<p>was it from guides about writing (i’ve read of some authors who learned a lot from guides), a teacher or a class, did you take inspiration or cues from some books or authors or newspapers, was it mostly self experimentation, a gradual process, or did you acquire the ability young, almost naturally, and then basically retain it to this day. for you, what do you think it mostly came down to. that’s what i want to know.</p>
<p>DISCLOSURE: I’M NOT A PARENT. I’M JUST WONDERING SOMETHING ABOUT THE PARENTS. DON’T SHOOT.</p>
<p>Read. Read a lot. Read everything that comes into your hands. The cereal box. The newspaper. All seven volumes of the Harry Potter series. Start at the first shelf in the children’s section of the library and read all of the books through until the end of the last shelf. Or start with the murder mysteries. Or science fiction. Or short stories. Or non-fiction. It really doesn’t matter what books or which newspapers. Just millions and millions of words. </p>
<p>My writing improved a great deal in college. I still struggle with organizing and articulating my ideas clearly. I tend toward vagueness. I envy those who can organize their thoughts quickly and get them down in writing without having to spend a lot of time mulling over what they have written and then revising it the way I usually have to. Other than that, I took a really good creative writing class a couple of years ago, and my fictional writing improved by leaps and bounds. I think I learned the most from the <em>workshop</em> process. That is where you give your writing to several people in a group, and they all give you feedback. And in turn, you read their stuff and give feedback. It is eye opening to have several people comment on your work. And analyzing the work of others and coming up with something helpful to say about it is also very helpful in figuring out what makes writing good. One of my college teachers used this method, broke the class into several groups which met to discuss each other’s papers (with his leadership), and the creative writing teacher also used this method. </p>
<p>Going to theater, where written language comes alive in the room. Pay attention to dialogue in plays and films. Listen well.</p>
<p>Writing long, newsy emails to relatives who’d read everything (hello, Mom…) and not judge. That improved my typing speed until I could type as fast as I think. </p>
<p>Learning to edit papers for a grad school professor who insisted we use the “so what? test” before submitting. I’d go through every word of the draft paper, asking myself “so what?” If a word or phrase didn’t make a point, I’d delete it. </p>
<p>Write first drafts freely and joyfully. Have a bit of fun there. Count upon editing to improve things. </p>
<p>My daughter is a great writer because she reads and writes voraciously. She reads to sleep, when she first wakes up, while in the shower, on the way to school and sneaks in reading in between classes. At one time, she read a book every 1 - 2 days until I had to put the brakes on that. Her school is very demanding on writing, and requires plenty of term papers. Over the past 2 years, her appetite for reading has gradually been replaced by her prolific story writing for fanfiction. That excelled her skills as she began receiving feedback from an international audience.</p>
<p>So, IMHO, to be a great writer, you have to read a lot of great writings and then write a lot!!</p>
<p>I totally agree that learning how to be a good writer starts with reading - a lot. Just today, as I was evaluating 2nd graders’ reading skills, I reminded my students of that. Reading is taking it all in, writing is expressing it. I think my writing significantly improved once I could edit and I thank WORD for that. I can’t imagine going back to straight typing on a manual. I love playing around with how I’ve written something and frequently rearrange the structure of my message. </p>
<p>Read a lot. After you’ve read a lot, read some more, but now not just for the content. Analyze and compare the styles and techniques: how did this writer do what she just did? What made it effective?</p>
<p>Write a lot. Have someone edit your writing, and compare their version to your original draft. Practice editing your own writing: write a draft, set it aside, then come back to it with a critical eye and rewrite it to make it clearer, crisper, and more precise. Writing is an acquired skill, like playing the violin; some may have a greater gift for it, but no one becomes good or even minimally competent at it without practice…</p>
<p>Reading a heck of a lot of different types of writing: fiction & non-fiction, especially well-written news media like the Economist, NYT, WSJ, FT, Atlantic. I can’t live without the Economist. </p>
<p>Reading compulsively, like grabbing a tube of toothpaste just to read the label when there isn’t a book or newspaper nearby the toilet, or reading the back of the box of cereal because it’s there.</p>
<p>Reading and more reading. Reading the news websites on my phone on my way home from work.</p>
<p>Writing a lot of technical reports that require very precise expression of ideas. Editing other people’s writing on a regular basis. Creating Powerpoint presentations until I am blue in the face.</p>
<p>“Reading compulsively, like grabbing a tube of toothpaste just to read the label when there isn’t a book or newspaper nearby the toilet, or reading the back of the box of cereal because it’s there.”</p>
<p>I’m a terrible writer but my son is an amazing writer. His English teacher with 25yrs+ experience from a very competitive school claimed it takes many, many hours of practice to become a great writer. In addition to reading, and dissecting sentence structure, she had them writing 3 page essays every other week. And she would mark those papers up with corrections and grade them low. It was the hardest B+ my son ever earned and now he’s an A+ math guy that can write!</p>
<p>There is no good writing. There is only good re-writing.</p>
<p>In other words, don’t let concern about your writing hold you back from writing in the first place. Get your ideas down, then go back and make it better. For a post, just re-read it before you click “Post Comment.” For a college paper, write it one day, let it fester, then go back and read it as if you’d never read it before. Your editing will improve it dramatically.</p>
<p>Also, for serious college papers, make sure all your reasoning hangs together. If you have a conclusion, make sure all the facts you present point to that conclusion. If there are facts that don’t point to that conclusion, make sure you have reason and logic to show why those facts are not relevant. </p>
<p>Remember to use “transition” words – Consequently, Therefore, In conclusion, As a result. Those words show the reader where you are.</p>
<p>I think I’ve had a natural feel for words since my early school days, perhaps helped by being a voracious reader. I learned how to organize expository materials in junior high/early high school from talented teachers who actually taught this skill, assigned a variety of essay types, graded them and gave feedback. Once I started working, I learned how to write economically; that is, to get my message across in as few words as possible. I’ve always found writing to be a delightful chore; producing an effective document requires a lot of work, drafting, rewriting, and reorganizing several times.</p>
<p>I am a professional writer, always wanted to be. I am self taught as a writer, though did some graduate work in public policy, where I had a mentor who encouraged me. For the most part, it is work, and wide reading. I also review what I read on Amazon as a way to record what I get out of books and films.</p>