What’s the last book or article you read? Was it funny? Did it get you hooked right from the start? As a reader, I know that I want to be entertained. As a writer, I know that accomplishing the goal is far from simple.
Making your writing creative and engaging requires both talent and the acquisition of additional skills. Being a natural at it isn’t the only prerequisite for being a successful writer, regardless of the genre.
Would you like to find out what it would take to renew your creative voice? There are numerous essentials but I’ve tried to compile the five most important steps.
Add Some Point of Interest
You may have the greatest writing idea in the world. You know that it’s a definite winner and that the text will reach the right audience. Unless you present the narrative in an interesting way, however, chances are that the text will miss the mark.
Adding interest can happen in a couple of ways - just picks the one that’s best suited to the theme and your writing style.
Make the story personal. Beginning with an anecdote about somebody’s experience or even better - your personal experience - will bring the text closer to the heart of the reader. Weave the personal story throughout the narrative, even if the piece and informative and fact-based.
Humor can also create a point of interest. You can also rely on formatting to draw the attention to the most crucial parts of the text. Pull quotes, catchy sub-titles and bulleted lists are all great tools for boosting readability.
Make it Sassy
Ok, that’s a bit of an overstatement. The main idea here is to inject your personality in the text. Some of the best writers know how to maintain their style, regardless of the topic or the complexity of the text they’re writing.
Every single person has an individual writing style. Don’t attempt to mimic others because you’re inspired by them or because you feel that the audience loves their text.
It takes practice and experience to make your personality shine through every single text. This is why you should write a lot. Write as a profession. Write as a hobby. Start a blog and use that as an experiment board. A personal blog gives you an opportunity to explore topics, test different writing approaches and figure out what the audience responds to.
A sharply defined personality will become your signature, enabling readers to recognize your texts immediately. Don’t be afraid to make your writing bold and different. Chances are that you’ll soon have a loyal audience because of this authenticity.
Experiment with Free Writing
Free writing is one of the best approaches to try, whether you’re a blogger or a novel writer.
Free writing is great for getting your thoughts flowing and dressing your ideas in words. Even if the concept doesn’t make a lot of sense in the very beginning, you’ll soon discover its ability to unlock your creativity.
For the purpose, you’ll need a notepad or a tablet. Take those with you everywhere that you go. Sit down and just start to write. Let your thoughts flow without editing the things that come out of your mind. There’s no need to worry about grammar or punctuation. Free writing makes it easy to develop ideas in a way that structured writing doesn’t. Once you’ve gotten it all out, you’ll find it much easier to base a structured text on the concept.
Take a Break
You have a deadline. You’re sitting in front of the computer, staring at the blank screen. Desperately, you rack your brain for ideas. Unfortunately, it seems that nothing’s there to be found.
In such instances, taking a break from writing may be the smartest thing to do.
Even the most experienced professionals have to deal with writer’s block every once in a while. In such instances, the thought process is simply not there. It’s possible to get some text out but the outcome will definitely be subpar.
Instead of pushing yourself too hard and trying to squeeze something out, take a break. It can be a 15-minute break or you can take a day off.
Doing something else like going for a walk or even playing with your dog, will take your mind off the project. If you’re not focusing too hard on trying to make it happen, you’ll find it a lot easier to put together something fresh after giving your brain a break.
Collaborate with Others
The ideas of others will often be great for getting those creative juices flowing.
A collaboration with another writer can give your career a reboot. You’ll feed on each other’s creative energy, which means that both of you will get to benefit from the experience.
Choose a writer that inspires you but that is somewhat different from you. It’s best to learn from professionals that have their own philosophy about getting the job done. If both of you are open to the opportunity, a creative collaboration can turn into an eye-opening experience.
Being a creative writer is all about taking a chance and being bold enough to experiment. Do the things that feel right and stay true to yourself. The more authentic you are to your writing philosophy, the more successful the outcome is going to be.