Honing your skills as a writer is vital to the pursuit of a successful writing career. Like editing, the learning never really stops. One of the best ways to hone your writing skills is to constantly challenge yourself. Continuous learning is the key to perfecting any skill. When it comes to writing, no matter how seasoned you are, there’s always room for improvement.  Many prolific writers use writing prompts to fine tune their skills.

Allow the first draft of every story to flow naturally. Do not try to disrupt the creative flow by being overly concerned about grammar, sentence structure and other technical issues. Initially, keep your focus on getting your story out. Once you’ve gotten the story out of your head and onto paper (or into your laptop) then go back and begin to shape the story into a crafty, well-written tale. This is where you first begin to challenge yourself. Examine your first draft and determine all the ways you can improve upon your story. How can you make the second version better than the first?

Read, read and then read some more. As a writer, reading is imperative. I can’t stand it when a writer says, “I don’t read.” I know that I’m won’t be interested in anything that they write since I doubt I’ll learn anything them. Even when a writer reads for entertainment, learning inadvertently happens. Staying in the realm of the written word helps to massage your writing muscles. Chose books from various genres and authors of all walks of life. Pay attention to all of the techniques other author’s use to pull you into a story. Study these elements and try to perfect them in your own work.

Writing workshops and classes are available at libraries, schools and conference centers across the country. You may even consider enrolling into an MFA program. You will be amazed by how much you can learn about yourself as a writer. Take advantage of these courses to help you hone your skill, get started on that next novel or simply find out more about the world of writing. Take a variety of courses to help you develop your skill. Whether you are a seasoned writer or just starting out, you’re bound to learn something new.

Now sit down and write something fabulous!

Renee Daniel Flagler
www.reneedanielflagler.com
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ANNOUNCEMENT: Hello All, Dee here. I’ll be conducting a FREE eBook formatting workshop for people who are signed up for my monthly newsletter.
Topic: eBook Formatting Basics for Fiction Titles Cost: Free Date: March, 24, 2012 Time: 3-4 p.m. Central Location: Become A Successful Author Website (link and password will be given the day before the event)

Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for? Become A Successful Author will be used in the “How To Write That Novel” course at Chicago State because it covers everything from branding to writing to editing to formatting and uploading electronic and print books to marketing and so much more. Your time is money. Look at all the time, thus money, you’ll save by ending your search for answers: Purchase Become A Successful Author (eBook) for only $4.99 from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble  or print copies for only $7.99 by using the Contact page of this website and tell Dee know how many copies you’d like and shipping address. She’ll email the ordering information. Or you can purchase the print version from any book store for $9.99.