Better Writing | Writing Forward

Thoughts on Becoming a Writer

People often ask me how to become a writer. It seems like a simple enough question, until you start considering the semantics of the word writer. A writer can be someone who writes, someone who has written, or someone who writes professionally. Anyone who’s been to school has written something, so this is a very…Read More

Do You Need a Place to Write?

Today’s post is an excerpt from 10 Core Practices for Better Writing. This comes from “Chapter Eight: Tools and Resources,” and it examines a writer’s need for a place to write. A Place to Write “You want to be a writer, don’t know how or when? Find a quiet place, use a humble pen.” —…Read More

How to Get the Right Kind of Writing Help

I often receive requests from people who are seeking writing help. Some are seeking professional services; they want someone to edit a book they’ve written or coach them through the process of writing a novel. Other times, I get questions about writing that range from simple to complicated. One person might send me a sentence…Read More

How to Become a Writer

Today’s post is an excerpt from 10 Core Practices for Better Writing. This is from “Chapter Two: Writing,” and it’s for people who are wondering how to become a writer. First, Give Yourself Permission to Write “A professional writer is an amateur who didn’t quit.” – Richard Bach I admire people who are fearless. When they…Read More

How to Practice Writing to Build Your Skills and Become a Pro

If you want to play sports on an athletic team, you must attend practice. If you want to perform in a theater production, you must attend rehearsals. If you want to become an artist, you produce many paintings before you hang one in a gallery. We broadly accept that to do anything at a professional…Read More

21 Ways to Improve Your Writing

It’s not possible to improve your writing overnight, unless you hire an expert to do it for you. People study the craft for years, decades even, and still they strive to make each piece of writing better than the last. Sure, there might be some quick tricks and shortcuts you can pick up and apply…Read More

Good Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation

Let’s get technical for a minute. What, exactly, is grammar? Here’s what Wikipedia says: In linguistics, grammar is the set of structural rules that govern the composition of sentences, phrases, and words in any given natural language. The term refers also to the study of such rules….Linguists do not normally use the term to refer to orthographical rules, although usage books and style…Read More

Making the Right Word Choices for Better Writing

Have you ever read a sentence and wondered what it was trying to say? Ever gotten hung up on a word that felt out of place because the meaning of the word didn’t fit the context? When was the last time you spotted a word that was unnecessarily repeated throughout a page, chapter, or book?…Read More

How to Get the Most Out of Your Writing Practice

Everybody wants to know the secret to success, and writers are no exception. We often talk about all the things one must do in order to become a successful writer. From studying grammar to working through multiple revisions, from sending out submissions to building a platform, writers must wear many hats if they hope to…Read More

How to Set Writing Goals to Stay Focused and Motivated

One of the things I love about writing is that it’s so accessible. All you need is a pen and a notebook (or access to a computer), and you’re off, putting your words down, expressing yourself. But it’s just as easy to lose your way — to let projects go unfinished, to procrastinate, or get…Read More