How to Become a Better Writer?

To become a better writer, you should try the following steps:

1. Use self-imposed word limits.
2. Outline. And then write to that outline.
3. Learn a new word a day.
4. Write collaboratively.
5. Read Dr. Frank Luntz’s “Words that Work”
6. Read Copyblogger.
7. Mean what you write, write what you mean.
8. Write about what someone else has written.
9. Get the pen and fingers moving.
10. Learn a foreign language to the point where you can think in that language.
11. Write your own life story.
12. Get enough sleep at night.
13. Take a15 minute nap when your mind gets fuzzy.
14. Harness the power of your emotions.
15. Write as if you will stand up and present the article to an audience of a thousand people. Would they want to listen or go home?
16. Write in different genres: blog posts, poems, short stories, essays.
17. Read grammar books.
18. Give yourself permission to write a crappy first draft.
19. Try to eat properly. If you only eat junk your mental capacity diminishes and you can’t write well.
20. Work your way through “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron.
21. If you can’t write a book, write a blog post.
22. If you can’t write a blog post, comment on a post.
23. Write without distractions.
24. Tell the truth- that way you don’t need to remember what you wrote.
25. Look closely at how successful writers make sentences.
26. Write about what you want to write, not what you know.
27. Watch movies. Can you write the story better?
28. Write in a crowded café.
29. Write on the toilet.
30. Write for 24 hours straight.
31. Write. And then write more.
32. Read, think, read, write, ponder, write – and read some more.
33. Listen to how people talk.
34. Read many books. The good and the shitty ones.
35. Listen to podcasts on writing tips.
36. Be inspired by other art forms – music, dance, sculpture, painting.
37. Read your old stuff and acknowledge how far you’ve come – and how far you have to go.
38. Make writing your priority in the morning.
39. Keep squeezing words out even if when you feel uninspired.
40. Read works from different cultures. It helps keep your writing from tasting stale in the mouths of your readers.
41. Write during your most productive hours of the day.
42. Designate time to research.
43. Take up Nanowrimo.
44. Go to the supermarket, the ball game, the class room, the building site. Make notes of the sensuous details, the atmosphere, the people.
45. Deconstruct and analyze books and articles you enjoy.
46. Read ‘Reading Like a Writer’ by Francine Prose.
47. Find your unique voice.
48. Write a For and Against article for the same issue. This helps to stretch your thinking.
49. Tell the story you most desperately want to read.
50. Read as much as humanly possible.
51. Be current – how do today’s headlines apply to your audience?