Try to avoid overused words, such as “good” and “bad” and “ugly” and “said. " Instead, think about what you’re trying to say. Does “good” mean charming, sunny, lucky, or something else? If you have trouble writing vivid descriptions, try a “comparagraph” exercise. Write a paragraph comparing any two people, objects, or settings. Try comparing a sunset to jewelry, or a forest to a woman. To improve your vocabulary, try reading a dictionary or a thesaurus. You can also read books in different genres or take a linguistics class. [1] X Expert Source Lydia StevensAuthor & Developmental Editor Expert Interview. 1 September 2021.
Try writing in the style of a certain author as an exercise. Mimicry can force you to flex new writing muscles, although you should use your own voice for serious writing projects. [5] X Research source
If you’re having trouble making characters sound different, give one of them an accent. An accent is difficult to write convincingly, but it will make the character seem different.
Write about something that you’ve never written about before as a challenge. [8] X Expert Source Lydia StevensAuthor & Developmental Editor Expert Interview. 1 September 2021.
Never be afraid to trash something and start over. Authors have written and thrown away countless books, usually for good reason. If you don’t feel good about what you wrote, scrap it and start over. The second (or fifth) version is often better, as you march in knowing the entire storyline. Ask your friends to give feedback. Even people with no writing experience can identify awkward passages, although you may need to find the solution yourself. [10] X Expert Source Lydia StevensAuthor & Developmental Editor Expert Interview. 1 September 2021.
