What does it take to become a good writer?
I always think websites like fanfiction and fictionpress are great places to start. Fanfiction is where you write stories based on other people’s novels, movies, etc. Don’t like the way something ended? You can change it and write a different ending, all within a pre-created universe with pre-created characters and background. I think it’s a great place to for a writer to start, because it essentially gives you the building blocks for a story and you just have to put them together with your own twist. With fictionpress you create your own universe and characters, so personally it’s a bit more complicated. However, it’s still a good idea because both of these have places for reviews so when people read your story they can give you feedback on how they think you’re doing. Also you can sign up for a beta who will read your writing and give you suggestions on changes to make. My other suggestion would be to read and see what other authors did right. There’s a reason that the classics have
Write a lot and read even more. Read every single day, whether you feel like it or not, and do the same thing with your writing. Practice is what will make you a good writer. It doesn’t matter what you’re writing. It could just be journal entries, as long as you’re working on your technique. Become a master speller. You will pick up all the grammar and punctuation and even some of the spelling you’ll need from all that reading you should be doing. The words and phrases will, after a while, burn themselves into your consciousness. Those are the two biggest things I can think of. Read and write every single day. Read until your eyes bleed and write until your fingers are stiff and calloused. Sounds like a no-brainer, but a lot of people do not practice and do not read regularly, and it shows when they try to write.
