How I Learned to be a Better Writer

Learning to craft a good story takes time and patience. I don’t have much of either. But then I learned that if I wanted to be a good writer and get my stories on the page so others could enjoy them, go beyond me listening to them in my head, I was going to have to put in the time to keep writing AND I was going to have to be patient with the process.

Here I share the key things I’ve learned along the way and the invaluable resources that I continue to use to help me improve my stories so others can enjoy them.

Free Trainings

I learned to search Google and YouTube regularly for different training topics and grew amazed at how much free learning was available. From videos and resources on finding your audience and writing a story they want to read, to how to ensure you have a solid manuscript and what to do next (I’m still learning this).

You need to learn how to network and find the connections that fit your genre, you need to learn self-promotion, you need to learn…

OH! And you have to do these things whether you self-publish or find an agent that gets you in with a traditional publisher, which happens for something like 5% of writers. That was an eye opener for me – if you want to publish a novel and get people interested in reading it, you will HAVE TO learn how to promote it and yourself.

Finding Your Tribe (of Writers)

Like a lot of art, writing can be a lonely and solitary craft. But the good news is, if you want to know how well you are doing with your craft, you’ll need to find your tribe. This is to say, not all writing groups are the same and not all writers have the same needs. If you need more ideas, look for a writing prompt group. If you need to know if your idea is working, look for a fiction critique group; you may find one that fits your genre.

Tip: Don’t know your genre? Don’t worry – I got this wrong for the first few years writing my first novel. I thought it was a fantasy, it wasn’t. LOL

Here are a few ideas of where to look for writing groups that might meet your needs.

• Beyond Baroque – this is one of the oldest literary organizations in the U.S. Located in Venice, California.
  • They offer a free Fiction Writer’s Workshop on Monday nights. I’ve been a regular since 2021.
  • They also offer a free Poetry Workshop on Wednesday nights. If that’s your jam.
• Shut-up and Write – a global community “dedicated to helping writers get their words out.” It’s available on Meetup. The idea is to get online with other writers for designating writing time. This works great for procrastinators like me who need to set aside writing time.
• Fiction Writers’ Prompt and Critique Group offered by Jen Thilman Inspires (that’s me!). On the second Saturday of each month I run a group where we write to prompts and then share (if we want) what we wrote. The level of learning from other artist’s writing just blows me away!