Become a Good Writer in Five Steps

There's no right or wrong way to be a good writer, just as there is no right or wrong way to sleep at night. It's a skill that some people have and some don't, but the truth is, in many cases, the muse must be massaged. Writing is something that requires the right circumstance and environment. It's something that must be allowed to grow, and, as with most things, the more your do it, the better you will be.

Environment

Make sure you have a comfortable place to write. Good writing is something that can come, but with a jack-hammer pounding outside or kids inside, things can be a whole lot harder.

Set up a place in your home that can be your writing sanctuary, where pages, pens, all the necessary books, and an internet connection, are all within your reach. Make a deal with your family. Tell them they must leave you alone while you write. If a negotiation needs to happen, so be it.

Practice

Athletes, musicians and anyone else who performs, will tell you years of practice is needed to perform. But in writing, there's an overwhelming feeling that everything written down must be publishable, or at least showable. It needs to be graded and criticised, but writers can't grow without practice. Free writing is great for this. Take time each day, and sit with your pen against a page for at least ten minutes, and just let yourself write for the sake of writing. This is throw away, for no one's eyes but your own, so go crazy. Of course, if something good comes out of it, feel free to pursue it, but otherwise, consider it practice.

Develop a Writer's Toolbox

A writer's toolbox can include such things as vocabulary, grammer, sentence flow, alliteration, and other such things. It should also include things like world building, character development, dialog and a story arc. This should be considered the writer's toolbox, and is as important as anything in the writing game. It should grow over time with experience, and it's something a writer can rely upon moving forward.

Re-Write

Spend time writing a story. Put it down for as much as 2-days, or even 2-weeks. Come back and look at it from a more objective perspective, and tear it up. Re-read the story with a red pen, marking up the page and writing notes for possible changes. You can re-write it completely, if need be. No one has ever written a master-piece on the first pass. Make sure you're happy with it.

Don't be afraid of this period of writing. There's an expression, "Killing your darling," which means, don't just shuffle words around during the re-write. If something you've written, that you are proud of, doesn't work, tear it out, and save it for a different time.

Feedback

Writing for practice is one thing, but no writer can succeed in a void forever. Once you feel you have something that's worth showing off, show someone you trust to offer decent feedback. This isn't a person who will always declare each thing you write as great. And it isn't a person who will likely assault your style or personality or any such thing. This is a person who will offer constructive guidance that can make you a better writer.

Two things to look out for in receiving criticism, is don't accept anything personal. If someone remarks that your writing is immature, or something that sounds directed at you as a person, disregard it, as it's not worth receiving. Also, criticisms that are laced with a reviewers own agenda are to be avoided. A reviewer should just comment on your writing, not try to inject his or her own story. He or she doesn't understand the characters or the world like you do, so hearing someone say that it would have been more believable if the main character had killed his or her father should be a dead giveaway that their are hidden ideas at work.

The most important aspect of criticism is to take it with a thick-skin. Don't allow it to bother you. Hear the comments, and know that the person is trying to help you become a better writer. List to the comment, take it in, and be sure to look at your writing from your reviewer's point of view. The worst thing a writer receiving criticism can say is, "He or she just doesn't get me or my writing, so I'll disregard the critique." If your reader didn't get you, you didn't write it clear enough.

Conclusion

The most important thing is to write for the sake of writing. You won't get any better if you don't pursue it. Don't consider the idea of fame or fortune or accolades, as these are fleeting, and most writers, even good ones, rarely achieve them. If you want to write, do it for the joy of writing. Accomplish that, and you will understand how to be a good writer.