Writing Improvement [How does one improve their writing?]

I've got to ask, how does one or rather you go about improving your writing technique. I've written things before, but it always feels like it came from an middle school student's notebook. How do you go about improving your writing style, such as being able to accurately describe a scene, how a character looks and acts, their expressions, etc. How do YOU do it? Because I certainly don't. Do you go to a Thesaurus and just look up adjectives or synonyms for words you're familiar with? Do you read works by other people and attempt to copy them? I'm just curious, how did you improve or find your very own writing? Or... could you still be looking for it?

Go ahead and share! For me, I dont even know what I'm doing, other then putting some sentences together. I often feel because of that, it never feels very cohesive or interesting. I now practice makes perfect, but i feel like there's something I'm missing with writing, as nothing changes xD. Perhaps it's just me or maybe you feel the same way? :)

Think about what genre(s) you want to write.

Then, read and watch as much as you can that fits in those genre (s)--both good and bad.

This way, you get a basic idea of what works, what doesn't work, and why in your chosen genres.

I just read a lot, honestly. The best way to improve your own writing is to read the works of others'. And the more variety of things you read, the better! c: That said, everyone has their own style of writing and things that they write best. To find what you're good at, you just have to read and write a lot!

other than reading the works of authors you like and drawing inspiration from - though not necessarily copying - their style, i find that for me, its often very helpful to reread over my own writing as i go to proofread for grammar errors and the like, but also to check the way it all flows. reading it aloud can be especially helpful in this sense! the way the writing feels and sounds is tremendously important, in my opinion, and the more attention that gets paid to it, the easier it gets to find that flow without paying so much attention, if that makes sense.

Again, don't be afraid to read or watch the bad as well as the good in your preferred genres--so you know what not to do as well as what to do

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Originally Posted by EmeraldSky

Again, don't be afraid to read or watch the bad as well as the good in your preferred genres--so you know what not to do as well as what to do

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Knowing what not to do probably helps more, honestly. xD

I agree with some other people here that reading is really good. It's a big part of how I learned. And I don't mean to copy anyone, just reading in general and reading a lot will give you a good idea of how different types of writing and stories work.