by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Out of all the different things I’ve done to make my writing better, practice has benefitted me most outside of pure reading.
I’ve taken classes, I’ve read craft books, I’ve read many, many posts on improving my writing in interesting and creative ways. But practicing has been the best approach for better writing.
The key is writing as often as we can. There are some days when writing is harder than others. Sometimes it’s totally me…I just don’t feel as if I can bear to look at my manuscript. I’ll still write on those days, but it will be a fraction of the amount I usually write. Sometimes it’s a sick child, travel, or other things that get in the way.
I’ve found that I do best and get more written if I write first thing in the mornings before any demands are made on my day by other people. I pour my coffee, take a quick glance (quick is vital) at my phone to make sure that no family emergencies have happened overnight (although I know I’d more likely get a phone call on my house phone if that were the case), and then I hop right into the story.Continue reading