Overcoming Writing Weaknesses: 4 Steps for New Authors
Are you an aspiring author striving to overcome your writing weaknesses? Every first-time author begins their journey with a blend of enthusiasm, hope, and trepidation. After all, the path to literary accomplishment isn’t without its trials.
“The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.” – Molière
Are your writing weaknesses holding you back? Discover ways to improve your craft by identifying your weaknesses and strategizing plans to improve. Transform your weaknesses into writing strengths—one word at a time. Leverage resources, embrace writing practice, and celebrate your progress.
In this third article of our six-part series on writing styles, strengths, and weaknesses, we dive into the nitty-gritty of overcoming writing weaknesses. There’s no shame in acknowledging areas in need of improvement. It’s all about growth and helping you move forward with confidence on your author journey.
Step 1—Identifying Your Writing Weaknesses
In any journey toward mastery, self-awareness is a vital first step. It’s the first step toward progress. As a new writer, it’s crucial to acknowledge that no one is immune to weaknesses. But it can be quite challenging to determine your writing strengths from your weaknesses. Often, we’re either too critical or not critical enough of our own work. We either undervalue our talent or overlook our shortcomings. However, identifying weaknesses in your writing is not an indictment of your potential as an author. It’s merely an admission that there are areas in which you can grow and improve.
Your weaknesses could reside in several areas of writing. For instance, you might struggle with structuring a compelling plot, creating realistic dialogue, developing relatable characters, or maintaining a consistent narrative voice. Alternatively, your challenges might be more related to the writing process itself. You may find it difficult to find inspiration, stay motivated, manage your time efficiently, or deal with writer’s block.
Once you have a sense of what your weaknesses might be, seek feedback from trusted sources to validate your self-assessment. This could be a local writing group, an online writing community, a mentor, or even an honest and critical friend. Keep in mind, constructive criticism is an opportunity for you to grow. It’s not a personal attack. When receiving feedback, listen attentively, keep an open mind, and ask clarifying questions.
Lastly, writing, like any art, is highly subjective. What one person perceives as a weakness, another might see as a unique aspect of your writer’s voice. So, when taking in criticism, be discerning. Consider the feedback that resonates with you and aligns with your writing goals.
Identifying your weaknesses as an author is the first step towards improving them. It’s a brave and necessary action that will set the foundation for your growth and development as a writer. With clarity about your areas for improvement, you’re now ready to take the next step: strategizing your improvement.
Step 2—Strategizing Your Improvement
Once you’ve identified your areas of improvement, it’s time to strategize. This doesn’t mean wildly launching into a slew of writing exercises. Developing a strategy for improvement involves converting the feedback on your weaknesses into a clear plan of action. When you have a plan, you know exactly what to focus on in your next writing session, making your learning more purposeful and effective. This process also empowers you by helping you shift from a passive consumer of feedback to an active agent in your development.
The first element of your strategy: set SMART goals
Your goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. For example, if you’ve identified that your characters lack depth, you might set a goal to deepen one character per week by adding backstory, exploring their motivations, and portraying their emotional responses more vividly. Or if you struggle with dialogue, aim to spend fifteen minutes daily practicing this skill. Setting realistic and specific writing goals to foster consistent practice could be writing a certain number of words each day, completing a story per week, or finishing a novel in six months. Setting goals provides structure to your practice and keeps you accountable.
Practice is vital in implementing your strategy.
Identify exercises that target your weaknesses. If pacing is an issue, you could write a series of short stories, focusing on different pacing techniques. If your plots lack conflict, you might explore different ways to introduce obstacles and tension in your narratives.
Critically reviewing the work of others
This can also be incredibly beneficial. By analyzing successful books within your genre, you can learn how seasoned authors tackle the areas you struggle with. Pay attention to their techniques and try to incorporate them into your writing.
Leverage learning resources
There are numerous free resources available to help you achieve your goals. These include writing guides, online courses, webinars, YouTube channels, podcasts, and books on writing craft. Select resources specific to your area of improvement. If you struggle with dialogue, for instance, find resources that delve into crafting realistic and engaging conversations.
You don’t need to navigate this journey alone. The writing community is expansive and supportive, offering an array of resources to guide you. By seeking out and using these resources, you transform your weaknesses into strengths, one step at a time. The learning process becomes less daunting and more enriching when you have the right resources at your disposal.
Software and other tools often go underutilized. For more on these tools, see 10 Best Writing Software & Apps: Boost Your Productivity Now.
Strategizing improvement is vital because it provides a clear path forward. Without a strategy, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale of the challenge, leading to procrastination or self-doubt. A detailed improvement strategy boosts your confidence and accelerates your progress. It helps you evolve from a new writer into an accomplished author.
Step 3—Embracing the Practice
Embracing practice means committing to a routine. It also means cultivating a mindset that welcomes growth, adapts to feedback, and values patience. Persistent practice, coupled with the right resources and strategies, transforms your writing weaknesses into strengths. As an aspiring author, it’s crucial to embrace the process of practice. After all, even the most acclaimed authors didn’t become masters overnight. Set aside time each day to write, focusing on your areas of improvement. With consistency, you’ll see progress.
Consistency transforms weaknesses into strengths
Practice is an indispensable part of honing your craft. It’s where knowledge meets application, and where real growth occurs. (We’ll cover more of this in the fourth part of our series).
Think of your writing skills as muscles. Just as muscles need regular exercise to become stronger, your writing skills need consistent practice to improve. Every piece of writing, no matter how small, is a step towards becoming a better writer. It could be a daily journal entry, a short story, or even a lengthy novel. What matters is the regularity and intent behind your writing practice.
Use your strategy to guide practice
If your weakness is character development, dedicate time to creating comprehensive character profiles. If you struggle with plot construction, experiment with different plot structures in your practice pieces. The goal is to consciously apply the principles you’ve learned, allowing them to become second nature.
A critical part of practice: embracing feedback
Use it to inform your practice. Whether the feedback comes from a mentor, writing group, or professional editor, constructive criticism is a gold mine. It offers fresh perspectives on your work, highlighting areas you might not realize need improvement. It’s essential to approach feedback with an open mind, viewing it as an opportunity for growth rather than a personal attack. (For more about writer’s groups, see The Magic of Writer’s Groups: Build Connections & Grow).
Patience is vital
Developing your writing skills is a marathon, not a sprint. Improvement takes time. Some days, it might feel like your practice isn’t making progress, but every word you write is a step in the right direction. It’s important to celebrate small victories and take pride in your progress.
Step 4—Celebrating Progress
Overcoming writing weaknesses isn’t just about practice and hard work. It’s also about celebrating milestones. When you notice improvements, no matter how small, take a moment to acknowledge your progress. As an aspiring author, embracing the celebration of progress creates a positive cycle of motivation, effort, achievement, and reward, fostering a healthier and more enjoyable writing experience. Remember, the journey of writing is just as important as the final product, and each step forward deserves to be celebrated.
Celebrating progress is often over-looked
Yet celebrating is an essential part of overcoming writing weaknesses for new authors. It serves as both a motivator and a reward for the hard work you’ve invested in your writing journey. The process of writing is inherently filled with challenges and setbacks. Whether it’s overcoming writer’s block, finding the right words, or crafting a compelling plot, there are countless obstacles to navigate. And while these obstacles are instrumental in our growth as writers, they can also be mentally and emotionally draining.
That’s where celebrating progress comes in. Acknowledging your achievements, big or small, gives you a well-deserved pat on the back. This could be as simple as recognizing that you wrote every day for a week, or as significant as completing a draft of your novel’s first chapter. It doesn’t matter how big the achievement. What matters is recognizing your effort and improvement.
Celebrating progress also works as a valuable tool for maintaining motivation. As a new writer, the path to becoming a published author can seem long and daunting. It’s easy to become discouraged when you’re focusing solely on the end goal and overlooking the milestones along the way. Celebrating progress helps to keep you motivated by providing a series of mini goals and victories on your journey. (For more on motivation, see the timeless advice in How to Be Smarter, Faster, Better).
How can you celebrate progress?
One effective way is by keeping a writing journal. Record your daily or weekly achievements, then take the time to review and reflect on them. This practice allows you to see your improvement over time. It also serves as a tangible reminder of your hard work.
Another approach is to share your achievements with others. This could be with a writing group, a mentor, or supportive friends and family. Sharing your progress allows you to revel in your achievements and garner encouragement for the next stage of your writing journey.
A new writer friend carried contagious enthusiasm when we met at a local café. He was excited to share his new manuscript. “It’s really very good,” he beamed. Unfortunately, it was full of the adverbs “very” and “really.” When I gently pointed them out to him, we both couldn’t help but chuckle. The classic case of overusing adverbs had struck again. Looking back, we laugh at his “‘very’” first draft. It serves as a perfect testament to how far he has come in overcoming one of his writing weaknesses.
Wrap Up
Overcoming writing weaknesses might seem daunting. Writing is an art, and art isn’t mastered overnight. It’s normal to feel frustrated or impatient at times. But remember, every great author once stood where you’re standing now. The key is to stay committed and trust the process.
Every step you take towards improvement brings you one step closer to mastering your craft as an author. Keep writing, keep improving, and most importantly, keep believing in yourself.
Stay tuned for the next part of this series on writing styles, strengths, and weaknesses. In the next part, we’ll cover techniques for refining and leveraging your writing strengths to maximize your potential. We’re excited to continue this journey with you, providing guidance and encouragement every step of the way.
If you’d like to go back through each of the parts in this series, we suggest you start with the first article, Transform Your Writing Style: 4 Tips for New Authors.
Don’t wait. Start today!
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