Throughout the course of this blog, I often note that certain techniques require a certain level of skill to be pulled off successfully. This is well and good advice, but it doesn’t really give a response as to how to reach that level of skill. It might make it seem as though only certain writers have the skill sets to make certain things work, while all others are guaranteed to fail. I want to assert that this is not the case. I believe that anyone is capable of producing quality and enjoyable works of writing. The key to doing so is simple: just keep writing. Writing, like anything else that requires skill, is something you become good at through practice. You can learn tips and tricks along the way as well as learn specifically what not to do, but these are only useful if you actively engage in improving your writing through practice.
If you want to attempt something difficult, the first step to doing so is to first give it your best shot. Then wait for a bit. If you have just finished a piece of writing, you might be too enthusiastic and personally attached to your work to give it fair criticism. The opposite may also be true: you may be too critical of your first draft that you treat it more harshly than you would treat something written by someone else. After this cool-off period, you can look over what you have written, note the things you like and the things you don’t, and then repeat the process. Getting into a pattern of writing, waiting, reviewing, and rewriting can help a writer to develop a sort of honesty when reviewing their own work.
In addition to self-editing, I would also recommend having other people review your work, whether they be editors, beta-readers, or just friends or family. Having additional perspectives on your work can also help you to develop a balanced perspective when looking over your own work. Doing this also opens up your works to external criticism. While hearing that some people may not like your work as much as you may have hoped may be discouraging, it is important to keep on writing. If a person disliked your work for reasons within your control, such as inconsistencies in the narrative or breaking the suspension of belief, you can go back and fix these errors. If the reasons a person disliked your work is for reasons beyond your control, there is little you can do but accept that that person does not enjoy it and it is likely not personal. For every person who does not like a specific work for no other reason than it is simply not their cup of tea, there are bound to be at least a couple of others who do enjoy that work.
A common misconception about the writing process is that once you reach a certain skill level, you cannot improve from there. The truth is that you can never stop improving. While it is possible to get a certain piece improved until you’re completely happy with it, your skillset develops each time you write. Even when you’ve found you’ve mastered the techniques you wanted to master, there is always more incentive to keep developing your writing through practice. Each time you write, you open new opportunities for improvement and further exploring and defining your style. When it comes to writing, each step you take can help you to hone your craft and there’s only one way to do so: just keep writing.