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<title>The Art of Storytelling and Captivating Readers through Effective Writing Techniques</title>
<link>https://www.dailywritingtips.com/the-art-of-storytelling-and-captivating-readers-through-effective-writing-techniques/</link>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Erin]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 17 Apr 2024 15:59:36 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[General]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.dailywritingtips.com/?p=39525</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Storytelling is an art form as old as language itself. Every culture, every civilization, has its unique approaches to narrating stories and engaging the reader. Storytelling is directly linked to the way we perceive reality, and by learning how to captivate our readers through powerful narrative techniques, we take them on an unforgettable journey.  Storytelling ... <a title="The Art of Storytelling and Captivating Readers through Effective Writing Techniques" class="read-more" href="https://www.dailywritingtips.com/the-art-of-storytelling-and-captivating-readers-through-effective-writing-techniques/" aria-label="Read more about The Art of Storytelling and Captivating Readers through Effective Writing Techniques">Read more</a>
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]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
Storytelling is an art form as old as language itself. Every culture, every civilization, has its unique approaches to narrating stories and engaging the reader. Storytelling is directly linked to the way we perceive reality, and by learning how to captivate our readers through powerful narrative techniques, we take them on an unforgettable journey. 
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Storytelling and Its Impact on the Reader’s Experience</h2>
The main power of storytelling is to engage readers emotionally. By presenting a storyline that resonates with your audience on a deeper level, you open up avenues for your message to genuinely connect with them. Storytelling does not aim at presenting information; it aims at creating a solid narrative that would make the reader gain new experience, live through a particular story, visualize it, and make certain conclusions from it. Would anyone like a fairytale that simply states facts like “Little Red Riding Hood, who went to visit her grandma, was eaten by the wolf”? Tension, sympathy, fear, and hope — these are what makes this tale alive; this is what storytelling enriches this tale with.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Role of Storytelling in Non-Fiction Texts</h2>
Though commonly associated with fiction, narrative tools are applicable in many different areas, ranging from scientific studies to legal documents. Incorporating narrative writing techniques into non-fiction pieces helps simplify complex subjects and render them more accessible to broader audiences. For instance, if you’re filling out a <a href="https://lawrina.org/templates/service-contract/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">service agreement template</a>, you have to follow a certain structure and describe all the services in detail, which is also a form of storytelling.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Key Elements of Effective Storytelling</h2>
Creating an exciting story isn’t simple; it requires a deep understanding of various aspects. Here are the essential elements that can transform writing from simple exposition to enthralling storytelling:
<ol>
<li>Characters: They instigate events, react to them, and carry the readers along, allowing them a window into the realm created by the writer.</li>
<li>Plot: The plot remains the backbone of the story, forming the sequential structure upon which a narrative unfolds. It is, essentially, what happens in the story and how it happens.</li>
<li>Setting: The setting facilitates the plot and characters, anchoring the narrative in a time and place. The setting can influence character behavior, bias the plot, or simply add depth to the narrative.</li>
<li>Conflict: Conflict introduces excitement and unpredictability into the story. It tests the characters, teases the plot, and helps create a gripping story.</li>
<li>Theme: The theme incorporates underlying messages or universal concepts that the writer wishes to explore through their story.</li>
</ol>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Narrative Arc and Its Role in Engaging Storytelling</h2>
A story, no matter how captivating its characters or immersive its setting may be, can’t truly engage readers without a structured pathway — the narrative arc. It guides your characters through their journey, marks their transformations, and drives toward a resolution.
Let’s consider J.K. Rowling’s best-selling Harry Potter series. The narrative arc of the series tracks Harry’s life from living under the stairs at the Dursleys, focuses on his formative years at Hogwarts, and culminates in the epic battle against Voldemort. These narrative strategies, full of highs, lows, triumphs, and losses, kept readers of all ages hooked for a decade, eagerly waiting for the release of the next book in the series. 
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Techniques To Captivate Readers</h2>
What are narrative techniques that can captivate readers? Some people prefer a thrilling plot twist, while others are more drawn to complex characters or atmospheric settings. Here are a few methods to make your story interesting:
<ul>
<li>Create relatable characters: Characters that feel real and relatable resonate with readers and pull them into the narrative. Give your characters depth, strengths, weaknesses, and quirks.</li>
<li>Keep the plot engaging: A plot with unexpected twists and turns keeps the readers on their toes and maintains their interest in the story.</li>
<li>Use descriptive language: The use of descriptive language helps create a vivid picture in the reader’s mind. This immerses them in your story and makes the experience more relatable and tangible.</li>
<li>Show, don’t tell: Instead of telling readers how a character feels or what the setting looks like, show it through actions and sensory details. This is a more immersive way to deliver information and allows the reader to deduce details themselves.</li>
<li>Use dramatic conflict: Conflict is the engine that drives a story. Don’t shy away from introducing conflicts — they create tension, provoke emotional responses, and keep readers invested in the narrative.</li>
<li>Don’t neglect the ending: Give your story a satisfying resolution. The ending should solve major plot puzzles and be a worthy payoff for the reader’s invested time.</li>
<li>Proofread and edit: Always check for any errors or inconsistencies in your story. Readers appreciate clean, polished narratives that are easy to perceive.</li>
</ul>
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Conclusion</h2>
The knowledge of effective story-writing techniques is important for any writer. By strategically implementing the key elements of storytelling into your work, you can upgrade the reader’s experience from merely reading words on a page to feeling engaged in the world you’ve brought to life. No matter whether you’re writing a novel about love or a blog post about legal matters, your readers should feel they gain new experience while reading your text.
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.dailywritingtips.com/the-art-of-storytelling-and-captivating-readers-through-effective-writing-techniques/">The Art of Storytelling and Captivating Readers through Effective Writing Techniques</a> first appeared on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.dailywritingtips.com">DAILY WRITING TIPS</a>.
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</item>
<item>
<title>The Many Meanings of “Groom” and “Grooming”</title>
<link>https://www.dailywritingtips.com/the-many-meanings-of-groom-and-grooming/</link>
<comments>https://www.dailywritingtips.com/the-many-meanings-of-groom-and-grooming/#comments</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Maeve Maddox]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 25 Jan 2023 17:12:08 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Expressions]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.dailywritingtips.com/?p=13375</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A formerly useful and innocuous set of words–groom, groomed, and grooming—has become a trope used primarily to stir anxiety and dread in parents. People who use words professionally may want to give some thought to taming some of the hysteria that has come to reside around these words. The noun groom Until recently, the noun ... <a title="The Many Meanings of “Groom” and “Grooming”" class="read-more" href="https://www.dailywritingtips.com/the-many-meanings-of-groom-and-grooming/" aria-label="Read more about The Many Meanings of “Groom” and “Grooming”">Read more</a>
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]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
A formerly useful and innocuous set of words–groom, groomed, and grooming—has become a trope used primarily to stir anxiety and dread in parents.
People who use words professionally may want to give some thought to taming some of the hysteria that has come to reside around these words.
The noun groom
Until recently, the noun groom denoted a person who looks after horses.
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
They met at her stable when the groom took his niece, Claire, to riding lessons.
</blockquote>
The word probably began as a word for boy or man. The use of groom to denote a man on his wedding day is a shortening of the word bridegroom.
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
At the end of the ceremony, the bride and groom sipped wine from a shared glass.
</blockquote>
The gerund grooming has long referred to the activity of caring for hair or fur.
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
You can reduce the impact of shedding by grooming your cat daily.
</blockquote>
The participle groomed
The past participle, groomed, refers to a tidy appearance and is viewed as a positive social attribute.
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
The man was described as 18 to 25 years old, well groomed, with dark curly hair.
He is articulate, personable, groomed, passionate, intelligent and a family man.
</blockquote>
The verb groom
The verb to groom derives from the activities of a groom, i.e., taking care of a horse.
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
One of his duties was to help groom and feed the horses that pulled the cannons.
</blockquote>
More broadly, the verb means, “to tend or attend to carefully; to give a neat, tidy appearance to.”
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
Eyebrows are a bit of a thing for me, so much so that my face genuinely looks odd when I don’t groom and powder them.
</blockquote>
Grooming was especially important when a horse was scheduled to be in a parade or a show. In time, the verb to groom came to mean, “to get someone ready for a particular role.” An early use in this sense applied to the preparation of a political candidate to run for office.
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
Grover Cleveland was being groomed for his first Presidential term.
</blockquote>
From politics, the word spread to other professions:
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
The Music School in Montreal grooms pop musicians.
They are grooming freshmen and sophomores to eventually take over behind center.
</blockquote>
In extended usage, just about anything can groom itself or be groomed.
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
For years, the city has groomed itself as a nexus of culture.
The last 10 to 15 minutes of the meeting will be devoted to grooming daylilies.
</blockquote>
In 2005, the OED added this sense:
groom (transitive verb): Of an animal: to clean the skin, hair, etc., of; Also reflexive: to clean and tidy itself.
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
The cat grooms the rabbit, and in the morning and evening they chase each other around the yard.
You must brush to reduce the chances of your cat developing fur balls in her stomach from swallowing the shedding fur that she grooms off herself.
</blockquote>
Finally in 2007 comes this usage:
groom (transitive verb): Of a paedophile [US pedophile]; to befriend or influence (a child), now especially via the internet, in preparation for future sexual abuse.
Although this latest definition for groom specifies the preparation of children to accept sexual exploitation, actual usage of the term has expanded to refer to preparing a child not only for some potential immoral behavior, but also for the possibility of acquiring certain opinions regarding a variety of topics.
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
Public schools grooming kids with critical race theory, ‘sexual chaos,’ and ‘racial confusion’
</blockquote>
It seems to me that if groom is intended to refer to the frightful practice of gaining a child’s trust in order to exploit the child sexually, speakers and writers could add a qualifier to the word grooming, the way some British publications do:
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">
In his leaving speech to staff, Harding expressed pride in the paper’s investigations into tax avoidance and child sex grooming. —Independent
</blockquote>
If, on the other hand, speakers are objecting not to “sex grooming” but to classroom discussions of controversial subjects, the negative word they may be looking for is indoctrination.
However, what most people mean by “indoctrination” does not permit discussion:
indoctrination: (noun) the process of teaching a person or group to accept a set of beliefs uncritically.
As the king says in the musical, when it comes to dealing with new ideas, “Is a puzzlement.”
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.dailywritingtips.com/the-many-meanings-of-groom-and-grooming/">The Many Meanings of “Groom” and “Grooming”</a> first appeared on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.dailywritingtips.com">DAILY WRITING TIPS</a>.
]]></content:encoded>
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</item>
<item>
<title>“Meaningless Buzzwords”?</title>
<link>https://www.dailywritingtips.com/meaningless-buzzwords/</link>
<comments>https://www.dailywritingtips.com/meaningless-buzzwords/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Maeve Maddox]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 09 Jan 2023 05:11:48 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Vocabulary]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.dailywritingtips.com/?p=13377</guid>
<description><![CDATA[I read that a political commentator, whom I will not name, asserts that five particular terms are “meaningless buzzwords.” Labeling these particular words “buzzwords” sent me to my language sources to discover whether my understanding of the word is faulty. Here are definitions from my two main dictionaries. buzzword: noun, Originally and chiefly U.S. a ... <a title="“Meaningless Buzzwords”?" class="read-more" href="https://www.dailywritingtips.com/meaningless-buzzwords/" aria-label="Read more about “Meaningless Buzzwords”?">Read more</a>
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]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" src="https://www.dailywritingtips.com/wp-content/uploads/backgrounds/49.jpg" width="699" height="200" alt="background image" />
I read that a political commentator, whom I will not name, asserts that five particular terms are “meaningless buzzwords.” Labeling these particular words “buzzwords” sent me to my language sources to discover whether my understanding of the word is faulty. 
Here are definitions from my two main dictionaries. 
buzzword: noun, Originally and chiefly U.S. a keyword, a catchword or expression currently fashionable; a term used more to impress than to inform, especially, a technical or jargon term.—Oxford English Dictionary
buzzword: noun, an important-sounding usually technical word or phrase often of little meaning used chiefly to impress laymen. —Merriam-Webster
To my mind, buzzwords are of two kinds.
One kind—the most common—is a deliberately pretentious term used in place of a more obvious choice. The word is perfectly appropriate in another, specialized context. For example, “granular” for detailed or “optics” for appearances. 
<blockquote>But residents thinking about future Sandy-like events need granular specificity. 
Optics over ethics never ends well, and being a jerk doesn’t make you a leader. </blockquote>
The other kind of buzzword can be a new coinage, like metaverse. Whereas buzzwords drawn from professional terminology or jargon can be replaced by more familiar words, new terms like “metaverse” must be defined by the earliest writers using them. Nowadays, most readers probably take the word metaverse in stride, but in July 2021, authors of a tech article in the New York Times thought it necessary to explain it.
<blockquote>Remember hearing about “the internet”? Get ready for “the metaverse.” 
The term comes from digital antiquity: Coined by the writer Neal Stephenson in his 1992 novel, “Snow Crash,” then reimagined as the Oasis in the Ernest Cline novel “Ready Player One,” it refers to a fully realized digital world that exists beyond the analog one in which we live.
As a buzzword, the metaverse refers to a variety of virtual experiences, environments and assets that gained momentum during the online-everything shift of the pandemic. –NYT, 7 July 2021.</blockquote>
Buzzwords are a type of jargon. At best, a buzzword describes something new that requires a new definition. At worst, it is the unexpected use of a word out of its usual context with the aim of dazzling or intimidating listeners.
Now for the words that prompted this post.
All the words listed as “meaningless buzzwords” by the political columnist are omnipresent in the media, but they are the usual words for what they denote: racism, bigotry, xenophobia, homophobia, Islamophobia. 
racism: a belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.
bigotry: obstinate or intolerant devotion to one’s own opinions and prejudices.
xenophobia: fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything that is strange or foreign.
homophobia: hostility towards, prejudice against, or (less commonly) fear of homosexual people or homosexuality.
Islamopobia: intense dislike or fear of Islam, especially as a political force; hostility or prejudice towards Muslims.
The Ngram Viewer reveals an interesting timescape for the words. 
The word racism has been a significant presence in printed matter since 1960. It shows a marked plateau in the 1980s, a dip in the early 2000s, and a steady rise from 2010.
The word bigotry shows a decline from 1826 to 2013 and then an uptick in 2014.
The word xenophobia peaked in 2002 and again in 2018.
The word homophobia has been on the rise since 1972, had a slight downturn from 1999 to 2007, when it began a new rise.
Newest of the pack is Islamophobia, which begins a dramatic rise in 1993.
The frequency of a word in the media does not make it a “buzzword.” A buzzword is shallow and ephemeral. When a word begins as a buzzword, like metaverse, and then becomes the principal word to signify an established concept, it stops being a buzzword.
I can only question the commentator’s intentions in dismissing these five weighty words as “meaningless buzzwords.”
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.dailywritingtips.com/meaningless-buzzwords/">“Meaningless Buzzwords”?</a> first appeared on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.dailywritingtips.com">DAILY WRITING TIPS</a>.
]]></content:encoded>
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</item>
<item>
<title>Mustn’t Have Done and Couldn’t Have Done</title>
<link>https://www.dailywritingtips.com/mustnt-have-done-and-couldnt-have-done/</link>
<comments>https://www.dailywritingtips.com/mustnt-have-done-and-couldnt-have-done/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Maeve Maddox]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 02 Jan 2023 05:11:21 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Grammar]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.dailywritingtips.com/?p=13378</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A reader has asked for a post on the difference between “mustn’t have + past participle” and “couldn’t have + past participle.” He gives these examples: a) Ahmed failed the exam. He mustn’t have studied hard. b) Ahmed failed the exam. He couldn’t have studied hard. Before writing to me, the reader queried native English ... <a title="Mustn’t Have Done and Couldn’t Have Done" class="read-more" href="https://www.dailywritingtips.com/mustnt-have-done-and-couldnt-have-done/" aria-label="Read more about Mustn’t Have Done and Couldn’t Have Done">Read more</a>
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]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img decoding="async" src="https://www.dailywritingtips.com/wp-content/uploads/backgrounds/48.jpg" width="699" height="200" alt="background image" />
A reader has asked for a post on the difference between “mustn’t have + past participle” and “couldn’t have + past participle.” He gives these examples:
a) Ahmed failed the exam. He mustn’t have studied hard. 
b) Ahmed failed the exam. He couldn’t have studied hard.
Before writing to me, the reader queried native English speakers of his acquaintance and received these answers.
<blockquote>• Some native speakers say that ONLY the first example is correct. 
• Others say that both are correct. 
• Some say that “mustn’t have + pp” indicates a conclusion based on evidence. 
• Some say that “mustn’t have” suggests an 80% certainty, whereas “couldn’t have” provides 100% certainty.</blockquote>
Both a) and b) are correct. 
The first statement is more likely to be spoken by a speaker of British English and the second by a speaker of US English. Either way, in this context, the speakers are merely speculating as to why Ahmed may have failed the exam. In this context, the constructions with mustn’t and couldn’t are interchangeable.
I have found numerous discussions of the mustn’t/couldn’t dichotomy in ESL forums. I don’t think I’d ever seen percentages of certainty applied to grammatical constructions before.
Degrees of certainty 
Here is an illustration from an actual grammar book: 
<blockquote>In answer to the question “Why didn’t Sam eat?”:
“Sam wasn’t hungry.” (The speaker is 100% sure that this is the reason.) 
“Sam can’t have been hungry.” (The speaker believes – is 99% certain –that it is impossible for Sam to have been hungry.)
Sam must not have been hungry. (The speaker is making a logical conclusion. We can say he’s about 95% certain.)
“Sam might not have been hungry.” (The speaker is less than 50% certain, and is mentioning one possibility.)</blockquote>
Rather than assigning percentages of certainty to these constructions, it makes more sense to me to say that sometimes they convey certainty and sometimes they don’t. It all depends on context.
Here are examples in which mustn’t have and couldn’t have do indicate a conclusion based on evidence.
<blockquote>If the blood was still fresh that meant this murder mustn’t have been too long ago. 
From the style of his writing he mustn’t be older than 30 years of age. 
The car’s windows are darkly tinted, so Snell couldn’t have seen Johnson inside.
She couldn’t have understood the radio broadcast because she does not speak Dutch.</blockquote>
The evidence for the conclusion lies in the sentence itself.
<blockquote>the freshness of the blood.
the writing style.
the windows were too dark to see through.
the listener did not know the language.</blockquote>
Other contexts 
Lacking internal evidence, the application of percentages to the “certainty” of the meaning of these two constructions is an exercise in futility.
The following examples can convey ideas other than certainty.
<blockquote>You mustn’t have spent much time in New York. (sarcasm?)
He mustn’t have finished his homework on time. (Maybe he didn’t do it at all)
She couldn’t have tried very hard. (Maybe she tried as hard as she could, but lacked the necessary ability.)</blockquote>
The question, I suspect, troubles ESL learners more than it does native speakers.
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</item>
<item>
<title>To Be a Writer</title>
<link>https://www.dailywritingtips.com/to-be-a-writer/</link>
<comments>https://www.dailywritingtips.com/to-be-a-writer/#respond</comments>
<dc:creator><![CDATA[Maeve Maddox]]></dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 26 Dec 2022 12:11:04 +0000</pubDate>
<category><![CDATA[Fiction Writing]]></category>
<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.dailywritingtips.com/?p=13379</guid>
<description><![CDATA[There’s a saying that “everyone has a book in him.” Since self-publishing has become so easy, quite a few people seem to be trying to expel it. During the month of November, hundreds of thousands of people signed up to write a novel during NaNoWriMo. The annual ritual of National Novel Writing Month began in ... <a title="To Be a Writer" class="read-more" href="https://www.dailywritingtips.com/to-be-a-writer/" aria-label="Read more about To Be a Writer">Read more</a>
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]]></description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<img decoding="async" src="https://www.dailywritingtips.com/wp-content/uploads/backgrounds/47.jpg" width="699" height="200" alt="background image" />
There’s a saying that “everyone has a book in him.” Since self-publishing has become so easy, quite a few people seem to be trying to expel it. 
During the month of November, hundreds of thousands of people signed up to write a novel during NaNoWriMo.
The annual ritual of National Novel Writing Month began in 1999 with 21 participants, six of whom finished the challenge of writing a manuscript of 50,000 words. In 2018 (the last year I’ve found stats for), 450,000 people signed up; 53,000 of them completed the challenge. How many of those produced a publishable novel is another question.
As the Good Book says, many are called, but few are chosen.
Several weeks ago, I received an email from a man who said that, because of a disability, he was “unable to work,” and had “decided to buckle down and actually start writing.” He said that he had long had a dream of writing a particular kind of novel and wanted to “finally make that dream a reality.” But, he wrote, “The only problem is, I don’t know where to start or how to even begin to write a book.”
I responded by saying that where to begin all depended upon where he was starting from. I offered some generalities and asked for a few details about his previous reading and writing experience so I could make some practical suggestions. Never heard back.
Yes, everyone’s life can provide the material for a book, but not everyone has what it takes to write one.
Free advice to writers is plentiful on line:
• Keep a daily writing habit. … 
• Read diligently. … 
• Take writing classes. … 
• Join a writing group. … 
• Keep reference books handy. … 
• Write in a variety of forms. … 
• Learn the rules. … 
• Outline before you write.
Then there are the paid services whose purpose is to sell the idea that all one needs to achieve the dream of becoming a best-selling author (the only kind of writer anyone dreams about becoming) is their product:
<blockquote>Have you always wanted to be a writer? Don’t let doubt or fear get the best of you—take a chance and learn how to start writing a book, novel, short story, memoir, or essay.</blockquote>
True, the basics of writing can be taught. 
Anyone can learn to write a workman-like product description, instruction manual, news story, or opinion piece. But a whole book? Especially, a novel that will draw a reader into a fictional dream filled with memorable characters living exciting, frightening, interesting, lives? 
Writing a novel is HARD. Not everyone who wants to write one and even begins writing one is able to finish it.
Lack of talent is not the greatest obstacle to completing a book. Brian A. Klems says it all in his charming essay, “7 Reasons Writing a Book Makes You a Badass.”
<blockquote>Many people don’t write a book because it’s extremely hard. Forcing yourself to sit down, brainstorm, write, edit, rewrite, edit, cut, add, rewrite, workshop, rewrite, and rewrite some more until you’ve got somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 words is grueling work. (Writer’s Digest, May 18, 2015)</blockquote>
The best advice is “Know Thyself.” Are you tenacious of purpose? Can you eschew TV and human company for many hours at a time? These are characteristics you will need to possess—in addition to a broad reading background and competency with standard English. 
Some years ago, another aspiring writer emailed me about his plans to write. As I recall, the request for advice began something like, “I don’t read much, but I want to write a book.”
The best writers read plenty. Many of them, when they become famous, write books about why and how they write and how they found their calling. Here is a short list of books about writing that can help an aspiring writer get a good idea of what it means “to be a writer.” 
Margaret Atwood Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on writing 
John Gardner On Becoming a Novelist 
Elizabeth George Write Away 
Stephen King On Writing 
Anne LaMott Bird by Bird 
Ursula K. LeGuin Conversations on Writing
Writing a novel is not for the faint of heart.
The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.dailywritingtips.com/to-be-a-writer/">To Be a Writer</a> first appeared on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.dailywritingtips.com">DAILY WRITING TIPS</a>.
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