Voltampsreactive is happy to welcome Audrey Bodine as today’s guest writer. Audrey is an aspiring writer who’s work can be found on her own blog, audreybodineauthor.wordpress.com.

Five Steps to Improve Your Writing

1. Reading

Whether it’s a pamphlet for self-tying shoes or the latest biography on the market, reading is an invaluable resource for writers.

Delve into the structure of the story, find out what you like about the writing style—and what you don’t like.  Discover new methods of description, expand your knowledge of character development, and find what keeps your attention as a reader.

2. Hook the Reader and Keep Them Hooked

If your reader isn’t interested by the end of chapter one, there’s a very good chance they won’t stick around for the rest.

Hook them as soon as you can with whatever style you like.  Personally, I prefer to use humor, but action can also be a great way to start a story.

Find what works for you and ask yourself, “If I didn’t know all the good stuff that comes after this, would I continue reading?”

3. Know Your Story, But Don’t Bore the Reader

If you’re like me, then you probably don’t have a strict outline, and thus, end up figuring out parts of your story as you write. (I apologize to all you hardcore plotters, I’m simply not at your level yet.)

The thing that can happen when you don’t adhere to outlines, however, is that little (and sometimes big) plot points/details can change from the start of the book to the end, which leads to a problem of consistency along with oversharing to your reader.

If you’re figuring out someone’s backstory as you write, that’s fine—I’ve done it, too—just make sure to either cut that out of the final draft or form it in a way that is interesting to the reader instead of an “info dump”.

4. Getting Feedback

This is something that can really scare writers, and it’s understandable why.

For a long time, I only shared my writing with close friends or family because they were the only ones I trusted.  To be honest, giving my unfinished work to strangers still freaks me out, which is why I try to get to know people before I give them my work.

That being said, if you have someone in your life who will be honest with you, especially if they’re an avid reader—or even a writer—then I ask you to consider sharing your work with them for review.  Another set of eyes will see things you won’t and point things out that don’t make sense.

5. Edit

I know, it’s pretty basic, but I can’t tell you how many scenes I thought were pure gold until I re-read them a month later.

Editing matters.

I have yet to come across an author who says they write everything the way they need to, the way the final product should be produced, after only the first draft.

A book, an article, a poem—no matter what the form, your writing should always be edited.  Obviously, depending on the project, the number of times it needs to be looked over will differ.

With every book we read and every day we experience life, we grow.  We learn, we change, we (hopefully) mature.

This shows in writing.

Lastly, remember to enjoy the victories, however big or small they may be.  Everyone’s writing at a different pace and it can sometimes be discouraging when you’re in the beginning stages.  But keep writing, keep using the gifts God has given you.  He has a purpose for you and a reason He gave you the gift of words.  And have fun, because writing is a grand adventure that will take you places you never knew existed.

See ya around the mulberry bush, stranger.

Audrey Bodine is an aspiring author who incorporates her love of Jesus, fictional friends, and humor into her books as well as her blog, https://audreybodineauthor.wordpress.com.  If she’s not holed up in her room with bloodshot eyes and a blinking cursor, you can probably find her reading, bingeing a sitcom, or making one of the four meals she’s capable of preparing.