8 Writing Tips From Published Writers
Poetry is, first and foremost, meant to be enjoyed, and not everyone who enjoys writing poetry also aims to master it. However, many poets do aspire to become better writers. If you’re the type of poet who’s committed to improving their craft, submitting their work, and someday being published, then you need to practice. To help you practice writing better poems, we’ve collected 8 writing tips from great and published writers.
1. Put your phone on airplane mode.
“Work on a computer that is disconnected from the internet.” — Zadie Smith
We all know how distracting the internet can be. First you’re Googling synonyms for important, then somehow you’ve wasted 3 hours watching ASMR cake decorating videos and nature documentaries on YouTube. To get into your writing flow state, it is vital, essential, and paramount to keep the internet from getting in your way. You could do this by disconnecting your WiFi, using an app or plug-in to lock you out of social media sites, or simply by writing on paper instead.
2. Tune into the world around you.
“If your everyday life seems poor, don’t blame it; blame yourself; admit to yourself that you are not enough of a poet to call forth its riches.” — Rainer Maria Rilke
Great writing connects the personal with the universal. Pay attention to the world around you and make note of details and imagery to use in your poetry. Many of these details might seem mundane to you, because you encounter them all the time in your everyday life, but they are an integral part of your life experience (and therefore your voice).
3. Use natural, everyday language.
“Writing isn’t about using words to impress. It’s about using simple words in an impressive way.” — Sierra Bailey
Your writing should sound like you. With your unique perspective, tone, and choice of words, you create your unique writer’s voice that can set you apart from the rest. So, instead of digging through your thesaurus to find “fancier,” more literary-sounding words, just use language that comes naturally to you.
4. Focus on sound and rhythm.
“Sound gives us clues about what is necessary and real,” he said. “When you read [your work] aloud, there are parts you might skip over—you find yourself not wanting to speak them. Those are the weak parts. It’s hard to find them otherwise, just reading along.” — Jesse Ball
Read your writing aloud. Listen for the sound and rhythm of it—do you stumble or skip over certain words? Does it flow well in your own voice, or does it sound like someone else wrote it? Simply the act of reading or hearing your work read aloud will reveal words, phrases, and details that need to be strengthened or clarified in the editing process.
5. Don’t skip revisions.
“No author dislikes to be edited as much as he dislikes not to be published.” — Russell Lynes
Editing is a crucial (but sometimes excruciating) part of the writing process. Rarely will a writer be so divinely inspired that they’re able to publish their work without a single revision—so don’t skip this stage. After you’ve finished your first draft, take a break from it and come back to it with a fresh perspective and a red ink pen to “kill your darlings.”
6. Make time to read, too.
“If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” ― Stephen King
The most common piece of writing advice you’ll hear is to read a lot. That’s because it works. Reading allows you to explore many different voices and writing techniques, so you get a feel for what works and what doesn’t work, what you like and dislike. By becoming the reader, you can empathize more deeply with your own readers. This empathy will help you write (and edit) more effectively.
7. Just do it.
“This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until it’s done. It’s that easy, and that hard.” — Neil Gaiman
Writing is a craft, and like any craft, it gets easier with practice; there’s no magic “hack” that will put you on the New York Times Bestseller list overnight. To get better at writing, you have to sit down and do the work. You can reduce the mental load of getting started by creating habits, rituals, and environmental cues that point you toward a regularly-scheduled writing practice. Easier said than done? Try these tips for battling writer’s block.
8. Figure out what works for you.
“I think there are two types of writers, the architects and the gardeners. The architects plan everything ahead of time, like an architect building a house. They know how many rooms are going to be in the house, what kind of roof they’re going to have, where the wires are going to run, what kind of plumbing there’s going to be. They have the whole thing designed and blueprinted out before they even nail the first board up. The gardeners dig a hole, drop in a seed and water it. They kind of know what seed it is, they know if planted a fantasy seed or mystery seed or whatever. But as the plant comes up and they water it, they don’t know how many branches it’s going to have, they find out as it grows. And I’m much more a gardener than an architect.” ― George R.R. Martin
The best writing advice in the world will still fail if you’re trying to be someone you’re not. Although it’s helpful to listen to insights from fellow writers, teachers, and mentors, your path to success as a writer will be entirely unique to you. When you learn about a new writing tip, experiment with it, but don’t be afraid to set it down and try something else if it’s not your style.
