It’s the most wonderful time of the year…at least for
parents of school age parents. It’s back to school time. Even if you don’t have
children or your children have all grown up, there is something changes at the
end of summer. Vacations and play are over. Time to get back to learning.
Since we’re in a season when so many are thinking about
their educational pursuits, maybe indie writers should do the same. Now would
be a good time to go back and focus on the basics: writing craft.
So much of our indie lives are focused on marketing and
promotion. Or on getting our website in order or scheduling our blog posts, but
what about our actual writing? How much time do we spend becoming better
writers?
A well-crafted book is the foundational of a successful
indie life. There is no substitute for it. You can promote to the high heavens,
but if your prose doesn’t shine, it will all be for naught.
Poorly written book is one of the stigmas of indie books,
and unfortunately, in some cases, it’s true. Since indie publishing is so easy
now, anyone with some free time and a Word document can have a book live for
purchase in a few hours. I have certainly read my share of poorly written indie
books with poor sales, but our books don’t have to end up that way.
Putting time into improving craft can be very beneficial to
not only your sales, but to your as a writer. Learning something new will put
fresh wind in your writing sails. Mastering a technique can boost your
confidence. Pushing to improve as a writer can also cure writer’s block and
eliminate any feelings of stagnation.
How do we go about improving? Most of us can’t enroll in
writing classes (but if you can, I suggest you do), so our education takes
other forms.
Read. I’ve heard the advice of reading in your genre, but I
would suggest broadening that to reading everything. Some elements of writing,
like pacing and character arcs, can be learned from a well-written book from
any genre. Read more and pay attention to what is working and what is not in
the book. Take notes and see if it can apply to your writing.
Read writing craft books. If you have a library card, you
can improve your writing. Most library systems are well stocked with writing
craft books. Check a few and read them. Pick up a copy of Writer’s Digest. Many of these resources will present different suggestions
on tackling a particular technique, but keep reading until you find one that
works for you.
Do your homework. Now that you are armed with information,
it’s time to apply it to your writing. This will require you to really take a
hard, objective look at your writing. Most writers already know what their
writing weaknesses are. Practice some of the tips you gained on your weak
areas. And don’t forget your strong areas. Yes, they are already working, but
look at ways to make them better.
Get critiqued. This is a challenging one because most of us
have had some interesting experiences in critique groups. That being said,
having someone other than your mother or husband critique is very helpful. Find
two or three people who are broad readers, people who read all genres, and ask
them to read your manuscript. These people are called beta readers. Even if
they can’t tell you what exact technique you need to improve on, they can tell
you when something is not working.
Our writing careers started with us learning about writing
craft, and that learning shouldn’t stop once we’ve published. We need to push
to learn and improve. Learn something new today.
