How to be a good writer

There are a couple of writer blogs out there that I like to check in on daily: The Urban Muse and The Renegade Writer. Both of them had a post today on how to be a successful writer.

The Urban Muse has a list for 5 Daily Practices for Successful Writing:

1. Read Every Day
2. Write Strictly for Yourself
3. Get Out
4. Connect With Others
5. Keep Working on Large Projects

I can't even begin to tell you how many of my intro level journalism students do not read the newspaper. It amazes me. They complain that I don't bring enough news story examples into class and I complain that they should be finding their own examples in the newspaper themselves. You cannot be a good writer if you are not a good reader.

The Renegade Writer poses the question of is a good writer born with their talent or do they develop it over time? This is what she came up with:

You don’t need innate talent to succeed at writing, but you do need plenty of ass-in-chair. You need to hone your grammar, read constantly (when you’re not writing, that is), study great writers, and write, write, write. If your grammar stinks, you need to study grammar. If your first draft is no good, you need to write a second draft — and a third, and a fourth.

And I agree. You don't find many journalists and novelists out there who don't love to write. If you love something it's easier to continuously work on it. This logic is why I am not a concert pianist, in the WNBA, or a scientist. I have always loved to write and, therefore, am a writer.

What do you think? Can you learn to be a good writer?

A book that all writers must keep on their shelves is William Zinsser's On Writing Well. I don't require it for my class (because I know most of my students won't read it) but I was required to read it for grad school and I'm so glad that I was. It's a great book filled with tons of great advice. I like to read it every other year or so just to remind myself of my goals. Get yourself a used copy and enjoy.