over time, and depending on circumstances.)
11. A bonus “life tip” – My wise friend, David Roth has a great saying: “Practice makes PROGRESS and perfection is prison.”