Post: Being a good writer isn’t always about writing

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When you have set a particular goal in life, there are typically numerous components to achieving it. For instance, if your goal is to improve your physical health, you might create a plan that involves multiple steps, such as making healthier food choices, getting more physical exercise and taking time for rest and recreation. You don’t just say you want to be in better health and expect it to happen automatically. 

The same is true when your goal is to become a better writer. Writing is the physical process you use, but improving your skills is about more than writing. In fact, one of the best ways to become a better writer is to closely observe and listen to the world around you. Especially with creative writing or fiction, most stories come from experiences. 

Give someone who is speaking your undivided attention

Learning to be a good listener helps you become a better writer. Do you have a habit of “half-listening” when someone is speaking to you? There’s a lot more going on in a conversation than the words that are spoken. Pay attention body language, voice inflection and emotions. This is all part of listening, and it can really come in handy when you’re trying to create characters to capture readers’ attention. 

Listening to others helps expand your perspective

If your goal is to write stories that entertain readers or touch their hearts in a special way, it’s helpful to draw from a hub of perspectives that may be different from your own. This is one of the ways that becoming a better listener can help you improve your writing skills. Listening to others, especially those whose opinions and beliefs are different from your own, gives you “more to work with” when it comes to developing a story. 

Every person knows something you don’t

Each person you meet possesses some sort of knowledge that you do not have or has had an experience in life that you have not had. Being a good listener opens a world of opportunity for learning. You can learn something from every person you meet. And, you can apply what you learn to the writing process. 

Observe the world around you

If you want to be a better writer, start spending time observing the world around you. Don’t just “see” it but “observe” it. Choose a location and spend time taking it all in. (Bring along a notebook to write things down that you don’t want to forget.) What does the air smell like? How many colors are there? What do you hear? Is the atmosphere calm and relaxed or tense and on edge? 

Observing and listening teaches you how to bring a story alive

Think of some of your own favorite fiction novels. What do you love most about them? Chances are, your favorite stories are ones that “came alive” in your heart and imagination. You know the ones – the stories that you felt you had stepped right into, almost as though the characters were real, and the stories you tried to linger over because you didn’t want them to end because you would miss the characters. 

If you think about your favorite books with regard to “detail,” you’ll no doubt find that the authors did a great job bringing characters to life, describing a setting or evoking a certain emotion in you as the story unfolds. Learning to be a good listener and to closely observe the world around you can help you become a great storyteller and a better writer.