Ways I can improve my writing

As stated in my previous blog entries, my main focus in on creative writing. Over the past few years, I have went and researched on a multitude of websites, articles and reading materials that can help me improve my craft. However, most of the advice given on the websites on writing are pretty much the same. Avoid using adverbs, avoid passive voice, avoid using action-dialogue tags, use action to show feelings, show and not tell, etc. The advice I found the most practical and useful is this: "Read."

The more you read, the better you write. You cannot write if you don't read. Those authors who claim themselves as more of a writer than a reader can never improve themselves. I have put this theory to the test. An acclaimed novelist once said, read everything. Read in the genre you wish to write and read outside the genre of your comfort zone. Reading all genres will widen your writing perspective and enables you to become a versatile writer. I cannot claim to be a versatile writer yet, because I have issues writing non-fiction, academic papers as well as stories in the teen fiction genre. Initially, the only genre I am comfortable in writing is the fantasy genre, but the more I have read, I found myself to be able to express my thoughts and flex my writing skills in other genres such as paranormal, adventure, science fiction and horror.

I brought several writing help books last year. They're very pricey, around RM150 each, but it was an investment that taught me writing techniques and character expressions that I haven't thought of before. If it helps, here are the titles:

1. The Emotion Thesaurus
2. The Urban Settings Thesaurus
3. The Rural Settings Thesaurus
4. The Positive Traits Thesaurus
5. The Negative Traits Thesaurus

These are incredibly insightful if you're writing creatively. If you wish to use these in academic writing, I think that the only ones that would come in handy are the Urban and Rural settings thesaurus, where different places and environments are listed and explained in detail.

Another way I try to improve my writing is to write every damn day. It doesn't matter if you hit only 100 words on the laptop, or you binge write 3000 words in one go. My own personal record was 30,000 words in one week. The more you practice the craft of writing, the better you get. It is like learning an instrument, or taking your baby steps in acquiring a new skill. Everything is better once you get used to it.

Rereading and dissecting books also helps you to become a critical thinker and writer. You will be able to spot foreshadowing, plot holes, character growth and development in any book at any given time once you have read enough books and cut them open. I have a journal by my side where I record the vocabulary of creative prose I find intriguing or unique in a book and I would write them down. Then, I would study them and try to get something inspirational from them.

These are the methods I use to improve my writing. I usually write at midnight, or possibly a bit earlier, like around 11pm till midnight, something around that time because that's when the *darned* muse is awake.