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| Discover your inner reader. |
Yes, you read that right.
The title offers tips to discover your inner
READER.
To be successful writers, we must do more than just write. We must
engage with our readers. That means we have to be able to communicate with them
in mind.
1. Read it out loud.
When we read out loud, we engage different pathways in our brains. What flows
when we read silently, can be a major roadblock when we read it out loud.
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| Keep an emotion journal. |
2. Keep an emotion
journal. For years I’ve made it a point to write down what I’m feeling. I
have pages of how angry feels, how happy feels, how peace feels. All of these
are valuable research tools when I need to show those emotions in my writing.
3. Practice
description. Look at something around you and practice describing it. Work
to be able to describe anything without repeating words. Make it a skill set to
be able to describe something so well others can picture it clearly.
4. Expand your
vocabulary with small words as well as big ones. The point to expanding
your vocabulary isn’t to impress anyone, it’s so you have a larger choice when
you’re looking for just the right word.
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| Become an armchair traveler. |
5. Become an armchair (or online) traveler. Even if you can’t travel physically, in today’s digital paradigm there’s no excuse not to immerse yourself in the local culture half a continent away. Experiencing different parts of our world will enrich your writing in the same way physical travels can.
6. Read deep and
wide. Don’t just pick one or two genres or even worse, just one or two authors.
Be eclectic in your reading choices and get out of your comfort zone.
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| Take pictures just for you. |
7. Take pictures. No, not for your blog or your family. Take them for yourself. Does the color of that leave intrigue you? Snap a picture. Do you love the way the rain sheets down a window? Again, snap a picture. Then refer back to the pics when you want to set a scene.
8. Join a book club.
Here’s where the rubber meets the road. If you really want to feed your inner
reader, hang out with readers. If you can’t join a local book club, join one online
or at least join the discussions at GoodReads.
9. Practice the art
of storytelling. Some people are born storytellers. The rest of us have to
practice. Tell your family stories about what happened to you during the day,
share life moments on your blog with your reader. Everything is more
interesting when it’s told as a story.
These are the best tips I have to discover your inner
reader. Now it’s your turn. What would you like to add to the list? Be sure to
leave your thoughts below.
And don’t forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie
TWEETABLES
Great suggestions and I agree with all. (Although I've yet to join a book club.) I've kept a writers journal for around five years now. I don't write in it every day, but I share my hopes, my joys, my frustrations. It has been helpful for me. Love the idea of storytelling!
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Joan
Joan, that's great! Thanks so much for stopping by, Blessings, E
DeleteI write out loud half the time. That's why Hubs likes me in a room with a door that can be closed. LOL
ReplyDeleteAne, I'm write there with you! For me, writing can be a verbal and sometimes physical task. Blessings, E
DeleteReading helps you discover markets you may never have considered. Recently for some reason I have received tons of $10 magazine subscription offers. well for that price I thought I might learn "something," and I did. There are a lot of markets I would never have considered had I not took the time to invest in my learning process.
ReplyDeleteRic, you're so right. Thanks so much for stopping by, Blessings, E
DeleteReading is so important for writers that it really isn't optional. I love your creative reading suggestions.
ReplyDeleteJanalyn, thank you! I love your site and am so humbled you stopped by today! Blessings, E
Delete