5 Ways to Be a Better Writer in 2013

Images appeared to rule the online roost in 2012.

If you needed more evidence, “GIF” was named 2012’s word of the year by the Oxford American Dictionaries—but don’t let that tomfoolery mislead you.

Words are the real currency on the Internet and social media networks.

In fact, words have always been the backbone of human expression. Yes, there have been cave paintings, hieroglyphics, and memes of cats contemplating buying a boat, but they would mean nothing without some homo sapien articulating his or her feelings about them through words and language. 

A picture isn’t worth 1,000 words because 1,000 words are invaluable. My enjoyment of a moving, provocative, or silly picture online is fleeting, but a well-crafted sentence, phrase, or paragraph inhabits my being and inspires me to add to the legacy of good writing.

Now that the future promise of the Internet being a reputable vessel for intelligent writing is the present, online writers of all genres need to band together to ensure that the next era of the written word is as glorious and lasting as those before.

Here are a few tips on how to do just that in 2013.

1. Read Everything: Part 2

This tip has not lost its importance since last year.

You’re not a good writer if you are not a good reader. It’s that simple.

“Stop going to the same sites for your reading. Designate a day to wake up an hour earlier to discover new sources,” says Rebecca Scherr, associate editor at McMurry/TMG. “Read offline, too. I like to pick up a classic, then a best-seller, alternating between fiction and nonfiction.”

Having trouble finding good stuff online to check out? Not a problem. My colleagues and I compiled 11 writers worth reading on the Internet. For some offline help, check out the titles I recommended last summer.

2. Consult a Good Dictionary and Thesaurus

We have more words at our disposal than at any other time in human history.

So why do we insist on using so few of them?!

I have a thesaurus I won in grade school for something having to do with English awesomeness. The cover is ripped off and the pages are yellowing, but it still helps me discover new and exciting words on a fairly consistent basis. And if it doesn’t have the word I’m completely in love with, thesaurus.com and dictionary.com are right there to pick up the slack.

Get rid of words like “interesting.” More than one editor I’ve known has said, “if interesting is the only word you can come up with to describe what you’re writing about, it’s probably not that interesting.”

Here’s a good exercise. Learn a new word every day. Find all the definitions of that word, along with synonyms and antonyms. Write them all in a notebook or Word document that you can easily access. You’ll be surprised how many of your new discoveries start seeping into your work, making it stronger in the process.

3. Clichés Are Evil

The Internet has enough lazy writing. You’re trying to improve it remember?

“Do a cliché hunt in every piece after writing it,” says Emili Vesilind, senior editor at JCK magazine. “Unless it’s a funny one or meant to evoke folksiness or something, take it out.”

To help in your hunt, check out these 681 clichés to avoid in your writing.

4. Write Everywhere

I’m as guilty of blaming my busy schedule for my lack of writing as any other writer. But it’s just not a valid excuse anymore.

“Write when the feeling strikes!” says Mary A Rosch, sales, marketing, and social media coordinator for jewelry designer Atelier Minyon. “In the age of smartphones we always have access to virtual pen-and-paper. Use it to your advantage and don’t wait to ‘have time’ to write. That’s just procrastination talking!”

Amen, sister.

I used to lose so many thoughts to not having a pad right next to me. Now, I have a mini-super computer in the palm of my hand. The next time you’re waiting for your significant other to come out of the dressing room to ask you how his or her jeans look, turn off Bejeweled, and type out some brain musings.

Maybe some of the words you come up with won’t be worth much. However, more often than not, you’ll find some way to give them value or use them as building blocks for future projects.

5. Mentor Young and Up and Coming Writers

I’ve had the privilege the last couple of years to work with a handful of young writers. I don’t think there has been anything in my professional or personal life that’s been quite as fulfilling as helping them strengthen their own voices.

Writing can be a lonely endeavor. Writers often get locked into their minds trying to finesse the rights words into coherent and profound thoughts, and are often the most alone when realizing they missed the mark.

Stepping away from your own work and editing someone else’s is the perfect tonic for dealing with the isolation of writing. It not only proves that you’re connected to something much larger, but also pays it forward to the generation of writers that will follow you. Arm the young writers surrounding you to the teeth with every rule, trick, and muse-baiting tactic you have in your arsenal.

The more you teach, edit, and listen to young writers, the more you’ll learn about your own work as well. Criticism works both ways, and it works pretty damn well if you’re willing to accept it.

Go write. Always.

[image: c.chich]