How do you develop the skill of prose?
You have all these fantastic thoughts streaming through your brain; they are imaginative, witty, rational, full of fire, profound, the truth—which others must see, you want others to experience what you have experienced through your emotions . . . but, alas, when you try to put it in print it comes out a jumble of half-backed crap.
The quality of your writing can improve through continual practice and editing. There are many sources available to help you improve your writing. Subscriptions to magazines such as Writer’s Digest and The Writer have excellent articles on improving various aspects of your craft. Each magazine will have several articles in each issue dealing with various elements of writing. For instance, the May 2005 issue of The Writer has an article concerning “Building a Legal Thriller,” another dealing with “What a classic short story teaches you about writing,” and “The # 1 Mistake Fiction Writers Make and How to Avoid It.” The May 2005 issue of Writer’s Digest offers “Character Description Made Easy,” “Keys to Short Story Success,” and “Avoid These 5 Worst Article Endings.” They are a worthwhile investment. Even if you only write for your own pleasure, the self-satisfaction of improving your work is priceless.
It is also worthwhile to invest in books that deal specifically with your writing preference. For example, I mainly write murder mysteries and have purchased several books dealing specifically with the writing of murder mystery stories.
Books that deal with writing in general that I have found helpful are The first Five Pages by Noah Lukeman, The Elements of Expression, The Elements of Authorship, and The Elements of Editingby Arthur Plotnik.
Read books by other authors who write in the same vain. How do they construct their paragraphs? What is their approach to the subject? What is it that makes you turn the page? How did they start the book, the next chapter? Learn from them.
As in all other fields, computers and on-line services have been the proverbial gold mine when it comes to researching material for your writing and for finding training courses for writers. My personal choices are www.writers.com and www.cybergrammar.co.uk/.
Another way to help you improve the quality of your writing is by joining a writer’s group. There are a variety of writers’ groups. Some groups are formed around a specific genre, while others are open to fiction, non-fiction, poetry, screenwriting and playwriting. There are groups who meet just for the support and camaraderie they offer, while other writing groups work to help the members improve their writing skills. In the latter group one must be willing to offer constructive criticism, as well as taking advice with a grain of salt.
