Writing is more than a profession – it is a real calling. As with any activity, a writer needs training, mentoring, advice, and discipline in order to progress. And you need to look for your own style, patiently, which will lead to the best results.
Writer or author: what’s the difference
The terms “writer” and “author” are usually used interchangeably. Even venerable writers and bestselling authors cannot always tell the difference between the two.
The status of a writer is difficult to define, and everyone has their own understanding. It is a profession, a hobby. A writer is a person who is in the process of writing. If this is a need for you, more than a desire, and you constantly spend your time writing stories, essays, or describing different events – you are a writer.
An author is a person whose work is published. That is, the publishing process makes you an author. In this age of self-publishing, it’s easier than ever to become an author without interacting with traditional publishing companies. In addition, an author is considered to be one who creates original ideas that take the form of poetry, novels, short stories, plays, biographies, radio and television scripts, and blogs.
Who are great writers?
There are many ways to become a good writer and get paid for it. The market for well-written papers and articles on a variety of topics by people with deep or specialized knowledge is huge, both on the Internet and in commercial magazines. The main thing is to find your niche. Contributors can be freelance or full-time authors, but they all share the ability to write articles and papers in a concise and clear manner.
If you want to see how they do it, you can, for example, buy a personal statement on one of the professional writing services. You will get a sample to understand how to write this specific type of paper. You will see that, to deal with this type of writing, you need to stick to strict requirements, have proper writing skills, and the knowledge to disclose the topic.
Hacks you need to become a great writer
Ernest Hemingway and Mark Twain, authors of the finest works of American literature, were supporters of simple writing. Whether you are a blogger or just planning to write a story, here are some hacks to consider.
- Organize your thoughts and outline ideas. This will serve as a roadmap to help you focus and make your writing easier. Without an outline, it’s easy to go astray.
- Choose your words carefully so that your readers can follow the story thoroughly. Try to choose words that directly express your point of view. Use a thesaurus in certain cases. If you run a popular blog, your choice of words determines how many readers will visit your page. Using search engine optimization strategies, authors select specific keywords to help a site get high rankings in Google searches.
- Avoid using unnecessary words, especially adjectives and adverbs, which are nothing more than empty descriptors. Many writers rely on adjectives and adverbs to give meaning to their story without realizing that the most powerful elements are verbs. A strong verb does not need an adverb. At the same time, adjectives or adverbs will not strengthen a weak verb. Only use them when they add something valuable to the phrase. Otherwise, the meaning will be lost, plunged into a sea of meaningless words.
- The best way to bring your work to life for the reader is to use exact nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. A well-chosen word is always more impactful than three vague ones. Adjectives (big and small, cold and hot, beautiful and scary), adverbs (fast and slow, loud and quiet), and common verbs do not make a vivid picture for the reader. Of course, they are appropriate but try to choose words that specifically describe what you want to tell. Use words that sound interesting: giant, tiny, scorching, shabby, etc. Each word brings an emotional connotation to the sentence. Write brightly, interestingly, and the reader will like your writing.
- Remember your target audience. Authors of children’s books use a simpler language than New York Times journalists. But any periodical or book for adults is more easily perceived by the reader when simple and concise language is used. To be understood by most readers, the author must write at an eighth-grade reading comprehension level. At this level of learning, the language is already advanced but understandable enough for a wide audience.
Using these hacks is one of the secrets to becoming a successful writer. We hope that they inspire you to start writing right now. Good luck!