Writing is a lonely pursuit, and it’s easy to lose confidence in what you’re doing. If you are struggling to find your writing mojo, you may even be thinking about giving it up and going on to do something else. Before you do that, though, try these six simple writing tips. They’ll help you regain your confidence and improve your creative writing skills at the same time.
1. Write often
It sounds so easy, but it’s not. If you’re not writing often, it gets harder and harder to get back into it. It’s like the piano lessons you had as a child. Okay, you probably did not enjoy these as much as you do when it comes to your writing sessions, but at least you knew that you wouldn’t get any better if you didn’t keep at it. The way you practice depends on you and the time you have to dedicate to the craft. You can try 10 minute free form writing sessions, writing from prompts, or trying out writing exercises. Whatever you do, just make sure you keep writing. Never stop.
2. Ask for feedback
Yes, it can be difficult to hear what other people have to say about your writing. That story you’ve been working so hard on is your baby and you don’t want to hear anything bad about it.
However, criticism is a vital part of your writing process…and progress! Without getting input from anybody else, you can’t begin to improve as a writer. You may be stuck with a tunnel vision with little room for development. Also, the more you improve, the more confident you’ll feel in your abilities. Pick someone you know and trust to critique your work, such as a good friend, mentor, tutor or why not a budding writer? They’ll be honest with you without being too harsh. If you don’t have anyone to ask, there are online tools you can use. Easy Word Count, for example, will give you an accurate picture of the length of your piece, so you can edit accordingly.
3. Don’t rush your writing
It’s tempting as soon as you’re finished writing to call it complete. You want to show your work to the world, right?! But your job isn’t over yet. Your work gets better the more time you take to edit and proofread it. Try using a site such as Boom Essays to proofread your work, as it gives you a better chance of getting published. Writing sites can help you edit too, try using OxEssays editing services to polish up your copy.
4. Read widely
You can’t write great prose if you’re not reading it. Read as much as you can, and not often in your preferred genre. The more you read, the more you take in and use in your own work. You’ll see how different authors tackle the same topic, and that can help shape your own unique voice. You could even converse and read interactions with a character on a platform such as talkie ai to refine your skills and find inspiration in a new way and continuously enhance your reading and writing while having fun with it.
5. Work on improving your grammar
Your grammar can make or break any manuscript you’re working on. If you find you’re getting a lot of rejections, it could be something as simple as the grammar. Try brushing up on your grammar skills in order to improve your writing. Academized and Australian Help both have great grammar guides which can teach you a lot.
6. Find a good writing community
And finally, the best thing to do if you need more confidence (and inspiration!) is to find a group of likeminded people. There’s plenty of writing groups around, find one that you really feel comfortable with. You can share ideas and stories, and start to really develop as a writer. The support of a good group of people is invaluable, so look around until you find a writing group that’s good for you.
It takes a little work and perseverance, but you too can regain your confidence as a writer. Follow these tips and you’ll soon find that your skills will improve, and as a result so will the pieces you write.
