Hi friends,
I’m excited to be back with you this week, and today I’m going to share the final C of Creativity and that is Craft. As a writer whether just starting out or an author of a dozen or a hundred books, I believe it’s vital to continue to study the craft of writing. I don’t believe the learning should ever stop, and craft can always be improved. Just as filling our well of creativity via curiosity, should be part of our daily practice, so should working on our craft.
There are numerous ways to do this. It can simply be the habit of writing daily. The more you practice, the better you improve.
It can be via craft books. A few of my favorites are:
On Writing by Stephen King
The Writers Journey by Christopher Vogler
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
Another outlet for honing me craft is attending writer conferences. My favorite this year was Thrillerfest in New York. I had the pleasure of meeting one of my literary inspirations, Lee Child.
I also hosted a workshop on Special Forces where I learned to take my research on the subject to a new level.
I also attended craft workshops by many talented writers such as Lee Goldberg who is famous for his co-authored books with Janet Evanovich and tv shows like Diagnosis Murder and Monk. Learning how quick pacing works in scripts, helped me to apply the same rules to my writing.
Some other great conferences for honing your craft included:
- American Christian Fiction Conference held every fall.
- Blue Ridge Christian Writer’s Conference
- And for suspense writers, The Writer’s Police Academy
Improving craft is a lifelong process and one I thoroughly enjoy.
Question for you:
As a writer, how do you continue to improve your craft?
As a reader, what writers do you feel have gotten better with time?
Blessings,
Dani
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I don’t even write suspense, Dani, but those workshops looked so good and I have a feeling they would apply to any kind of writing because even if you’re writing women’s fiction or romance, you still want an element of suspense, cliffhangers, etc. Thanks so much for all the Cs! They’ve been great!
Awww. Thanks so much for stopping by, Deb. I’m thrilled you found the C’s helpful. Yes. Thrillerfest is wonderful for all aspects of craft for sure. Would love to see you there one year. It’s always in NYC in July.
As a writer, I try to write. A lot. Though, I’ve failed at that lately by letting life get in the way.
I do belong to an online writing craft group of sorts.
As a reader, I read to keep my mind engaged, to help my craft, and for pure enjoyment.
Hey Denise,
So fun to see you here. I hear you. Life has a way of taking over writing time and in some seasons that’s the way it needs to be. I’m slowly, very slowly learning to really protect my writing time while still be flexible with my time for when family things pop up. A wise mentor once told me, you can’t right a full book without living a full life. It’s definitely a balance that I could learn to do better. Trying to seek wisdom for writers who’ve been doing it long before me like many of the Inspired writers. I’ve learned SO much from this blog. So blessed to be joining such a great group for this season.
Thank you for your wisdom and kind words.
Great advice, Dani. Thanks for the reminder!
Thank so much, Lynn, for stopping by. So glad you enjoyed the post. I really loved your post on balance. It was super helpful! Hope you’re doing well. It was such a joy getting to meet you and share dinner.
As a writer, I second everything you stated in growing in your craft — and I’d include reading extensively and expanding your vocabulary. I’m currently working on actually scheduling writing (particularly screenwriting) time into my calendar the same way I schedule teaching and appointments, so I can get all the stories in my head and scribbled in quick notes out onto the page! I appreciate hearing how you ladies accomplish that during busy lives so I can be encouraged to keep working on the same!
As a reader, the authors I can see the greatest growth in from book to book are N.D. Wilson, Lori Benton, and Inspired By’s own Rosanna White and Jody Hedlund. Great job you guys!
You picked some fabulous authors!
So glad you found the post helpful. You’re right reading extensively is a MUST. I think Stephen King put it best:
“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.”
Definitely!!