6 Simple But Super Effective Writing Tips

Take a look online and you can find a million and one ways to improve your writing. Everyone from classic Russian literature authors to erotica fiction writers have their own guide to being a writer. Much of the advice is easier said than done. Here are 6 simple tips that also happen to be super effective.

War And Peace Wasn’t Written In A Day
An architecture student doesn’t design a skyscraper in his first class and neither should you try to do so with your first piece of fiction. When starting to write, it’s important to start small.
Try a short story or even some flash fiction. Once you feel confident you can move onto a novella or a short novel. Eventually, you will be in a good position to write novels of any length you wish.
Get into the habit of starting and finishing a story, no matter the size. It will make it easier for you to get experience with each step of the creative process. More than that, it will also give you a sense of achievement when you finish.
You may want to write the next War And Peace, but it can take months, probably years. In the mean time, you will have nothing to show for your efforts and this can lead to anxiety and stress over time.
It is also not easy to direct and control a large novel. Think of a short story as steering a speedboat. If you need to change direction, it’s easy. Now think of a long novel as like the Titanic. It’s much bigger, harder to steer, and you are more than likely going to end up hitting an iceberg.
Start small. Get good at it. Have something to show for your efforts. Eventually you will be ready to write something bigger.

Too Many Literary Influences Can Spoil The Creative Broth
Once you have begun to write, it’s important to keep a clear vision of what you want to write and how you want to write it. With this in mind, try not to read anything too heavy while you are writing. It could influence you without you even realizing it.
Our literary influences can be stronger than we know. Sometimes their style rubs off on us without our knowledge. If you are trying to write some popular fiction books about vampires then you don’t want to be reading Anna Karenina. You might accidently turn your book into a nine hundred page allegory about the hypocrisies of the ruling class.
If you must read, then at least be careful to choose books that fit in with the style that you are going for. If you are writing some popular romance novels then reading some classics by Jane Austen won’t actually do you any harm. Who knows? It may even help.

The Early Bird Catches The Writing Bug
If you do a bit of online reading, you will find that most of your favorite authors swear by writing in the morning. It is at that time, when we first wake up, that our minds are at their freshest and most receptive to being creative.
It’s not only about writing early, but also about writing before you do anything else with your day. Everything you do, one way or another, is draining your energy and if you wait until the end of the day you may find you have no energy left to write. Remember, writing is not only about making the free time to write. It’s about being in the right frame of mind.
For most people, that is going to be first thing when they wake up before they do anything else with their day. If writing is important to you, then use this time to write.

Always Leave Something In The Creative Tank
There are few things more frustrating than having a super productive writing session only to load up your story the next day and find your mind is completely blank once again. You thought you had finally had a breakthrough. What had changed from yesterday to today?
The best way around this is to intentionally stop short at the end of a writing session. Even if you feel you could write more, don’t. Leave something in the tank. Save that for when you need to start again next time.
By waiting to write what you were going to at the end of your last session, you give yourself the chance to get started on a new session and by the time you have finished that you should have the momentum to keep going.

Get It All Down On The Page
There are few things more terrifying than staring at that blank page and to have it stare right back at you. It is known to have a Medusa like effect on writers that can last days, weeks, or even months.
That fear comes from showing too much respect. What you need to do is treat the blank page with utter disregard. Just write the story as it comes into your head. Include stuff you aren’t even sure you want in the story. If you have an idea in the moment, then bang it in there too.
Remember, you are not trying to write the final version. This is the first draft. Your objective at this point is just to get the whole story down on paper. I can’t promise any of it will read well and it will be a happy bonus if it makes sense.
I can, however, promise one thing. It’s a hell of a lot easier to edit a terrible first draft than it is to craft the perfect novel from memory. So what are you waiting for?

Take A Break Every Once And While
At some point or other, all writers get too close to what they are writing and go just a little crazy. You spend entire days rewriting the same paragraph only to end up at the same place you started. Other days you just stare blankly at an unfinished chapter. You’re dreaming about things that happen in your story. You start to see your main character in the street. It’s time to do something drastic. Take that story, lock it in a drawer, and throw away the key!
Wait. Don’t throw away the key. I got a bit carried away there, but do lock it in a drawer and don’t come back to it for at least a couple of months. It’s time you and that story took a break.
Imagine it’s like that guy or girl you really like, but you are trying not to show them. Just play it cool. You don’t need them. You’ve got other things going on in your life. Maybe you will check in on it again sometime if you have some spare time. Maybe not. No biggy.
But seriously, go away and read a bit. Work on something else. You could even just go out and enjoy yourself. You deserve it after all that writing.
When you do come back to the book a few months later, it will feel completely new. You will recognize things you didn’t before. It could be a simple typo or a big glaring plot hole. Whatever you find, you will be better off from the break and your story will be much improved.