forum I'm actually terrible at writing, does anyone have any tips?

Started February 08, 2018 by @Alylistrates group

tune

Like the title says, i'm legit the worst at writing. I have all these things in my mind, but I have such a hard time putting it into a story that makes sense ahah. If anyone has any tips about this, please comment!

My tip is to just write. If you really want to get better at writing, the best thing you can do for now is to write your heart out. You should develop your writing style and voice before you ask somebody about how to structure a story/plot. For now, it doesn't really matter if your story doesn't make sense. It only has to make sense to you. And slowly, as you keep writing, you'll be able to develop it into a story that makes sense to other people, and entertains people as well. That's when you would want to start researching plot, characterization, and other things that make up a really good story. (I hope this helped)

writing is like drawing - practice practice practice. it takes time to develop a craft and you are going to write things that suck. that's okay. just keep doing it and you will eventually develop a writing style. put pen to paper, and don't be afraid to talk to people and ask for help!

I also agree with the above response. You're going to write things that aren't that great. But it's all a part of the learning process, and everybody starts somewhere.

try writing each idea down. Then stop writing and think about which one you want to pursue. Taking a break from writing will refresh your brain and when you come back to writing you may have better ideas than the ones you had before.

Try doing drafts, all professional writers so drafts. I assume you know the deal. Also… Tone is super important my dude.

Write as many ideas as you can using whatever you can. Look through those ideas and change, remove, or add onto the ideas, sculpting them so they can take a more refined shape. Ask friends or fellow writers to look over this list of ideas and ask them what ideas should be changed. Compile a second list of things people liked and what they didn't like and decide on what needs to be changed.

Okay… WRITE. And when you can’t write, READ. Watch popular movies and TV shows to get a good sense of plot. Model characters based on people you know and characters you read. It’s not stealing, as long as you switch it up and mix them around. Look at how the world works and 1) use it as a model 2) change it. Make everything symbolic, even of shallow or small things. + self reflection is important. Writing is the reflection of a writer.
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If it’s the writing itself you have trouble with, then make sure to SHOW FEELINGS, and TELL EMOTIONS. Play with tone. Find random objects and try describing them, bonus points if you can do it positively, negatively, and neutrally. Learn new words for colors and feelings and anything. If you’re really passionate about writing, don’t let anyone tell you no. Because it takes TIME. Don’t let them take it from you.

Hope this isn’t too much :) Happy writing.

First of all, it's okay to suck. Everyone sucks at first. Don't be discouraged because you don't like where you are now. Keep writing, every day if you can, and don't try to mimic someone else's voice. It's okay if you draw inspiration from other author's styles of writing, but trying to mimic someone 100% will sound forced. You have a unique perspective, and it's your unique perspective that makes your writing unique.

Second: Read, a lot. Read good stuff. Read stuff that you like. Read stuff that you don't like and make notes about what you didn't like about it. Watch TV and movies, play around with ideas. Music from movie soundtracks or video game soundtracks can be really, really inspirational when you want to write.

Third: Get connected with writers. Talk to them about writing, sharing excerpts from stories, critiquing, etc. This can be online or irl, but it is helpful. You can maybe even take a creative writing class, or if you can't, buy a book on creative writing.

Fourth: Follow writers on social media. Go on Pinterest or Instagram and find writing prompts and short stories. Especially Pinterest. You won't find a better place for writing advice and prompts.

Fifth: Keep being creative. You'll inevitably get better. Good luck.

Just write. Don't stop and write as much as you can. Use writing prompts and talk to other authors and creative people. Read all the time. Don't stop reading.

My best advice to you if you want to write is to be truthful. Whether it be fantasy or nonfiction, tell it like it is. Don't get caught up in what everyone else is doing, just do what you want to do. I want to be a creative writing professor as a career, to help people find their voices and build themselves up however they need most to be built. The trick to writing it to do it how you want to do it, to be quirky and unique and honest, and people will come from miles around to find your truth for themselves.