Top 10 Secrets to Crafting Quality Writing for Writing Enthusiasts

As a writer, you're always told to 'write what you know,' and that's solid advice. Utilize settings, characters, settings, and language that you're familiar with and start crafting a fresh story in the world you already understand well. It's like using the research you've already done. It not only makes writing easier for you but also makes your story more vibrant, more authentic. And remember, your setting, what you gather to write, is also what everyone can gather.

How you can write what you know:

• Meditate, listen to some instrumental music to focus better
• Have a cup of coffee or eat some sweets to stay alert
• Close your eyes and reminisce
• Grasp impressive details to incorporate into your written story

Writers all love reading numerous works. Keep awareness of the publishing field you choose, whether it's modern poetry, literary novels, horror, short stories, or fantasy. Nothing fuels writing desire more than reading a good piece, it ignites many passions and hidden talents.

You surely won't know all the words in every literary genre. Thus, when you engage with a variety by reading literary works, you'll enrich a vast vocabulary, observe rhythms, moods, and writing styles of each author. That will help your writing style progress tremendously.

In contrast to the above method, you can use your own imagination to create new situations, new characters, new relationships in a new world. Choose to write about different periods in history or a place that is unfamiliar to you. When imagination is lacking, fill it with research. The best thing about a creative writer is creativity. Your story will now be impressive, different from the usual tropes in past literature.

Keys to effective creativity:

• Set criteria for yourself, when the story meets all the criteria, start implementing it
• Write down thoughts, new ideas that pop into your head anytime, you need a small notebook to jot down
• Put your emotions into writing, you can handle your thoughts and emotions deeply to enhance your creative ability

We understand people we've met through what they say, how they say it, their choice of words, their tone, their conversational habits. Readers do the same with fictional characters. People on paper come alive with dialogue. Crafting dialogue demands a lot—it must be fresh and genuine, it must be edited multiple times to get it right—but it's very worthwhile.

Everyday emotions—happiness, sadness, work, family, children, you've definitely experienced or will experience in daily life. So, don't let your psyche affect the characters in your story, instead, take it as material, refine the characters according to the personality you've created for them from the start. Let's embody the characters directly!

You can't force anyone to read your novel or short story, so you need to hook readers right from the first lines. Your opening sentence or paragraph must make people want to continue, evoke laughter or curiosity, or make them want to find out what will happen next.

An example of how George Orwell sparked reader curiosity in 1984:

'It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.'

This seems like a traditional opening, doesn't it, striking thirteen? You want to read more so you'll continue opening the book.

Now let's see Raymond Carver's opening line in the short story Viewfinder:

A man without hands came to the door to sell me a photograph of my house.

A short sentence but with so much needing explanation. We got hooked right there.'

In the role of a reader, you're sure to feel drawn in and curious about the story's next development. So, the title and opening lines of your book are incredibly important!

Try to keep your initial draft as perfect as possible. Let the story flow with smooth prose. A great story must have a good rhythm, appropriate punctuation, and vivid details. Without smoothness, readers will find it very difficult to understand the plot. Aim for effortless perfection, and do well from the start.

Ways to achieve smooth prose:

• Limit vague and heavy words to make the story easier to understand, easier to read
• Place punctuation marks diversely in appropriate positions to create a unique rhythm for your writing.
• Use artistic methods of using sentences such as metaphors, similes, ... to make the prose more vivid

Too much description, overuse of adjectives and adverbs can slow down the narrative pace and make readers lose interest. If possible, it's better to let readers see the person or the atmosphere happening, how your characters interact - show, don't tell, through what they say, how they interact, what they do. This method is much more effective than telling readers a bunch of information.

This is a difficult task because in a story you'll have to tell something, so don't be too obsessed with avoiding this method. Let your pen flow smoothly, naturally, and in line with the plot. Everything will become perfect and not constrained, rigid.

You might think writing is a solitary endeavor, but skilled writers always need feedback on their work. Because through that feedback, you gain experience, have an objective view of the work you're writing. Therefore, seek out and connect with colleagues willing to help you identify mistakes.

Today, there are many workshops or short training courses, where experienced individuals in the writing field will share and guide you through necessary skills. Your senior peers in the profession will help you explore more aspects of yourself. Learning more experiences and helping you establish a broader network in the writing community, thus opening up more opportunities for you.

If you don't meet the standard on your first attempt, you can do what most writers do - revise and refine through the editing process. Don't mistake, editing isn't just proofreading; it goes beyond mere proofreading. It involves carefully reviewing your work to see what's missing, what needs to change, and identifying the areas you need to work on to enhance your writing skills, making it sharper, more concise, and better.

Consider writing as a real job even if it doesn't earn you money. Write daily if you want to improve. No one becomes a good writer in 1 - 2 days, not even famous authors. Patience and diligence will help you achieve the expected success.

A masterpiece is one with concise content, limited words, and perfect ideas. Overstuffing with unnecessary content makes your work messy and redundant. Remember, shorter sentences have a greater impact. Keep your sentences concise because they are easy to read and understand. Each sentence should convey a simple meaning to avoid complexity or confusion.

Ways to Minimize Writing:

• Write the entire piece
• Set the writing aside for a few hours or days
• Come back to your writing and trim away excess ideas and content