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Abstract

struggle with dialogue. This has always been a strong suit for me and I attribute it to a few things, none of which are my <i>sheer natural talent.</i> Not to put myself down; I like to think I do have some natural talent, but this particular thing is closer to a skillset.</p><p id="4407">Years of theatre and improv, engaging in scene work; Being a never-shuts-up sort of person; And most importantly, <b>ALWAYS reading my work out loud</b>.</p><p id="76ea">Do you know how many writers never read their work out loud? I don’t have a statistic, but I imagine it’s low.</p><h1 id="93e2">4. ACTUALLY WRITING IS MAGIC</h1><p id="69cd">We all come from different education journeys, different amounts of time and effort put into writing, and that’s okay. But I suggest all aspiring writers put in their 10,000 hours — each time you sit down to write, you become a stronger writer. It is truly a muscle.</p><h1 id="9597">5. EXPERIENCING THE WORLD IS MAGIC</h1><p id="f32b">As a writer, the more I experience, the more I have to share with the world. You should enjoy your life regardless of your career choices, but as a wonderful bonus of this job, everything that happens in your life offers new opportunities to create richer stories.</p><h1 id="864b">6. SHITTY EXPERIENCES ARE MAGIC</h1><p id="2358">You don’t have to write about terrible experiences, but if you’re an essayist, a playwright, an activist, or a novelist, it’s likely that some of your worst experiences will become some of your best work. From daily inconveniences to traumatic life stories, these things provide some amazing material.</p><p id="be23">I don’t suggest seeking out these experiences, but when you have them, think about whether your experience can help someone else and whether you might like to take on that journey!</p><h1 id="6ec8">7. PAINFUL EMOTIONS ARE MAGIC</h1><p id="6380">In the same vein as the previous statement, if you’re someone who hopes to reach readers- there’s nothing more engaging than a person digging all the way to their core to find the most resonant way to share a story. I have spent a lot of time trying to protect my readers and myself from the full engagement of my voice — never fully diving into things that felt scary, controversial, or dangerous.</p><p id="f9e0">Accepting t

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hat not everyone will like me and leaning into my authenticity has been paying off in spades. It has also been paying off with actual money and followers.</p><p id="79fb">I’d love to follow others on a similar journey!</p><h1 id="5741">8. SPEAKING UP IS MAGIC</h1><p id="e01a">Most writers will only ever talk about things <i>other people have already talked about.</i> It’s scary to walk over a frozen lake that no one has crossed safely, but if you really commit to it, you’ll find that you are probably more prepared than your (totally-legitimate, but not always helpful) feelings may be telling you.</p><p id="cad7"><b>The willingness to speak up is the only path to change.</b></p><p id="ed39">Maybe you don’t wish to be the person to create change. It’s a specific mission and not everyone has to choose it! But know that if you choose to follow that path, you hold an important part of the magic.</p><h1 id="31df">9. LISTENING IS MAGIC</h1><p id="d434">I included this one last on purpose. As writers, we think we know a lot- and you know what, we<i> should</i> think that. If you walk around thinking you have little or nothing to offer, quite frankly, creative writing may not be for you. Certainly journalism or non-fiction might be more your speed, but even a how-to manual writer can afford to bring something unique to the unassembled table.</p><p id="176b">So, when is it time to listen? It’s always time. Hold your head up and do your research. Know that not everyone will like you and that’s okay. If you choose to engage with comments or read reviews, be careful and take care of your emotional health.</p><p id="f3d2">But also be aware that humans, even expert-humans, are not infallible. We make mistakes. Listen to how your work affects other people. Be open to the idea that your work will not always come across the way you intend it. Workshop. Ask questions. Lead with your gut and not your ego.</p><p id="1e7b"><i>Thanks for reading!</i></p><p id="57ed"><i>Follow me for more writing tips, personal essays, satire, and whatever else keeps me up at night! My personal mission as a writer is to help create healthy conversations about challenging topics and I have recently started three Medium Publications because I’m just that kind of psycho.</i></p></article></body>

Nine MAGICAL Ways To Become A Better And More Successful Writer

Follow these NINE PRO TIPS to experience unprecedented growth, success, and joy as a writer

1. READING IS MAGIC

Reading does crazy things to your brain, writer friends! I was the kid who read an entire young adult novel most days as a young teen and then started reading with less vigor due to time and lack of finding material I connected with.

Now I go through spurts, occasionally needing a rest. But when I do read, whether it’s fiction, non-fiction, or any other genre, it keeps my writing sharp and my mind activated.

2. WORDS ARE MAGIC

As writers, we understand the value or words, but we need to admit that even if we know a lot of them, we don’t know all of them! So, there’s this big book I want to tell you about; it has all the words! Virtually any word you’ll be using in a piece has a definition written out in this magical book… It’s called a “DICTIONARY.” And boy, is it underrated!

I recommend using a digital version because that will be fully updated to include all of the fun modern language updates. I’m also a big advocate for thesauruses. Thesauri?… Synonym books! Similar-word finders! Comparable thought collections. Ok, this sad joke has gone too far.

Dictionaries are great for when you know a word, but you want to check it’s usage — you might be able to use the words sarcastic, sardonic, and facetious in a sentence, but can you (without peeking) explain the difference at a college-essay level? I love to check in with the words I’m using and learn new ones.

I also consult a dictionary when I understand a word in context, but realize that if I needed to explain it, I could not do so accurately.

3. READING OUT LOUD IS MAGIC

A lot of writers struggle with dialogue. This has always been a strong suit for me and I attribute it to a few things, none of which are my sheer natural talent. Not to put myself down; I like to think I do have some natural talent, but this particular thing is closer to a skillset.

Years of theatre and improv, engaging in scene work; Being a never-shuts-up sort of person; And most importantly, ALWAYS reading my work out loud.

Do you know how many writers never read their work out loud? I don’t have a statistic, but I imagine it’s low.

4. ACTUALLY WRITING IS MAGIC

We all come from different education journeys, different amounts of time and effort put into writing, and that’s okay. But I suggest all aspiring writers put in their 10,000 hours — each time you sit down to write, you become a stronger writer. It is truly a muscle.

5. EXPERIENCING THE WORLD IS MAGIC

As a writer, the more I experience, the more I have to share with the world. You should enjoy your life regardless of your career choices, but as a wonderful bonus of this job, everything that happens in your life offers new opportunities to create richer stories.

6. SHITTY EXPERIENCES ARE MAGIC

You don’t have to write about terrible experiences, but if you’re an essayist, a playwright, an activist, or a novelist, it’s likely that some of your worst experiences will become some of your best work. From daily inconveniences to traumatic life stories, these things provide some amazing material.

I don’t suggest seeking out these experiences, but when you have them, think about whether your experience can help someone else and whether you might like to take on that journey!

7. PAINFUL EMOTIONS ARE MAGIC

In the same vein as the previous statement, if you’re someone who hopes to reach readers- there’s nothing more engaging than a person digging all the way to their core to find the most resonant way to share a story. I have spent a lot of time trying to protect my readers and myself from the full engagement of my voice — never fully diving into things that felt scary, controversial, or dangerous.

Accepting that not everyone will like me and leaning into my authenticity has been paying off in spades. It has also been paying off with actual money and followers.

I’d love to follow others on a similar journey!

8. SPEAKING UP IS MAGIC

Most writers will only ever talk about things other people have already talked about. It’s scary to walk over a frozen lake that no one has crossed safely, but if you really commit to it, you’ll find that you are probably more prepared than your (totally-legitimate, but not always helpful) feelings may be telling you.

The willingness to speak up is the only path to change.

Maybe you don’t wish to be the person to create change. It’s a specific mission and not everyone has to choose it! But know that if you choose to follow that path, you hold an important part of the magic.

9. LISTENING IS MAGIC

I included this one last on purpose. As writers, we think we know a lot- and you know what, we should think that. If you walk around thinking you have little or nothing to offer, quite frankly, creative writing may not be for you. Certainly journalism or non-fiction might be more your speed, but even a how-to manual writer can afford to bring something unique to the unassembled table.

So, when is it time to listen? It’s always time. Hold your head up and do your research. Know that not everyone will like you and that’s okay. If you choose to engage with comments or read reviews, be careful and take care of your emotional health.

But also be aware that humans, even expert-humans, are not infallible. We make mistakes. Listen to how your work affects other people. Be open to the idea that your work will not always come across the way you intend it. Workshop. Ask questions. Lead with your gut and not your ego.

Thanks for reading!

Follow me for more writing tips, personal essays, satire, and whatever else keeps me up at night! My personal mission as a writer is to help create healthy conversations about challenging topics and I have recently started three Medium Publications because I’m just that kind of psycho.