by Joan Inong

Created on: April 14, 2009

Becoming a better writer begins with the writer's desire to become better. Though this logic may seem circular at first glance, it holds true. At the same time, other methods of becoming a better writer also co-exist with that first notion. First, the writer seeks critique from others; second, the writer will continue to write and practice her writing; and third, the writer is open to new ideas.

Critique

Writers who wish to better themselves seek critique from others. This is because their audience is important to them. Without their audience, for whom do writers write (unless, of course, they were writing for themselves)? Thus, peer review and critique is vital to any writers' plan for becoming better at writing. Their feedback is useful and beneficial because the writer can use that feedback to his or her advantage.

Thus, for instance, if you are writing an essay, it is a good idea to have someone, at least one person if not two, to read and critique the essay. They may have ideas and questions that challenge your own, and these are valuable to your argument if you can challenge them back. Thus, your argument becomes more cohesive, thorough, and concise.

Practice

Writing for practice is not a common practice. Most people will not bother to write up a draft of most of the things that they write, and that is because of the lack of time or patience. However, the best way to become a better writer is to keep writing. The adage that says that "practice makes perfect" holds true in this case. To take the essay example further: an English professor once noted that a well-written essay will have been worked on for at least thirty-six hours. For those who are used to writing essays in less than ten hours, this is an almost impossible task. Who wants to work on an essay for that period of time? However, the more the work is rewritten and practiced on, the more chance it will have of being a better essay. The writer will also have plenty of time to work through his or her thesis and argument.

New ideas

Writers who want to become better at writing will be open to new ideas. They will immediately think of these ideas as new medium for their writing. Thus, they are not merely circumscribing their art by one theme or idea; instead, they venture forth into the relatively unknown and they write about it.

So, becoming a better writer is a long and sometimes difficult journey, but the writer who betters himself by going through this difficult journey will inevitably not regret the experience.

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