what do you think a good writer needs to do in order to write well?

Question

need help

Answer 1

writing well is an art form.
there is no canned procedure to follow.

it takes practice, practice, and more practice.
re-write, edit, re-write, edit, re-write

ernest hemmingway use to try to write a page a day.
thats one good page., with allot of re writing.

Answer 2

You can pick up proper grammer and punction education anywhere. But here is a few tips I have been given:

Write everyday. (It doesn't matter if you have days where all you write are gibberish lines and sentences like "i know i have to write.... but i have nothing to write" over and over on the page. Getting in the habit of daily writing will help open up creativly on days you're blocked.)

Don't stop. Once you're on a roll do not go back and fix typos. Don't edit. There will be time for that later. Don't even reread until you are completely done with the story.

As tempting as it is, do not discuss your stories with others until you are done. When we write, we get so excited about telling our stories we often discuss the plot with others. Once you've let the story out, it's often hard to regain the passion and urgency you felt to write it.

And lastly, care about your stories and your characters. (Even the ones that are a bit unsavory.) If you don't care as the writer, the reader really won't care.

Good Luck.

Answer 3

Practice.

Getting ideas can come later; a lot of the time, it's better to just write so you can get a feel for your style, because you may not know it until you see it. Then you want to get used to it so that when it comes to your idea/plot, you know what you're doing. Being imaginative helps, of course, or else how would you get your story plots? But practicing first helps, because then you can learn the way to "flesh out your character" and everything else old lady said.

The way to practice? Just write. Start with something random. Like with "The floors were made of ice, yet Edward did not slip...." and go from there. See where you can take it, and if you don't know how to take it, think about the who, what, where, when, and why of the situation. Who exactly is Edward? Is he inhuman? Where is this place with floors made of ice? What is this place? When does it take place? In the future, or so far into the past that no one remembers this happening and now you're here to tell the tale? Lastly, why can Edward walk on water? (This can be combined with 'is he inhuman?') Not only will this hep to exercise your writing abilities as warm ups, they can exercise your imagination, and you may be able to come up with a plot from a warm up.if you like, you can take this Edward thing and try out warm ups for yourself.

But practice can do wonders. Even writing a story that may not be so good when you finish and read it over can help. Notice what isn't good, and work on those points, both with warm ups and with writing more stories. Your writing ability can develop over a course of a few years. It can even change during the course of the creation of a story; I once wrote a story which I read over when I was done. The beginning was terrible, but as I read on, I noticed my writing getting better.

Reading well written stories can help, too, but I couldn't give you a list of books to read, since I firstly don't know what genre you're trying out with writing, and secondly I'm not so good at giving book titles that will help your writing. You may want to post a new question asking for help on that.

I hope I've helped. And good luck. Just write, any duds that come out may be able to get you new ideas for a new story. Trust me, it's happened many times with me.

Answer 4

Ask advice--consider all that you hear, though you may want to discard some as you will get conflicting advice.

Read books on writing by the people who know, Evan Marshall and Donald Mass are two that come to mind right away, both own their own literary agencies, and are writers. They've each written books on writing. Of course there are lots of other books on the many aspects of writing, they do make for dry reading though helpful.

Read books by other writers that are successful, and see what they do that you don't (in the way of style). AND rewrite, rewrite,and then rewrite... also any advice that you get, get it from someone who will give you help and not just a pat on the back.

Answer 5

Research is one of the most important tools in writing. Since many professionals such as doctors, lawyers, nurses, fashion designers, electricians, etc... read, you have to keep your story as realistic as possible.

For instance, if you're writing about a court case, youi'd want 'Order in the Court,' a writer's guide to behind the scenes of the law. If you are writing about a murder, you'd want 'Causes of Death,' a writer's guide to death and murder.
Someone who is hurt in an accident would be one for 'Body trauma,' a writer's guide to bodily injuries. If one of your characters were poisoned you'd want 'Deadly Doses,' a writer's guide to poisons. These are all Writer's Digest books by the way, designed to aid the writer in being thorough in their research.

A fun way to learn grammar would be, 'The Transitive Vampire,' by Karen Elizabeth Gordon. How to use certain words and compose sentences correctly.

A good Writer's Digest book for writing dialogue would be the book by the same title: 'Dialogue.'

For manuscripts sales, a must book would be Writer's Market. In there you will find literary agents, their snail mail and email addresses and what genre's they are mostly interested in. Most of them tell you which writers they represent as well.

There are many many things to consider before one sits down and writes a book or short story. Formatting, query letters, mailing instructions... just to name a few.

I have over $300. 00 invested in writing materials. They're paid for themselves many times over.

When you've finished six or seven chapters in your book, go over them once again and try to shorten sentences by taking out words that really aren't needed. Don't worry about the so-called '25 cent words.' Just write what you feel and keep the story interesting and moving. It's best to try to do some short stories first, before going on to a full blown novel.

Good Luck!

Answer 6

A good grasp of grammar and either being a good speller, or know how to use spell check :)

An imagination and passion for what you write.

Knowledge of punctuation and how to reference if you do.

Know how to research the material you want and where to find it (libraries and academic websites and books, or research in the community with surveys and questionaires for material.

Finding a good publisher/editor/agent.

Having a good story plan or structure.

Good opening sentences to your paragraphs with a clear beginning, middle and end of the story.

Doing a creative writing course will be a great idea if you are at the beginning of learning this. They will teach you how to write stories, poetry and the like.

There is also great software you can buy or download, that will give you all the information and advice you will need.

Answer 7

Well, it helps to have a good imagination, one that can create stories out of what you see in your daily life.

You should also try to make the characters in the story "realistic." Even if it is a fantasy book, the characters should be believable and have human emotions. You want your readers to be able to relate to what they are reading.

Add as much detail to what you are writing as possible. Make the reader feel like they are actually there.

Most importantly, practice writing often. The more you write, the better you'll get. And share your stories with your friends and family, because they can give you suggestions to improve your story.

Hope this helps!

Answer 8

The first thing is to write. That's a given. In some cases, it begins with research, or with a story outline. The writer has to flesh out his or her characters - make real people out of them, not cardboard ciphers. Then the writer has to rewrite, revise, edit, and go through these steps as many times as needed to produce a polished work.

Answer 9

1. A writer needs to be an avid reader.
2. And have a decent understanding of grammar
3. Also to know the rule, "Show the reader don't tell."
if someone in your story is going to die - show us, don't just write and so and so died... blah. (J.K. Rowling forgot this rule in her last book...sigh)

4. A writer needs practice! and spell check.
5. A decent vocabulary.
6. and above all else - a good imagination

Answer 10

visit : Author Assist com; Writer's digest com; stumbleupon; or click Creative writing.