By Victoria Pippins
Ever since I was young, I've had the brain of a writer. I fell so easily in love with books that didn't have sequels—and some that had sequels that I didn't know about—that I began writing my own. I remember the first one, too. As a small child, Diana Wynne Jones' Castle in the Air sparked something inside me that has spent almost two decades manifesting.
I wrote constantly, pulling inspiration from every single thing that happened around me. When I was too young to focus on large projects, I wrote short stories that I thought were books. As I got older, I became so absorbed into the worlds of the novels I read and the shows I watched that I wrote an incredibly embarrassing amount of fanfiction—like, an incredibly embarrassing amount. When I hit high school, I finally tried my hand at sitting down to write real novels. I thought I wanted to become an author, but I quickly decided it wasn't for me. Instead, I’ve chosen to use my college years to pursue my passion in a different way: editing and publishing books. I enjoy writing though, and continue to do it for fun.
In all these years, I have picked up a tip or two on how to improve your writing. I am definitely no professional, and I have certainly written some bad stuff, but for new writers looking to improve or for college students trying to take their creative writing papers to the next level, here I am, ready to share what I’ve learned over time. From the perspective of a lifetime writer and aspiring editor, here are four important tips that I wish I had known when I first started out all those years ago.
- Become comfortable with grammar
- Mindful Practice
- Plan like your life depends on it
- Stick to what’s relevant—if you want it to be relevant, make it so.
Lastly, and probably most importantly, have fun with your writing. Enjoy it, and don’t be afraid to show it to other people. Be patient with yourself, dedicate what time you can, and write what you want to write. Who knows—maybe you, too, will come to love writing the way I do.
Edited by Keeley Catarineau