how to become better writer

8/12/2019 How to Become Better Writer

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How to become Better Writer

There are two ways to become a better writer, in general: write a lot, and read a lot.

There are no other steps.

Of course, within those two general directives, there is lots of more specific advice I

can give you, and that other professional writers would offer. Lets take a look at thesecond general directive: read a lot.

Why Reading Makes You a Better Writer

Ive been an avid reader since childhood, and I would submitthat most good (and

especially great) writers could say the same. What we probably didnt realize was

that our trips into the fantasy worlds of these books were actually training us for our

future careers. Im glad I didnt know it might have taken a bit of the joy out of it.

Read can be pure joy, if youre reading a good book. By that, I dont mean good

literature I mean anything that captures your imagination that compels you to

read more, that tells you a good story, which creates wonderful characters, that

builds new worlds.

But beyond reading for pleasure, a good writer also reads with an eye for the

writing. Maybe not all the time, but at least some of the time. And many times that

writer doesnt even realize hes doing it.

What we learn as readers, we use as writers. Maybe we dont always do the best job

at putting that knowledge to use, but that just takes practice. Over time, our writing

becomes in some ways a compilation of all the things weve learned as readers,

blended together in our own unique recipe.

Outside of a dog, a book is mans best friend. Inside of a dog its too dark to

read.- Groucho Marx

How to Use Reading to Improve Your Writing

Theres no one way, of course. Every writer reads his own stuff, and puts that stuff

to use in his own way. Below are just some tips of whats worked for me take

what you like from it, and use what you find useful.

1. Create the reading habit. It cant be a matter of just reading a book and then

forgetting about reading after the initial burst of enthusiasm for reading. It has to

be a habit, that you create and keep for life. As someone who has learned a lot

about creating habits, I know that the best way to form the habit of reading is to


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focus on it exclusivelydont try to form any other habits during this time. Write

down your goal (i.e. Read for 30 minutes every day or something like that) and

post it up somewhere you can see it. Tell a lot of people about it and report to

them regularly to create accountability. Log your progress daily and give yourself

rewards. Do this for a month and youll have a decent habit in place.

2. Have regular reading triggers. A habit has a trigger a regularly occurring

event that immediately precedes the habit. The stronger the association with the

trigger, the stronger the habit. What triggers will you have for reading? For me,

its eating, going to bed, using the bathroom, and waiting somewhere (like in a

doctors waiting room). Every time those triggers come up, I read, without fail.

Choose your triggers, and do it without fail. If you take my triggers as an

example, if I read just 10-15 minutes for each trigger, thats 6 times a day (three

times eating and once for each of the others) for a total of 60-90 minutes a day.

Sometimes its more, but thats the minimum (I often read for much longer

before bed).

3. Carry your book with you. When you go on the road, always carry your book

in the car or wherever you go. You might not need it for 9 trips, but the 10th

time, youll be glad you brought the book. When you have a lull, whip out the

book.

4. Read great writers. By great writers I mean not only the greats

(Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Cervantes, Joyce, and Fitzgerald are some

of my favorites here) but also the great storytellers. People who can write with

wit, create great characters, reach into your soul, create new worlds for you to

inhabit. Writers who can teach you something.

5. Get inspired. When I read great writing, I am filled with inspiration to write.

Sometimes I throw down my book and go to my computer to start hacking away

at the keyboard. Other times Ill jot down stuff in my notebook for later. Use

these writers to inspire you to greatness.

6.Analyze character, plot, theme. Break down the books you read. You can

either do this as you read, or afterward, when you reflect on them while doing

something else (for me its running and doing housework and when Im in theshower). Why did the writer make the choices she made? How did she create the


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characters and convey their qualities? How did she start the book and lay out the

plot? How is the theme of the book conveyed throughout the book.

7. Pay attention to what they do with words. Beyond the big things mentioned

above, the writer does little things with words, in every paragraph and sentence

and phrase. A good writer pays close attention to words, the effects they create,

how they mix together with other words, twists and turns of meaning. See how

he does this, as it is the best instruction you can get.

8. Rip them off. A writing teacher once told me not to mimmic other writersbut

instead to rip them off. Steal blatantly. Take things that you discover in other

writers, things that work, things that you love and use them in your own

writing. Dont worry you can always revise later or throw it out completely. For

now, rip them off. Itll help you make these techniques your own.

9. Riff off them, experiment. Once youve ripped off a few dozen writers, start to

riff. Do variations and experiments on stuff youve found. Give their techniques

and styles your own twists and flair.

10.Expand beyond your normal genres. If you normally read one or two genres,

break out beyond it. If you only read sci-fi and fantasy, read more mainstream

literature, read romance or thrillers, read chick lit (a term I hate, but oh well).

Theres a lot you can learn from writers beyond your normal scope.

11.Above all, enjoy your reading. Reading, of course, is about much more than

just learning and analyzing and experimenting. Its about joy. So dont let your

reading to become a better writer interfere with that. If a book bores you to

tears, go ahead and put it down for something you enjoy more. If you start to

lose track of the story because youre overanalyzing, just forget about analysis

and lose yourself in the book. Youll still be learning, so fear not. If you read for

pleasure, you wont be able to help it.

The Offering

Two beggars were sitting on a busy street corner in the

downtown section of the city. It was quite clear for a night

in December, but the cold wind made them huddletogether for heat and comfort. They watched helplessly as


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scoresof people walked by, some purposely ignoringthem and others too caught up in their own cares to even

notice their existence. Every so often, a kind-hearted

woman or a small child would drop a few coins in the hats

which lay in front of them on the icy sidewalk. Some

people, feeling particularly generous, would even pull out a

bill or two from their wallets and stuff them into thebeggars' hats, trying to be as

inconspicuousas possible.

Today was not a bad day for begging. The men were able

to collect enough for a decent meal at the coffee shop

down the street and a few candles to light up their lean-to

shacks in the alley behind the train station. As the crowd

began to die down, they started to pack up their bundles

and head for their evening shelter.

Just as they were getting ready to leave the street corner, they noticed a man

walking toward them. He was obviously a wealthy man--they could tell that from

the finely tailored business suithe was wearing and the gold watch chainthat adornedhis left pocket.The first beggar nudged the second and whispered with excitement, "He's

coming our way!"

The two tried not to look directly at the man as he stepped closer to them, but

they couldn't help gazing upwith anticipation as he reached into his pocket andtook something out.

"Thunk" was the only sound they heard as what looked like a piece of hard

candy, wrapped doubly in tissue paper and cellophanehit each of their waiting

hats. The rich man turned and continued on his way, not making a backwardglance.

"How insulting!" said the first beggar, as soon as the rich man was out ofsound range. "He could have easily left us a few coins or a spare bill, but hemocksus with a piece of rock candy."He looked at the wrapped offering with disgust. "Who does he think we are--children? There's no way we can even eat this--we have no teeth."

The beggar picked up the object with the very tips of his fingers and flickeditinto the gutter. He watched as it floated a few yards in the stream of muddy

water and disappeared into the drain at the end of the street. Then, he gatheredup his things and walked away.

The second beggar looked down at the morsel in his hat, then at his departing

friend. His first impulsewas to toss the donation in the trash can under thestreet light. But his second thought made him change his mind.

"I haven't had anything like this for ages," he thought. "I can't chew it, but I can

suck on it for awhile, and the sugary juices will stay in my mouth for a long time.

How nice of that man to offer me something so sweet."

He opened the cellophane eagerly, then paused as his hands touched the whitetissue paper inside. "Maybe I should save it for another time," he thought. "It

won't spoil, and I could eat it later when I'm really hungry."

The beggar debatedfor a moment, then exclaimed aloud, "What the heck. He


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wanted me to have it anyway. I might as well enjoy it now."

With that, he unfolded the white tissue paper, but to his surprise, there was no

hard rock candy inside. Instead, into his fingers fell a shiny white pearl worth

thousands of dollars.

Match the words on the left with the definitions on the right.

Word

adorn _____

cellophane _____

disgust _____

drain _____

flick _____

gaze _____

gutter _____

huddle _____

impulse _____

inconspicuous _____

mock _____

morsel _____

nudge _____

obviously _____

score _____

shack _____

sidewalk _____

spoil _____

stuff _____

suck _____

Definition, meaning

clearly, easily seen

channel near the street for dirty water

contempt, disdain

crowd or move close together

decorate, enhance

go bad, become rotten

group of twenty

look curiously or with wonder

make something dissolve in the mouth

pedestrian walkway near the street, pavement (Br.)

place where water flows downward and away

put or cram into a small place

quick involuntary reaction or thought

quick toss with the fingers

ridicule, insult

small portion of something, usually food

small, poorly built house

touch lightly with an elbow

transparent sheet for wrapping

without being noticed


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10 Steps to Retire a Millionaire

Having a million-dollar portfolio is a retirement dream for many people. Making that dream

come true requires some serious effort. While success is never a sure thing, the 10 steps

outlined below will go a long way toward helping you achieve your objective.

1. Set the Goal

Nobody plans to fail, but plenty of people fail to plan. It's a clich, but it's true. "Plan" is the

leading self-help advice from athletes, business moguls and everyday people who have

achieved extraordinary goals.

2. Start Saving

If you don't save, you'll never reach your goal. As obvious as this might seems, far too many

people never even start to save. If your employer offers a 401(k) plan, enrolling in the planis a great way to put your savings on autopilot. Simply sign up for the plan and

contributions will be automatically taken out of your paycheck, increasing your savings and

decreasing your immediate tax liability.

If your employer offers to match your contributions up to a certain percentage, be sure to

contribute enough to get the full match. It's like getting a guaranteed return on your

investment. Finding the cash to stash may be a challenge, particularly when you're young,

but don't let that stop you from pursuing future riches.

3. Get Aggressive

Studies have shown that the majority of the returns generated by an investment are

dictated by the asset-allocation decision. If you are looking to grow your wealth over time,

fixed-income investments aren't likely to get the job done, and inflationcan take a big

chunk out of your savings.

Investing in equities entails more risk, but is also statistically likely to lead to greater

returns. For many of us, it's a risk we have to take if want to see our wealth grow. Asset-

allocation strategies can help you learn how to make picking the right mix of securities the

core of your investing strategy.

4. Prepare for Rainy Days

Part of long-term planning involves accepting the idea that setbacks will occur. If you are

not prepared, these setbacks can put a stop to your savings efforts. While you can't avoid all

of the bumps in the road, you can prepare in advance to mitigate the damage they can do.


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5. Save More

Your income should rise as time passes. You'll get raises, you'll change jobs, and maybe

you'll get married and become a two-income family. Every time more cash comes in to your

pocket, you should increase the amount that you save. The key to reaching your goal asquickly as possible is to save as much as you can.

6. Watch Your Spending

Vacations, car, kids and all of life's other expenses take a big chunk out of your paycheck.

To maximize your savings, you need to minimize your spending. Buying a home you can

afford and living a lifestyle that is below your meansand not funded by credit cards are

all necessities if you want to boost your savings.

7. Monitor Your Portfolio

There's no need to obsess over every movement of the Dow. Instead, check your portfolio

once a year. Rebalance your asset allocation to keep on track with your plan.

8. Max out Your Options

Take advantage of every savings opportunity that comes your way. Make the maximum

contribution to tax-deferred savings plans and then open up a taxable account too. Don't let

any chance to save get away.

9. Catch-Up Contributions

When you reach age 50, you are eligible to increase contributions to tax-deferred savings

plans. Take advantage of this opportunity!

10. Have Patience

"Get-rich-quick" schemes are usually just that - schemes. The power of compounding takes

time, so invest early, invest often and accept that the road to riches is often long and slow.

With that in mind, the sooner you get started, the better your odds of achieving your goals.

The Reality of Retirement

Retirement might seem far away, but it when it arrives nobody ever complains about having

too much money. Some people even question whether a million dollars is enough.

That said, with lots of planning and discipline, you can reach your retirement goals and live

a comfortable life after work.


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Burn the Fat, Keep It OffWe often discuss ways to burn off excess fat and calories, but what we do to take off weight

is only a small part of the equation - keeping it off needs just as much attention, probably

more.

Why can't we keep it off?

Here's my belief: When we desperately want to lose weight we engage in activities that aretoo darn difficult to maintain. For example, we drastically reduce our caloric intake - eat too

much less - or too differently - to be able to keep doing it for very long.

We start an exercise program that is too demanding - too physically tough, takes too much

time, is too expensive - to keep up for very long. Soon we just stop doing them. Then, very

often, because we cannot maintain the program that we set up, we have a backlash. We

punish ourselves emotionally and physically by overeating, not exercising at all, and

basically giving up.

Then, a few weeks or months or years later, we become desperate to lose weight again, and

we start another, "too difficult" plan to take the weight off, and once again it fails. This cycle

goes on and on for so many people.

How do we stop this (try to lose weight/give up) cycle?

Here's what I suggest:

1. Take a good hard look at your past attempts and assess what is realistic and what is just

too unlikely for you to sustain?

2. Don't be hard on yourself about the past, it's done, it's gone, it's over, but useful for

informing the future.

3. Accept the fact that work is involved. You are going to have to change your ways, give up

some things, adjust, adapt, and accept that a new way of eating and a new level of activity

will take a concerted and focused and deliberate effort.

4. Be your own champion. Give yourself realistic goals and build yourself a support system,

but remember that you and only you can make this happen; you must champion the change.

5. Don't let a lapse, or setback, in your new plan become a relapse or ending to something

that you have started. There will be mistakes, missed workouts and unplanned meal

experiences but that is all part of the program when you are doing something for the long

haul. Being able to stick with it means allowing for lapses.

6. No more "if - thens." If I lose weight, then I will buy a new outfit/look for a new job/start

dating - no. Your life is in session now; so don't act as if it will begin when you lose the

weight. Getting yourself to engage and take action in all areas of your life will help you

champion your own fitness/weight loss program to success.

I know you can do this if you start off with a realistic idea of what your plan should and

shouldn't look like. If you are kind to yourself you'll be more likely to keep going when the

going gets tough (and when your plan doesn't look exactly like you thought it would).

Your desire to change must be matched by an effortful willingness to change, and you'd do

well to invite other caring individuals into your plan while you remember that your opinion

(and decision) is really the one that matters. Progress moves forward and back and now is

the time to make your commitment to not just lose weight but live healthfully from here onout.

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