Writers Tricks of the Trade May-June 2015 | Page 18

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THERE IS SUCH A WEALTH OF

22 BEST WRITING TIPS

INFORMATION ON THE
WEB—YOU JUST NEED TO

REPRINTED FROM BLOG POST BY MELISSA DONOVAN

KNOW WHERE TO FIND IT.

WRITERS TRICKS OF THE
TRADE IS CONSTANTLY ON
THE LOOKOUT FOR HELPFUL
WEBSITES.

Today, I’m sharing one of the oldest and most popular posts on Writing
Forward. This one dates back to 2007, but it’s still one of the most-visited posts
on the blog and one of my favorites. I hope you enjoy these writing tips and find
them useful!
Brian Clark over at Copyblogger has issued a challenge to bloggers in his post
“The Cosmo Headline Technique for Blogging Inspiration.” The idea is to use
headlines from magazines like Cosmopolitan for inspiration, and to write your
headlines before composing your article. I’ve taken Brian up on his challenge and
as a result, I bring you the 22 best writing tips ever.
1. Do it. Write.
2. Read as much and as often as you can. Remember, every writer is a reader
first.

THANK YOU MELISSA
DONOVAN AND
WRITINGFORWARD.COM
FOR THIS GREAT TIP LIST.

3. Keep a journal or notebook handy at all times so you can jot down all of your
brilliant ideas. If you’ve got a smartphone, make sure it’s loaded with a notetaking app. A voice-recording app also comes in handy for recording notes
and ideas.
4. Make sure you have a dictionary and thesaurus available whenever you are
writing.
5. Be observant. The people and activities that surround you will provide you
with great inspiration for characters, plots, and themes.
6. Invest in a few valuable resources starting with The Chicago Manual of Style
and The Elements of Style.
7. Grammar: learn the rules and then learn how to break them effectively.
8. Stop procrastinating. Turn off the TV, disconnect from the Internet, tune out
the rest of the world, sit down, and write.
9. Read works by highly successful authors to learn what earns a loyal
readership.
10. Read works by the canonical authors so you understand what constitutes a
respectable literary achievement.
11. Join a writers’ group so you can gain support from the writing community and
enjoy camaraderie in your craft.
12. Create a space in your home especially for writing

MAY-JUNE 2015

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WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE