Some people have passion for writing stories or the idea of being called a writer, but writing can be challenging.
When writers begin writing and enjoy it, they do it without overthinking. They don’t focus on the grammar rules, elements of fiction, structure, editing, and proper use of vocabulary. But as they step into the world of fiction, there are many new things they learn along the way.
Just like any art, you need an understanding of its craft and develop discipline and habits to commit to it. Fiction writing is a creative skill that you improve upon and perfect over time through learning and practice. Little by little you open new doors, and find your way.
But first it’s important to know what makes your writing better and how you can do that. Not everything is applied in one go. You pick on these tips and techniques and knowledge as you stay committed to your craft.
Elements of Fiction Writing You Must Know
Let’s start from the basics: what makes up a fiction story?
Plot, setting, conflict, characters, point of view, theme, and dialogues.
Without these elements, fiction is not fiction. Every form of fiction writing has them, be it a novel, play, or a short story. Any kind of narrative piece is composed of them.
But what do each of these elements mean?
Plot: it is another word for storyline, a train of events that occur in a story. Inherently, every plot begins with an exposition, then follows up with a rising action, and culminates into climax, then slides down to falling action and resolution.
Setting: every story takes place somewhere, a physical location. In fiction, setting can be based in the real-world or completely made up.
Conflict: without a problem, there is no story. There needs to be a conflict, an issue unresolved.
Characters: fictional people in the story.
Theme: a central message.
Point of View (POV): from whose perspective the story is told. There are different types of POV like: first person, second person, third person, and third person omniscient.
Dialogues: interactions or spoken words exchanged between characters, specifically emphasized with quotation marks.
Habits That Will Make You A Better Writer
There are some tips and techniques you can adopt that will level up your writing in a short time. They enhance your creativity, improve your craft, and open you up to more inspiration and ideas.
Here they are:
- Keep a notebook and pen with you at all times to jot down ideas, thoughts, and observations you make. You may be inspired while reading a book, or walking down the street, or listening to a conversation. Ideas are everywhere. You have to capture them in a notebook.
- Read books, subscribe to creative writing blogs, and watch or listen to author interviews. They will teach you new things, and give you doses of motivation to keep writing.
- Write something everyday or often, and build consistency. You can journal, write freely on any topic you like, start a blog, or write short stories.
- Step out of your comfort zone and experience new things to refresh your mind and get new ideas.
- Outline before writing a story or a blog post or anything you write. It will help you stay focused on the key points.
- Share your writing with someone, like your family or friends, or anyone who has interest in reading it. They may give you helpful feedback for improvement.
- Always do research before you write, to get a better understanding of the topic. Don’t assume you know everything.
- Emulate your favorite author or a style, if you like, until you develop your own.
- Read a lot. Read anything you find interesting.
Silence Your Inner Criticism And Keep Writing
It’s easy to slip into the habit of criticizing your writing when you are trying to become a better writer. There is nothing wrong with criticism, even if it is towards yourself, but don’t let it prevent you from writing.
Not a single writer that has lived or exists has been perfect at their craft. They all paved their way up with a fuel of passion, eagerness to learn, and tremendous patience. Writing can be tough when you are aiming for perfection. Don’t let your inner criticism nor other people’s feedback dominate your drive and motivation. Your passion should always stay on top so you don’t get bogged down with overthinking and high expectations of yourself.
You should have a desire to improve, to grow, to learn as a writer through writing often. The more you write, the better you will become. In creative endeavors like writing, perfectionism is a killer. You need to focus on improvement and progress by writing more and more. Be yourself and write whatever you know and whatever you can. Don’t compare your work with a published writer who has come a long way while you have just started. They were once beginners and didn’t feel confident in their skill until over time.
In addition, every writer walks their own journey. You are not like someone else and no one is like you. There is always an opportunity to learn from other writers, but you can’t become them. Be authentic, and develop your own voice and style. The beauty of writing is not in perfection and gaining fame for it, but rather in expressing yourself. Make sure what you write, you finish it. Don’t leave your writing project incomplete because you don’t like it anymore. That will kill your growth and you won’t ever finish what you start. Write first, edit to perfection later.
First Draft Is Not The Final Version
A key thing to remember is, throughout the writing process you will write multiple drafts. Your first draft is not your final draft even if you feel like it at first. Rewriting is something you will do as a writer all the time, and even professional and published writers do too.
When you finish the draft and let it rest and come back to it, you will have new ideas to improve your story. Editing is inevitable. You will do it intentionally and unintentionally. And the good thing is you will learn so many things along the way. Like writing better sentences, creating more engaging plot and character arcs, and developing your original writing style. It takes several tries to achieve an impeccable final draft. Nothing happens right off the bat.
The writing process can often be laborious when you have to rewrite countless times. But it requires passion and patience to overcome writing hurdles and form emotional resilience. Yes, writing is not just a physical act, but it carries your emotions and attachments. It’s not always a piece of cake to omit a phrase or sentence or even a passage that is unneeded. But best writing takes all your effort and energy to shine and speak for itself. Don’t give up.
Improve Your Writing Skills By Writing Often
The hardest part of being a writer is writing daily or often for consistency. Some days you may feel inspired and highly motivated to nail it, and on others not so much. The most important thing is to write something, even if it is a paragraph or a few sentences. You always want to push your wheels to get into the habit of writing, otherwise you won’t.
As you build your writing habits, you start to take your craft seriously and become immersed. You keep your passion alive by reading more, being more observant, and learning from other writers. When you get committed to it, you work productively and make progress. Perfectionism is not the goal. Doing it daily and improving your skills is what matters at the end.
Believe in yourself. Don’t let your inner criticism, doubt, and fear control you. Write for the sake of writing, not to impress or to get published, even if that is your goal. Purpose should always be to unleash your thoughts, feelings, and big ideas that you can’t express in any other way.
Leave a Reply