Writers: Take a Step Back
Below are three simple ideas to enhance the scope of your writing through the utilization of items that lie at your fingertips.
1. Broaden your vocabulary. When you come across a word you truly do not know or understand, make note of it in your journal. Take the time to look it up, and use the thesaurus to discover like words. It may sound simple, but this small act will open new words and new doors to you.
Keep www.dictionary.com on your desktop. This is one tool you should not do without.
2. Go Back to School. Remember those dreaded required reading texts that your English teacher forced down your throat? Well, I suggest you re-read them. You are older now, and hopefully wiser. A fresh perspective will provide a new way to intake the stories that you once detested. What’s that you say, you are unable to remember those books from back in the day? Do not fret, http://www.literature.org is here to guide you back to the past. Re-read Huck Finn, Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, or Anne of Green Gables; view them with your writers’ eyes and minds. Allow the trueness of the stories to captivate and enrich your senses without the agony of feeling forced.
3. Connect with other authors. You are already ahead of the game with this one. You either contribute to or read FYW. Take this initiative one step further. If your writing focuses on a certain theme, then join a writers’ group or workshop, or even a Twitter list, which centers on that particular area. Learn from others and share your knowledge. The rewards can be endless.
Giselle Maclean is Managing Editor of BreakFree, a blog that passionately charts her personal challenges as a wife, mother and friend; while managing a career within the financial services industry.
Great tips, Giselle!
I *always* have dictionary.com / thesaurus.com open — I use it every day, constantly. I know how to spell, sure, and I have a decent vocabulary, but even the best ;) need help haha!
And college made me Hate reading but I can’t get enough of it now. Reading great writing is so inspirational and makes me want to go create more of my own.
Thanks for this article!!!
Thank you for your comments Eden. You are right about that college and let’s be honest..High School had the capacity to take the fun out of reading the classics. But age and time does help when we revisit the classics.
I love that literature.org site – nice find! Thanks for reminding us that good writers need to first become great readers!
It is a pretty cool site. I love your words
“…good writers need to first become great readers!”
It was my love of reading that prompted me to start writing. Thanks for your thoughts Brandon.
Nice great post! Especially when a write or a blogger at that loses anything to write about…it is indeed the proper way to step back, relax, refocus and connect with other writers. Who knows, it will spark a new idea. And it almost always happens.
I agree Elmot. Writers tend to stress themselves out because of deadlines or finding the right words..or whatever. We need to take it easy on ourselves to allow our creativity to flow freely.
Thanks so much for posting this. I love the literature.org site! There are several classics that I somehow missed reading in school, (or maybe I just don’t remember reading them because I didn’t appreciate fine literature at the time).
I too keep thesaurus.com open at all times. Even when you think you have the right words it’s fun to see what others may work better.
Thank you for your comments Deanna. I do the exact same thing with thesaurus.com. Sometimes when you do change a particular word, your story takes on a new life.
Wow, that IS a great site! Lots of stuff there, like the simplicity of the site too… nothing to distract you while you are reading, which is brilliant because I find reading long pieces of writing on the computer quite hard.
Love the idea of following a Twitter list too. I follow quite a few individual writers, both famous ones and people who I have met through FYW – but a lists on certain genres/styles of writing would be cool.
Thanks for the article Giselle!
Thanks Christopher! I am so new to Twitter lists, and still trying to get the hang of them. If you have a few good ones, please let me know.
Some good thoughts all round. Rereading books to gain a fresh perspective on them can be very helpful and connecting with other authors is a must. It definitely keeps you inspired and on track. Thanks for sharing this post.
Cassandra thank you for your comments. I tend to re-read certain books every few years. I find that as I go through different life experiences, my take on the stories changes, providing a fresh perspective.