20 Key Writing Tips to Become a Better Writer Today

20 Key Writing Tips to Become a Better Writer Today 20 Writing Tips to Improve Your Craft â€Å"The pen is mightier than the sword.† Writer Edgar Bulwer-Lytton made this keen observation nearly 200 years ago, but it remains just as true today. Writing is one of the most powerful mediums in existence, and a seemingly simple story can change countless lives - which is why so many of us choose to be writers in the first place.But sometimes it can be difficult to find the right words, to tell the story the way you want, or to start writing in the first place. That’s why we’ve compiled these 20 essential writing tips for writers like you: artists who want to hone their craft to perfection, so they can tell their stories as effectively as possible.Some of these tips are directly narrative-related, while others are more about the mentality and setting you need to cultivate in order to write. But all have one crucial thing in common: if you take them to heart, they’ll help you become a much better writer - and maybe even pen the book of your dreams. We’ll start with the story tips, then move into more technique-related advice to help you on your writing journey.If you prefer your tips in watchable form, check out this video on great writing tips that no one else will tell you. 1. Even pantsers need to planLet’s begin with an age-old question: are you a plotter or a pantser?If you’ve never heard these terms before, allow us to explain. Pantsers are writers who â€Å"fly by the seat of their pants,† i.e. start writing without preparing too much and simply trust that everything will work out. At the other end of the spectrum are plotters, who plan and outline their story extensively before they begin to write.Which is the better way forward? Well, it’s different for everyone - what works for you may not necessarily work for another writer you know.That said, experience has taught us that a little bit of planning goes a long way. That’s why we always advise some form of preparation, even if it’s just a few nuggets of your plot, before you dive into writing. Pantsers, we know it’ll be hard, but you can do it!2. Keep your outline in mindOnce you’ve prepared an outline, it’s important to actually use it. This may seem obvious, but it's seemingly one of the hardest-to-remember writing tips out there - which is why we've put it so high on our list!Many writers find themselves led astray by subplots and secondary characters, wandering into lengthy supplementary chapters that don’t really go anywhere. Then when they try to get back to the main plot, they find they’re already too far gone.Keeping your outline in mind at all times will help you avoid these disastrous detours. Even if you stray a little, you should be able to look at your outline and articulate exactly how you’ll get back to what you planned. This is especially crucial late in the writing process, when it can be hard to remember your original vision - so if you have doubts about your ability to remember your outline, definitely write it down.3. Introduce conflict earlyOf all the core elements in your story, conflict is perhaps the most important to emphasize. Conflict lies at the heart of every good narrative, creating tension that prompts people to read until the very end. So make sure readers know what your conflict is within the first few chapters!The best way to do this is through an early inciting incident, wherein the main character has a revelation and/or becomes involved in something big. For example, in The Hunger Games, the inciting incident is Katniss volunteering for the Games. Though our heroine has always held anti-Capitol views, this incident forces her to take direct action against them, launching the conflict (Katniss vs. Capitol) that will drive the next three books.Finally, remember that there are many different types of conflict. So if you have no idea what your conflict is, don’t worry; it’s probably just unconventional. For instance, your main conflict might be one that unfolds within your narrator (character vs. self), or against some large, nebulous force (like character vs. technology). But whatever it is, try to be conscious of when you introduce it and how.4. Control the pacingNothing ruins a good story like poor pacing. Even if you’ve got the most well-rounded characters, interesting plot, and sizzling conflict in literary history, sluggish pacing can still make all of it moot. So make sure you control the pacing in your story, lest readers lose interest and put down your book in frustration!In order to combat slow pacing, you’ll need to increase the tempo by:A) Cutting down lengthy sentences and descriptions, and B) Increasing action and dialogue.The former strategy works for one simple reason: it gets rid of filler and fluff. In extreme cases, you may have to cut a great deal of exposition in order to get to the beating heart of your story. This may be painful, but trust us - your readers will appreciate not having to trudge through 50 pages of buildup before your inciting incident.As for the latter, it might seem like adding more content is counterintuitive to a quicker pace. But because action and dialogue move the story forward in a concrete manner, you can always rely on them to improve slow pacing.5. Fine-tune your dialogueSpeaking of dialogue,  it's pretty critical to most stories, especially in terms of drawing in readers. Indeed, a conversation between characters is usually much more intriguing and impactful than a narrator relaying similar information.But dialogue loses its impact if the conversation goes on for too long - so for better, sharper dialogue, be concise. Say youâ₠¬â„¢re writing a story in which two characters have an argument. You want to be clear what they’re fighting about and connect it to other events and themes in your story, so you write something like this:â€Å"I can’t believe you were late coming home again! This is so typical. Just like when you forgot to pick up the groceries last week. Sometimes I don’t think you listen to me at all. You say you care about my feelings, but you don’t.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Well, maybe I don’t listen because you’re always yelling at me. No matter what I do, it always seems to be the wrong thing. I had a very important meeting tonight, for the record. You know I’m trying to get that promotion at work. I’m really trying my hardest here.†But this exchange is full of unnecessary details. After all, the reader should already be familiar with your characters, their relationship, and past events of the story - you don’t have to spoon-feed them the meaning of the conversation. So keep your dialogue short and pithy:â€Å"Nice of you to show up. What were you doing, if not getting groceries?† â€Å"Thanks for the warm reception. I had a meeting. Kind of an important one.†For more dialogue-specific writing tips, check out this post.You'll be back to writing in no time. (Image: Lonely Planet on Unsplash)17. Listen to feedbackNow for another one of those writing tips that we all have trouble with. Throughout the process of writing, and definitely after you’re finished, you should share your work with other people: your friends, family, writers’ groups, and your editor(s).Accepting and actioning critical feedback is, of course, one of the most difficult parts of being a writer. Yet it’s also one of the most important skills to have. Because the feedback you receive from friends and beta readers is the only window you have into other people’s views - until you publish and the reviews start flooding in, but by then it’s too late to change anything. So try not to view criticism as harsh, but as helpful. It might just save you from liter ary infamy later!On that note†¦18. Kill your darlingsSometimes you’ll pen a passage that’s so beautiful, so nuanced, so masterfully constructed that you want to frame it - but it doesn’t really contribute anything to the larger composition. It’s a tangential distraction, and you know in your heart that your work would be better off without it.What to do now? You probably know the answer, even if you don’t want to admit it: you have to kill your darlings. This most often refers to removing an irrelevant or otherwise distracting passage, but it may also be your title, an element of your narration, or even an entire character.In any case, if it doesn’t add to the narrative, consider dropping it. Of all our writing tips, this one is perhaps the most important for writers of short stories and flash fiction, since you really don’t have any room to waste! Painful as it might be, remember you can always save your â€Å"darling† t o rework for another project†¦ just not this one.19. Just keep writingHow do prolific, successful authors manage to turn out so many books? Basically, by keeping calm and carrying on. Stephen King writes 2,000 words every single day, even on holidays. Jane Austen wrote each day just after breakfast without fail. Kafka wrote in the wee hours of the morning, barely sleeping as a result.Now, as we’ve established, you don’t have to write every day, or with the same vigor as these authors. Jane Austen never had a smartphone distracting her, so that was kind of an unfair advantage. But you do need to keep writing with as much consistency and focus as possible!This is the best piece of advice we can give any writer, fiction or non-fiction, short-form or long. Remember that it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and keep your head down until you hit that final blessed page.20. Keep publishing in mindLast but certainly not least on this list of writing tips, we’ll co ver the potential of publishing your book once it’s finally finished. Many writers and writing websites advise not to think about publishing while writing, to simply write what you know/love/would want to read yourself, and worry about publishing later.But thinking about it as you write can really help move the process along! For one thing, if you go the traditional publishing route, you should consider how you might pitch your book to agents. What makes your story unique, and why would they want to represent it? If you start writing with the aim to publish, you can consciously highlight these distinctive elements in the story itself.On the other hand, if you’re thinking about self-publishing, the adventure truly does begin once you’ve finished the manuscript! After a round or two of editing, and possibly investing in a book cover, you should be set to put your book up on Amazon and start raking in readers.There are pros and cons to both these sides. Luckily, if you’ve gotten to this point, the hard part is over; you’ve managed to write the book of your dreams, and now what you do with it is up to you!And if you haven't quite gotten there yet, know that it's never too late. Writing is a lifelong struggle, but it's also one of the most rewarding things you can pursue. So go forth and tell the story you've always wanted to tell - we believe in you. âÅ" Did we miss anything? Tell us your best writing tips in the comments below!