Hello readers! It's been a while. We sincerely apologize for the break in transmission and we promise to do better. So today, I will be sharing with us, thoughts on how to improve on your writing skills as a writer. This topic was chosen based on popular demand by our audience. So sit back, read, enjoy, comment and share.
HOW TO IMPROVE ON YOUR WRITING (101🙈)
I have observed, quite keenly, that at the core of every human activity is the desire to be above everyone else. This desire, rarely mouthed out, is one of the most important reasons why man went to space and traversed the moon in the first place. America just had to send someone somehow to the moon once Russia scaled the stratosphere into space. It is as though we find purpose and then ourselves, when we are able to do things and stuffs in a way that separate us from the pack. But then do I blame a society that only names the first and numbers the rest? Of course not! After all, I too want to be described with adjectives prefixed by its superlative.
Further down my thoughts, along philosophical lines, I premise that no one is really born with anything called talents, at least not the talent of writing. I observe that what we call talents are mere potentials fanned into use. Fight me later on this, however, it is true that not a single person is born with the talent to write. But we are all born with potentials to write and we all do write, even if all you have ever written are essays and letters for WAEC and NECO. My point? Well... It is simple:
writing is not a gift... It is at best, for all intent and purposes, a learnt skill constantly sharpened by habitual practice.
The only gift I have discovered that anyone needs to become a truly great writer is a creative mind that can truly negotiate the highways of imagination. And I submit, quite frankly, that every single human that breathes (educated or not) is blessed with this gift. It is an eternal right passed onto us by God and we do use it in so many ways, just that only a few really use it to write.
Still on my observation, I have experientially discovered that there isn't a writer on earth that isn't sensitive about his own work. We smile when we write something that tickles both us and our audience. We also recoil when we dish out an unsavoury plate of words.
Also, I am of the opinion that after God is where writers are; because writers are gods, writers are divine and eternal beings. We create, judge, control, destroy and recreate characters and the world they live in (whether fiction or not).
Now that all those are out of the way, the question remains how do I improve on my writing? And that is based on the premise that you have started writing already. At least you know how to connect and string letters together to convey sense and express a thought, which is writing at its basic and purest form.
Well, I dare not pose as an expert on this issue, however, I do know that a writer is simply someone that writes and a footballer is someone that kicks balls. Therefore, it wouldn't be a bad advice if we begin at this point: WRITE.
A writer simply writes
What makes Messi, Ronaldo and other footballers exceptional is not that they necessarily read a book that contained the mythical answers to becoming a skilled player. There's no such book and if there ever will be one, they would be the ones to write it. They simply kept doing the most important exercise to their trade; they kept kicking balls. So keep writing, keep writing and don't stop writing. Everyone gets better with more and more hours of consistent practice. So keep excercising your ability to write by writing constantly.
A good writer is a better reader and the best writers are great readers themselves
It is commonly known that one does not get a different result by doing the same thing over and over. Hence, it is important that as a writer you are constantly evolving. And you can only evolve to the level which your imagination has been exposed to and what better way to expose your mind than by reading voraciously and extensively. There are other writers that would have captured the message you're trying to portray, even in better words. After all, great minds think alike so you can always leverage on the experience of other writers.
A great writer is irredeemably consumed by words
The walls of a writer's world are built in and out with letters of the alphabet strung up in definite patterns. So the more the words a writer knows, the larger his walls and degree of expression. Others may read books without a pen and notebook but not you. You should have a special journal that you store up words for later use. Remember it is only the amount in deposits that you make that you can withdraw when the need ever arise. In essence, writing is simply all about combining vocabulary with the power of imagination. So you may have great imaginations and creative stories and ideas and a shallow vocabulary will ruin an otherwise great piece of literature. So keep chewing up words until the point that you can conveniently use at least twelve synonyms for any given word.
A great writer is relatable
Many readers love stories they can relate with. Make use of practical life examples and scenarios to convey your message. Also, let your writing be properly structured. your points must flow in a logical order so the minds of your audience can follow through without any disruption. If your writing is not coordinated, your readers will lose interest easily and will not want to go any further. Hence, ensure your introduction captures the essence of your writing and make it as alluring as possible to keep your readers locked down.
A greater writer writes daily
Skills are built by habits. It is an essential pivot on the balance of excellence for daily routine of writing and this takes a lot of discipline. But the good news is; you couldn't have possibly observed faithfully the previous three points and have a bad time at this one. Among many things, the ability to write over writers' block, is what separate great writers from mediocre ones.
A greater writer is not afraid to tell a story
No one becomes great by hiding in the shadows. So it is possible that you don't need any of the preceding counsels but this: show yourself to the world. It is important that your works are read by others, whose reviews, critiques and evaluation will always help you get better. So after writing a piece, spread it across to a decent amount of friends and groups on WhatsApp. Show yourself out there and take your place as a writer. After all, Chinua Achebe never knew he had written some world class literature until he decided to share '
Things Fall Apart' to the world...
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#winks.
WRITTEN BY :Kingsley Dominic
EDITED BY : Ogundipe Jesunifemi
© PURPLE WRITERS
