I have recently had a couple of people ask me for tips on how you can become a better writer. To be honest, I never know to answer this question. I believe that everyone can be a good writer; it takes a lot of time and patience.
My first tip is to try and write something every single day. Now, nobody’s perfect, even myself. But I try to write something at least small every day. It can be a paragraph of a fanfiction that I’m working on, or even something as small as jotting down notes about characters or potential story ideas. Either way, as long as I’m at least trying to write, I will still feel productive.
My second tip is not to force out ideas. Lately, I have been stressing myself out, trying to create a concept for a screenplay to submit with my Graduate School applications. It’s been over a month, and I still don’t have an idea that I like. That’s when I remembered that all of the stories that I have written and loved came to me when I wasn’t stressed out. For me personally, when I do try and force out Ideas, I end up with projects that I don’t personally like. One of those projects includes short films called The Silent Killer and The Breakup. I was only given a week to write the script for The Silent Killer, and I wasn’t really given enough time to workshop the script and make it something that I was genuinely proud of. I wasn’t happy with how The Silent Killer turned out, so I tried to rewrite the entire project based on one scene. While there was a different story, I still wasn’t happy with the final product.
One of the reasons why I didn’t feel good about either project was because I felt like I had forced the concept out of me. I find that when I do try and force out an idea really fast, then I don’t get a chance to really develop the story. I also don’t get an opportunity to create characters that are multidimensional and fully fleshed out.
Finally, my last tip is always to be passionate about whatever your writing. As I’ve mentioned in previous paragraphs, when I’m not excited about a story, it doesn’t quite come out well. I personally cannot half-ass my writing. I have tried, and it is extremely easy to tell when I do. Almost all of my English and Creative Writing professors have noticed. However, the work that I have been passionate about has pushed me to become a filmmaker and storyteller. I was inspired to write a novel after writing a short story that I fell in love with. If you are not passionate about the work that you create, you will never create something great. You always have to believe in your writing, and always trust your instincts.
*The attached videos are The Silent Killer and The Breakup. Both videos are unlisted and can only be viewed here.*
Anna Douglass 
Writing every day is definitely a prerequisite to improving your craft, despite what other writers think. You wouldn’t think you’d get better in piano by only practising when you wanted do, would you? Loved this. Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you so much for reading! I always find that my wirting gets worse when ever I take a break from it. Last semester, I didn’t really do any creative writing and now I find that I’m struggleing to get back into the swing of things. I also took piano for nine years, so I know how important practice is to master a craft.
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