Hey everyone, I’ve got a little something new I’m going to be trying here. After speaking with my publisher (hi Kait!), she suggested that I stop neglecting my blog so much like it’s some unwanted pet that likes to chew the curtains. One of the issues, outside of having trouble managing my time, has been coming up with wonderful content to throw up on this here site. It’s surprisingly hard to ramble and rant about things without falling into repetitive topics as the mundanity of life grinds away your inspiration and spark. 

And then, of course, once you start neglecting something, it’s sort of hard to get back to it. I mean, it’s already been a large chunk of months, what’s a few more? Plus, I’ve actually been busy, having published a book in a new genre (check out the Nancy Sharpe mystery!) and finishing up yet another Red Sabre story. So I’ve been working just not on this. 

Anyway, Kait’s suggestion was to turn my blog into writing tips and lessons. I’ve accumulated some amount of knowledge and experience about the art of writing, surely there’s some little nuggets and pearls of wisdom I can dispense to the curious. So, we’re going to try and focus this place on giving those interested in writing some tips and suggestions to improve their skill. 

Now, I’m by far a master at the craft. These are just things I’ve learned over the many numerous years I’ve been plugging away at this art with hardly any guidance or scaffolding. Will all these tips, tricks and suggestions work for everyone? Of course not. Creativity and art is a deeply personal process that has to speak to the creator rather than follow blindly in the footsteps of others. So take my suggestions as that – suggestions. These aren’t must do practices but more like ideas to help you find your own way in expressing yourself. 

And, as the title suggests, my first tip is going to go a little against the grain. This writing suggestion is pretty universal and very easy to remember. Here goes:

The number one way to improve your writing is to write more. 

That’s it. It sounds simply but it’s the truth. Scientifically proven, too! Writing is a skill and it takes approximately 10,000 hours to master any skill. When you start, things aren’t going to be easy. You’re going to envision grand plots, complex characters, gripping mysteries and exhilarating reveals. And when you sit down and try to conjure them onto your pages and word documents, you’re going to fail. Things are going to come out awkward, confusing or even a little bland. You may even sit down and not think of anything or write a bunch of scenes, dialogue and interactions and find that it’s not going where you want or how you thought it would.

All of this is ok, though. We didn’t master the bicycle when we first got on it. We had to fall many times before we could ride. 

But we keep at it. You will never improve your writing if you don’t keep writing. For me, when I was first taking my writing seriously, I set word goals. They can be daily or weekly. But no matter what happened – rain, shine, sickness, unforseen tornados or even surprise parties – I had to get my words in. If I failed one day to meet my goal, those missing words got moved to the next. If I had a busy work day or a vacation coming up, I write extra before I got bogged down with other things. There are no good excuses for not writing because it is the single most important way to improve. 

Write. 

Write some more. 

And keep on writing. No matter what. No matter how bad what you’re doing. No matter how frustrating or discouraging it gets. Even if you have to abandon projects to start new ones, it ultimately doesn’t matter. You just have to keep writing, writing, writing. 

Even now, after years of practice, I still keep to this tenet. I no longer have the daily word goals I did when I started – I’ve shifted to daily goals for certain projects and otherwise to deadlines for editing and whatnot. But it’s hard for me to go for long stretches without writing something. If I’m on vacation, I’m writing long emails to friends and families about my adventures. Even if I get burnt out with work and life, after a couple of days, the itch comes back and I start pounding away at some short story ideas, character sketches, descriptions or one off novels. If I hit some “writer’s block” for a project, I simply shift gears and work on something else. 

It doesn’t have to be good. 

It doesn’t even have to be shared with anyone. 

All that it takes to be a writer is to write, write, write.

So stop procrastinating on the internet by reading people’s blogs and get cracking on something. Anything!