Art from the Outskirts

A couple of months ago, I re-published a few of my tips on how to become a better writer on my other blog Waxing Poetically. I share them with you yet again for all you new readers out in the blogosphere!

Practice your craft.

This seems obvious but it’s not always for some people. People will tell you they like to wait to be inspired, that they have writers block. The truth is that we all have times when what we want to accomplish and what we are motivated to do just don’t match up. But in my experience, the best writers from author and poet Ray Bradbury to pop music icon Michael Jackson were and are always writing. In fact, in Jackson’s now infamous interview with Martin Bashir, Jackson told Bashir that he writes at least 100 songs for every album. Writer’s block is no excuse…. Just write no matter how crappy you might think it is at the moment because you might strike platinum later!

Read.

In my experience, even while sitting home and recovering from surgery, reading books, articles and stories helped me get ideas. You’ll be astonished how much you can learn from books. Just in the past year, I feel like I’ve gotten a doctorate in political science, religion, the works of Einstein and general philosophy. Reading the ideas of others is like having a conversation with them. You’ll always get new ideas, your vocabulary will improve and your grammar and punctuation is more likely to be sound when you’ve seen a lot of it in other work. Lastly, there is that pivotal moment that can only come from reading someone else’s writing when you’ll say to yourself, “I can do so much better than that!”

Sound like you.

This is one point that people tend to overlook in academic writing. Always keep your natural flow. Don’t muddy your writing trying to be a member of the queen’s court. There will be occasions for artful language when describing complicated things or ideas, but many times, the best language is as simple as the sentence, “Joe was tired.” Use your best judgment to know what kinds of words to use. Most importantly, sound natural.

Use every experience.

In my younger days, I would spend hours waiting for my moment of Zen to hit me. Years later, I’ve come to know how all experiences, for better or worse, can inspire creativity. Learn from mistakes as well as successes, they are of equal value when it comes to life’s lessons. Also realize that all of your experiences can inspire you to tell a story or teach someone how to do something. Simply put, if you use it all, you’ll never be at a loss for material.

Wisdom rehashed from the Outskirts!

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