- Read, read, read! Especially, read the type of stuff you want to write. Then write the type of stuff you like to read.
- Write about the things you know about and CARE about (through experience, reading, movies, research, etc.) If you aren’t passionate about your subject, how will you make your reader feel anything?
- Take risks: be honest, show your true feelings.
- If you’re blocked, try freewriting: to discover topics, to get yourself going, to help get past “stuck” points in a story or characterization.
- Let your first draft be as crummy as it needs to be--just get words onto paper. You can fix them up later. "The first draft is the writer’s clay." - Bruce Coville
- Don’t be afraid to throw large amounts of writing away. Cutting words--many times, pages of words--improves writing.
- Word choice: Use interesting verbs and specific nouns. Avoid adverbs and too many adjectives. Simple past tense is usually best.
- Learn how to give and take suggestions for improving a piece of writing. Writers need to know how their writing “comes across” to others. Readers can help by asking questions and pointing out places where they were confused, places where the action or dialogue seemed too “unbelievable,” places where things moved too slowly (or too fast), and, of course, places they especially liked.
- Write, write, write. Keep a journal. Try different kinds of writing: poetry, short stories, nonfiction, plays, picture book, essays, personal experience, etc. You get better at writing by learning the skills involved (the “rules”) and by WRITING. It’s the same kind of process as learning to play a musical instrument or a sport.
- For books and other resources for both kids and adults on the topic of writing click here.
- Get into a writing or critique group.
This is my writing group. They help me with my writing so-o much. We give each other feedback on our writing, sometimes looking at the same story or chapter three or four times! Though members change from time to time, I've been with the group since August, 1991. All of us write for children, and all of us are published.
Sylvie Hossack, Katherine Kirkpatrick,
Donna Bergman, & Me
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