5 Ways to Improve Your Writing

Summary

This video, sponsored by Skillshare, explores Benjamin Franklin's journey to becoming a respected writer, highlighting his dedication to improving his craft through deliberate practice. The host shares five key tips for enhancing writing skills, emphasizing the importance of reading widely, building a writing habit, separating writing from editing, reading aloud to refine rhythm, and striving for simplicity. The video also promotes Roxanne Gay's Skillshare class on personal essays and offers a discount for the platform, encouraging viewers to further their writing abilities.

Takeaways

• 📚 Read widely to enrich your writing with diverse experiences and knowledge, as the best authors draw from a wide repertoire of sources.
• 🔍 Actively engage with what you read by questioning how you or other authors would write certain passages, which helps in deepening your understanding and application of writing techniques.
• 🚴‍♂️ Build a writing habit through a ritual that makes starting to write easier, overcoming initial resistance and building momentum.
• 🏗️ Separate the writing process from the editing process to maintain creative momentum and avoid context switching that can hinder the flow of ideas.
• 🎯 Write often to refine the skill, akin to riding a bicycle where the initial push is the hardest but leads to a smoother ride.
• 💡 Create a conducive writing environment with specific rituals like noise-canceling headphones, a particular playlist, or a favorite drink to enhance focus and creativity.
• ⏸️ Avoid editing while writing to prevent the loss of creative momentum; focus on getting ideas onto the page first before refining them.
• 🗣️ Read your writing out loud to better understand its rhythm and flow, which can help in identifying areas for improvement.
• 📉 Simplify your writing by stripping sentences to their cleanest components for clarity and ease of understanding, avoiding unnecessary complexity or jargon.
• 📈 Utilize platforms like Skillshare to access a wide range of classes that can further develop your writing skills across various genres and styles.
• 💌 Seek out constructive criticism and use it as a tool for growth, as Benjamin Franklin did, to improve your writing over time.

Q & A

What was the initial challenge Benjamin Franklin faced in his writing career?

Benjamin Franklin initially faced criticism about his writing from his father, who found his letters during an epistolary duel and told him his writing was not very good.

How did Benjamin Franklin respond to the criticism he received about his writing?

Instead of getting defensive, Benjamin Franklin took the criticism to heart and started seeking out the best writing he could find to study and improve his own writing skills.

What is the first main tip for making writing more interesting according to the script?

The first main tip is to read widely, as the best authors have a wide repertoire of experiences and knowledge from various sources to creatively combine into unique works.

Why is it beneficial to engage actively with the material you read?

Actively engaging with the material, such as by questioning how you or another author would write a certain passage, helps to deeply understand and internalize the writing style and techniques, which can be applied to your own writing.

What is a writing ritual and how can it help in overcoming writing resistance?

A writing ritual is a set of habits that make getting into the writing process easier. It can include writing in a specific place or having certain pre-writing habits, which can help overcome the initial resistance to start writing.

Why is it important to separate the writing process from the editing process?

Separating writing from editing is important because editing while writing interrupts the creative flow and momentum, causing a shift to a less creative mindset and preventing the writer from getting into a state of flow.

How can reading your writing out loud help in the editing process?

Reading out loud exposes the writer to the rhythm of their writing, slows down the reading pace, making it easier to identify spelling errors, grammar issues, and opportunities to simplify the text.

What is the significance of rhythm in writing and how does reading out loud help with it?

Rhythm in writing refers to the flow and cadence of sentences. Reading out loud helps in identifying awkward rhythms, repetitive phrases, or overly long sentences, thus improving the readability of the text.

What is the main idea behind simplifying sentences in writing?

The main idea behind simplifying sentences is to make the writing clearer and easier to understand for the reader. Stripping sentences to their cleanest components helps in effective communication of ideas without unnecessary complexity.

How does the script relate the process of writing to mining for gold?

The script compares writing to mining for gold by emphasizing the need to build momentum and excavate through less useful material to eventually reach the valuable ideas and expressions in writing.

What is the role of Skillshare in the context of this script?

Skillshare is mentioned as a platform offering various classes that can help improve writing skills, with a specific mention of a class by Roxanne Gay on writing personal essays, as well as classes by the script's author on productivity and creative writing habits.