1 ) Prep
Read. Read good literature. Read the work of someone who writes in a style you admire.
If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that. – Stephan King
2) Process
Start with a paper and a pen. There’s something confining about typing words onto a computer screen with no room for notes in the margin. I write my best drafts scribbling in a tattered notebook.
3) Grammar
When possible, avoid state of being verbs. Active writing grabs your reader’s attention. This rule caused a lot of discomfort when I first started writing for TPS, but it really improved my style.
4) Content
Write about your passions. (How many times have I written about Haiti?) If your subject bores you, it will probably bore your readers. So write about something that matters to you–it has a much better chance of mattering to your reader.
Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. – William Wordsworth
5) Post-writing
Share your work. It’s great motivation. I always put more effort in to the pieces that I know my friends will read.
Click here for more writing tips from famous authors.
Click here for an interesting list of important grammar rules.
