Barely making it on time this week because of the things that I have to do but finally completed my entry for this week's contest hosted by @legendchew with this topic:
How To Become A Better Writer In Steemit?
Oh boy! Look at that guy with near zero post reward value trying to teach people "how to become a better writer here, what a joke" is what most of you must be thinking right now but what else can I do? That's what the topic is and it is not like the amount of value completely defines the quality of the contents of a post (I've seen people saying they ate breakfast and get ridiculous pay after all) so don't be too quick to judge.
Well going back to the topic, it mentioned "better writer" so let's first talk about what does "better writer" mean. I am not really fond of comparing things but honestly there are just times that I would read an article and just can't help but be amazed at how well those articles were made not just because the chosen topic for the article is great in their own right but how the author structured, broken down and vividly explained things making it more than just a boring wall of text. As a matter of fact, I read this story last week and the way I can visualize things while reading it is proof enough of how well it was made (by the way I didn't ask for permission to link it here so I will do it now @jazzhero).
Before touching the topic, I would like to emphasize that a "better writer", in my opinion, is a matter of perception and preferences so I don't believe that a foolproof guideline exist out there that will completely determine if an article is really better than the other or the other way around (of course there are also instances where a better article can be determined easily but that is definitely not the usual case, speaking from my inkling of experience writing and reading stuff). Anyway, what I am getting at is the stuff I am going to write is "my own way of becoming a better writer" and not anybody else's.
Tip # 1: Read/watch other people's work
I am not telling you to copy people's way of doing things but sometimes you can learn a thing or two from them. I never wrote and posted stuff in the internet even on my other social media accounts before I signed up on Steemit so I am a total greenhorn when it comes to this and probably the majority of users here falls into that category as well.
It is not like I would instantly be able to come up with something good by myself so the first thing that came to my mind is to see how others do things. I read and watched other people not only in this platform but I also looked around other popular sites where I can absorb new things and as a bonus I even made some friends in the process (though most of them are already inactive here).
Tip # 2: Build your own style
Just like I said on my first point I am not telling you to copy others' way of doing things, instead learn from them and then build your own brand of writing from what you've learned. It is not easy to make your own style but writing using other people's technique would be strenuous since you are keeping up a front that doesn't represent your real self.
It is whole lot easier to pour your passion and feelings in your own words in your own way and sometimes it is not just the technical aspects or how well constructed an article is that makes them good/ better/ best, there are people out there that are looking at genuine raw emotion oozing out of one's work and uses that as criteria for judging the quality of the work published.
Tip # 3: Repetition is the key to mastery
No one started out great, even the best writers and content creators that I have seen so far all went though humble beginnings but what sets them apart is their drive to continue and improve despite the setbacks. You can go ahead and find popular content creators on Youtube or Steemit, check out their first content and compare it to their recent works, you can see how much they have improved their craft but that wasn't an instantaneous change, it was slowly built through continuously pushing through. So if you think you are not making progress, check out your first few works and feel embarassed look how far you've come.
Tip # 4: Listen to what others have to say
I am pretty sure most people don't like being criticized but there are instances that you need to deflate your ego and listen, you will see that some if not all of the things people says sometimes makes sense and sheds light to areas that you don't recognize needs improvement. It is actually nice to see how others see your work since as I said before it is about perception and preferences but remember not to try too hard trying to accommodate all criticism because you might end up fitting in a container that won't allow you to be yourself anymore. Pick some,dispose some it is not like you can satisfy everyone so choose one that you believe suits you better and work with that.
Tip # 5: Have fun!
Oldest line in the book of cliches but still remains as one of the best tip I think I can come up with. No matter how popular or good you've become, there are times that it will just feel empty despite all the strides you've made and heights you've reached.
I personally believe that a man can not reach or to be more precise a man can not say for sure if he already reached the peak during the course of his life until the moment that he breathed his last, thus a man will continuously walk a road aiming to become better than the man he was before unless he gets satisfied with what he's achieved or if he's completely given up, it is a long road ahead so be sure to have your share of fun, it will be dull otherwise.
And that completes this week's entry though a bit cutting it close and forgive my weird sense in coming up with titles lol. Well then I will be seeing you guys on my next post and I hope that this helps even a little to some of you.
Ciao~