Writing is one of the most fascinating and difficult hobbies or jobs anyone could pick up. It comes with so many things one has to learn to control and execute well. A writer is able to manipulate words to form a story or give out news. A writer can manipulate words to paint a picture or show a movie in someone’s mind. Writers can create a whole new world and create new people, anyone can be an author. All it takes is patience and practice. Many people believe you are either born with the ability or you’re not, but that’s not true. Anyone can become a best selling author if they put in work and effort. So if you want to be able to unlock this wonderful ability, here are a few ways to go down this path. 

             The first step to writing well is knowing what good writing is. The best way to do that is by picking up a book and reading it. You will be able to see how to change pace and describe settings and tones of voice. You will read how others manipulate words so that it becomes easier to do the same thing. Stephen King, known for his horror books and stories, says, “Can I be blunt on this subject? If you don’t have time to read you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” Susan Reynolds said, “Deep reading also offers a writer a way to appreciate all the qualities that make novels fascinating and meaningful — and to tap into his ability to write on a deeper level.”

              The second step is dedicating time, effort, and developing a habit. It’s important to find 10-15 minutes each day to set aside and write. It doesn’t matter what you write or how you write it, just write. You could just write in your journal, a letter, a novel, or even a fanfiction, whatever you want as long as you do it. If you do this you will eventually develop a habit and your writing will improve. With time comes improvement. 

                 The third step is always think about who you are writing for. Whether it’s for yourself, for a relative, for a friend, or just for a stranger. If you think of who you want your audience to be you will be able to tweak your writing to fit that demographic. Think about when you read your favorite book(s) they are meant for a certain age group and they do an excellent job at it. Your main demographic also affects your grammar and your tone. If it is meant to be a story you might want to give characters different speech patterns. Maybe have a character sound southern by including things like “y’all” or other terms associated with Texans and other southern folks. If you are writing a professional piece you would want perfect grammar and proper speech. 

               If you are first starting to write, I recommend starting with educating yourself on different archetypes and the symbolism of certain objects and colors. These are important things that belong in each story that we don’t always pay attention to. These things can be studied by looking them up online or paying attention to these kinds of things while reading books. 

The final step would be to revise and edit, edit, edit. This is the longest process because you have to keep going back and forth changing things up. You can easily catch reading mistakes by reading your writing aloud. When we read silently we tend to skip over things, but when we do it outloud we pay more attention to the words and sentences. A thing you must accept is you will always find something that can be changed or fixed. You can also send your written piece to someone you know who can give constructive criticism and point out mistakes you might miss. They can also give positive feedback that can help improve your confidence. 

You can do so many things with words if you know how to lay them out just right. It’s important to remember that words have a huge impact, whether positive or negative. Writing is like a superpower and can deal real damage if not used in a good way. So, now that I have given you all the keys but it’s your job to decide whether you want to unlock the door or not.