Poor writing deters readers. This isn’t something you want to do, especially if the reader is reading your work for the first time.
If they aren’t impressed, they will quit reading and certainly not buy any more of your books. This isn’t just grammar and punctuation. Poor writing describes the lack of thought of effort behind the writing. A flat plot with 1-D characters.
Here are 5 ways to make your writing better:
1) Punctuation.
No one likes poor punctuation. Poor punctuation can ruin your writing. But, good punctuation can make your writing flow. It guarantees that readers will read your book as you wished it to be read. Not to mention, it makes everything look neater and more professional.
2) Character work.
So many authors can write wonderfully but lack characterisations. Some deem it a waste of time and assume that readers will become attached to the characters, even if you haven’t done the essential crafting of a character. WRONG! It may seem like a waste of time, but you must write a character profile. This is what separates amateurs from professionals. It’s the tiny details that go into writing the book that make it truly incredible. So, take some time and think of a list of questions for your character/s. Where did they go to school? Do they have family? Marital status? Age? Pet peeves? Passions? Fears?
Note: as well as making characters come to life, it will also help with continuity. Perhaps you didn’t do a character profile. In the beginning of the book, you said they love cats. In the end of the book, you then say they love dogs. This will throw the reader off and remove any legitimacy and credit from your book. This could seriously affect future sales from that particular reader.
3) Originality.
Don’t follow the trend. Don’t do what everyone else tells you to do. Write what you want to write, right?
If you want to write about something, then do it. Passion trumps agenda. If you write a book in the hopes that it will make you money as that genre is trending currently (Harry Potter / witchcraft, The Walking Dead / zombies) and it doesn’t make you sales, then you have wasted months of your life writing something you didn’t want to write, that didn’t make you the money you thought it would. If you write out of obligation rather than passion, it will come across in your writing. Trust me! So, write from the heart. Your book and genuine readers will appreciate it.
4) Addiction factor.
So, how do you make your book a page-turner? How do you make it utterly compelling? How do you make it…addictive? We have all been there, or at least I hope writers have been there! A writer who doesn’t read is a bad writer.
Where you read such a remarkable book you struggle to put it down. How do you make your book be received in the same way?
There is no specific science for this, it is a combination of various elements. Great writing, planned out plots and characters that readers love, or love to hate, a lot of research, a lot of edits, endless twists and cliffhangers, and a bold book concept. (Don’t confuse this with how to make it irresistible to readers from a marketing perspective, this is once they have bought and started reading your work!)
5) Realism / Logic.
Despite the genre, your book must have an element or realism or at least rationality. Even in the supernatural genre, rules are important. You need to set these rules in advance. For example, your book features ghosts. All the way through they cannot touch anything, then at the end, suddenly they can. You would have to explain what has changed and how they can now touch something or someone. Even in the horror world of monster books, there is a level of logic. If there are no rules or boundaries in your book’s own world, your work will suffer.
Note: an added benefit is effortless suspense. If all the way through the book you subtly stress something, then at the end it changes suddenly, the reader will be shocked. They will be compelled to read on for the reason why this rule has all of a sudden changed. This is even relevant in the non-supernatural books. Example: you write a thriller, a man is chasing a woman, he is a killer. He has killed plenty of women. Then, when he gets the girl he wants he gets knife-fright. This would suggest something important about their character relationship. Or something about the man. Guilt? Hidden feelings? Secret alternate agendas and so on.
I hope you take these tips on board and use them to make your work truly outstanding! I wish you all the best.
Wesley Thomas is a bestselling horror author, owner of Wesley’s Author Promo Service, head of marketing for a UK firm, and works as a freelance writer for several websites. He loves reading, painting, fitness, movies, traveling, good food, and spending time with his family & friends. Authors, sign up for his monthly writing and marketing tips here.
