7 Ways To Kickstart Your Writing Skill

Category: Lifestyle | Tags(#): Skill , Tips , Writing , Writer

Published Aug. 11, 2020, 9:38 p.m. by Agyemang

Writing is an interesting art. Like most other arts, it's a skill that is either innate or learnt. But whether you were born with a "feather in your hand" (my way of saying being born a writer) or not, to perfect the craft, you need to be consistent and put in effort. I believe everyone can write. The problem, however, has to do with how to start writing in the first place. I do not consider myself a writer.......yet or a prolific one as such, but I've had some good runs. I've had a bit of writing experiences with Kuulpeeps, owned a blogpost account and now I'm here. Pretty good huh?       

People often ask me how I'm able to write "so well" and wonder if they could too. Well, as I stated earlier, anyone at all can write (to an extent mmom🙊). 
I'm still perfecting the craft, I have a lot to learn and unlearn but I believe I can share a few tips to every Tom, Dick and Harry who has an interest in writing and especially to those who may want to sign up to this platform but aren't sure if they can be able to write that well. 

I've put together seven (7) tips I think can be of great help to the future Dan Browns,  Sir Arthur Conan Doyles, Chimamanda N. Adichies, Chinua Achebes, Peggy Oppongs, Ama Ata Aidoos, Kwame Nkrumahs amongst others who may be inspired and motivated to start writing by this post. 
Shall we begin? 

1. Do a lot of reading: In order to write and write well, you need to be an avid reader. You can't start writing when you are not a fan of the results of the art you want to indulge in. So to kickstart your skill, you will have to read more, read wide, and read often. To be able to think and see through the mind of a writer, you need to be one who reads a lot. All great writers are readers themselves. 

2. Make drafts of ideas: Writing is based on ideas. Ideas have a habit of coming to you at odd times. It might come when you're late to work or class, when you're boarding a troski, or when you're feeling tired preparing to retire to bed. When they do come, do well to draft them. Some ideas come with their own body (a mental picture of an introduction, salient points and even a conclusion), do well to at least get a skeleton of it scribbled somewhere when it pops up. Make a habit of using apps like the "note/notebook" on your phone or writing apps on your laptops often so that in the absence of a pen and paper, you can draft those ideas as and when they come. 

3. Write what you feel: This is to say, do not focus too much on getting a "perfect" write-up. Most of my "best" write-ups were raw, I didn't do a lot of editing save a little proofreading. When the focus is on getting a perfect piece, you might distort the beauty of the art because you will always feel like something is lacking in what you've done. Don't be complacent, no, that's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that more often than not, you'd realise that some of your very best pieces you'll write are those you wrote them straight forward without focusing too much on adding or removing items to make it perfect. Sometimes, just sometimes, raw is the epitome of perfect. 

4. Love what you do: You have to love the craft to build the craft. If it feels more of an obligation to write, you'll easily lose interest and get fed up. However, loving what you do, even when you're not "seeing top" is a major key to overcome the minor setbacks writing comes with. Love the craft!  

5. Find and develop your interest (s): Being a writer is a broadly defined skill like being a doctor. You just can't be a doctor, you have to be a doctor of something (academia, dentistry, cardiology etc). What I'm driving at is specialisation. You have to find out what type of writing intrigues you (poetry, fiction, nonfiction etc) so that you can channel your energies towards it. 

6. Be open to critics: Critics are there to shape you as a writer. Be open to criticism, learn and unlearn from the feedback you receive. That's the only way to grow as a writer. In our Akan adage, there is a saying that goes like "nea )twa sa no nim s3 n'3kyi akyea". To wit, " he who is clearing the path doesn't know that the path he's cleared behind him is a crooked one. The people who read your stuff have a perspective that you don't see and it might do you some good if you pay attention to what they say. Don't feel disheartened by bad reviews, work on them. And don't feel complacent by the good ones too, work even harder on them. 

7. Set Goals: Yes, set goals! Give yourself time, try out something, gather feedback. Work on it, improve the skill little by little and with time, you'd be a very good samurai of the pen. 

Take a breath, clear your mind, be guided by these tips and start exploring the amazing world writing creates. 
You can do it! 

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