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The Craft of Writing By Rhonda De Young Writing is a craft not just a raw talent. Since you have the desire to express your thoughts in words that already proves you have the talent. Now all you have to do is get better at it. "An author is a fool who, not content with boring those he lives with, insists on boring future generations," said Charles de Montesquieu. "Drama is life with the dull bits cut out," said Alfred Hitchcock. "A classic is something that everybody wants to have read and nobody has read," said Mark Twain. You can only get better by doing a lot of writing and by always pushing yourself to new heights, and still your words might not be remembered. Don't be satisfied with work that is not your best. Work on improving a project, and then quickly move on to the next piece. Every writer has several bad stories with bad grammar, punctuation, beginning, plot or undeveloped characters in them that needed reworking before they start having really unforgettable literature. That is why it is important to write a lot. It is the only way you'll become great. Tips For Better Writing: Don't throw it out. Save everything no matter how bad you think it is. Designate a place for the "rejected" ones so you can go back to them. Later on when the inevitable writer's block comes, or you just need some other ideas, looking through the old stash of long forgotten pieces that are collecting dust can be useful. Even if most of the piece is bad, the plot idea or a certain character could be refurbished into a new piece. It might just be helpful to see how far you have come with your skills. Look for the big picture. In the times when you are inspired and can put on paper what you see in your head as fast as you see it, keep from becoming engrossed with details, look for the big picture. For instance, if you have an idea for a piece and you get stuck after the first chapter or somewhere else, move on and come back to it later. Only a beginning and an end... it’s all right to leave blank parts in your work as you go. When you do get back to that area, chances are writing the missing middle will come more easily, and at the same time, you will have a great outline for your work. Scrutinize others. If you like a particular writer, don't just enjoy their work. Few pieces are created by accident. They are molded into shape. If the plot or characters of a favorite piece cause you to cry, laugh or just identify with, then study how it was done. Is it presenting an image, holding your feelings, telling a story? How did it do it? What were the gripping words that were used and how were they put together? Does it make you think about something that happened in your own life? Study the proven successors to your work. Whether it is Shakespeare, Margaret Wise Brown, or a famous short story author, they can help you in your journey. Scrutinize yourself. There is a need for developing the ability to view your work as an editor. Some think that all their work is bad or that all their work is great. The truth lies between the lines. Pull yourself away from the piece or the emotion that brought it about and think aloud: Is this working? What am I trying to say? Am I saying too much? Too little? Learn to figure out the good from the bad and separate them. Mix it up. Keep a look out for ways to vary your work in general. Try writing for a different audience. If your writing is mostly about yourself and your experiences, then write about someone you barely know and whose life greatly differs from yours. Slow down. When you finish a piece, chances are you really love it right away. Try putting it aside for a few days or even a week and then take another look. You might see things differently and reworking will come easily. Don't hesitate from moving stuff around and taking stuff out. Make it tight. Stay away from clichés. After you slowed down and during your reworking, check for clichés. These are overworked names, places, phrases, sentences or plots that the world can live without ever seeing again. Remove any “dark and stormy nights, Bobby got in a fight at school” , or “He embraced her with open arms.” Work in something more original to your piece. Go deeper. Look around for inspirations. Search on long gone, maybe not so famous, poets and authors. Check out rare moves that have actors that are like characters that you wish to create. You don't have to recreate the old but you can be inspired by them and add your own individualism to the piece. Ignoring writer's block. Some may say that when writer's block occurs to just do something else for a while until the muse returns. I think the best medicine for writer's block is to keep writing on a daily basis no matter how bad it is. You will work through it. Keep your faith. Psalms 143:5 says, "I remember the days of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands." If you haven't been able to write in months, force the words out of you in any order. Articles like this and writer's handbooks will help you through the hot desert sands. See, now wasn't that easy? Don't just say it, express it. You may have felt a particular emotion but stating the obvious won't be what makes your reader hang on the edge of their seats, rolling with hysteria, or cuddled in a shawl with a tear in their eye. Use the words in a thoughtful form to draw your audience in and keep them there by weaving forth such imagery that they can't put it down.