You can't get any broader than to ask the question, 'how do I become a better writer?', yet, this is the question almost everyone on Wattpad asks on a daily basis. Now, the fact that I'm not the greatest writer that ever lived is a testament to the reality that I can only answer this question subjectively. Naturally, I'm improving, and so I'll give you the advice I'd use to improve. On the surface, it's pretty much the most obvious thing, but I think some people might not always think to do it until you point it out. So, I hope it helps!

If you are interested in writing something, the best thing you can do is read the kind of books you want to write. This obviously means you'll be reading other books from your genre. A fantasy writer will read fantasy books, a romance writer will read romance books. However, this can get far more specific. Want to write a story about a zombie apocalypse? Start reading stories about zombie apocalypses.

You probably are not nearly as original as you think you are, and I can pretty much guarantee that your story about a vampire in high school has, at some level, been done by someone before. Therefore, try to find books as close to your source a possible, if for no other reason, then that you have some advice on how to be different.

However, don't simply find books with content that is similar to what you want to write, also find books written in the style you want to write. Want to write books for young adults? Read books for young adults. Just because you're an adult now doesn't mean you'll "remember" and be perfect at writing something that appeals to a younger demographic. See what's out there. Compare your style to the styles that are popular right now.

I'd recommend you peruse what's popular, and also peruse what's new. Seeing the modern trends in writing will help you create books that will work for right now. If you're interested in a certain publisher, read a bunch of books from that publisher. You can use this in order to try to understand what works for the publisher you're interested in. This will help you write a book that has a higher chance of getting published if you have a better understanding of what this publisher typical accepts.

Culture is a constantly changing thing. Things that were popular ten years ago aren't as popular today. Therefore, it's not unreasonable that you'd need to stay up to date on the current trends in the genres you write for. You might learn a thing or two. Even if you read a hundred science fiction novels from 20 years ago, times change, and if you're trying to publish now, not 20 years ago. A book that goes to print today might be different from a book that went out ten years ago. The more you read, the more you'll learn. However, you'll need to branch out as well.

There are entire lists online dedicated to suggesting different genres you can read to learn about certain writing skills. You might want to read a fantasy if you want to be exposed to world building. You might want to read a romance to be exposed to characterization. That kind of thing. But the blunt of it is that you don't want your story to be exactly like every other story.

As a result, you may want to find yourself blending several genres together. Your science fiction novel might have a romantic subplot. However, if you want the romance in your science fiction novel to be authentic and, you know, romantic, then it might be a good idea to read some romance books and see how they do it.

The same can be said about everything. The more genres you expose yourself to, the more you'll be able to add to your story and the better you'll be able to break out of the standard genre mold. At this level, I'm merely talking about reading, but it's a pretty well known that if you want to write, you need to read too. Reading other people's writings and taking example after example after example is the best way to teach you what to do, and what not to do.

I'm not an English major. I'm not an expert. I haven't taken too many writing courses since college. Everything I've written in this book is things I've acquired from observation. I read a bunch of books, and the more books I read, the more observations I find I can make. With the right mindset, you too can take all of the stuff you read, and collectively turn it into your source of innovation and inspiration.

So you've read until you're blue in the face, but now it's time to actually write. Writing is practicing. If you want to be a better writer, you're going to need to write things. That probably should go without saying, but I think there are some new writers out there who don't really understand or appreciate this concept. They want to get through English class and expect their 2-3 English essays a year would somehow prepare them to write a novel.

It really doesn't work that way. You got to write novels, to get better at writing novels. It sounds like an oxymoron, especially when you're pulling out books that are awful and it's only serving to depress you and make you feel bad. Write a book that is slammed by critiques and you'll never feel like writing again. It seems counterintuitive. You don't want to write bad books, you want to write good books

Sadly, you need to write the bad books in order to get good enough with your writing to write the good books. And part of the trick behind that is to write more than one thing. Don't set yourself up to one major project. I know you have that one idea you have to get on paper, and that idea is the very reason you took an interest in writing in the first place, but if you want to get your writing to a stage where you can actually present that story, it might be a good idea to write a lot of other stories too.

Write stories from other points of view. Write stories from other genres. Vary things up. You'll never become a great author by only writing the niche romance that you love so much. You need to practice other genres. Do a mystery once in a while. Practice writing about fantasy creatures. Write a poem. Write in a PoV you hate. When I started writing I was all for the third person. I forced myself to write a few books in the first person. Now I'm more comfortable with it. Do the same.

Present tense. Past Tense. Something that Rhymes. Write a Children's book. Now a gory scene. Practice, broaden your abilities, try something new. It will help you grow... and even if your niche romance story will never have rhymes or gore or science fiction, the practice will help broaden your capacity and it will make a difference.

I've said it before and I'll say it again... start small. Most of us get into writing because we have some epic story in our head that we just have to put to paper. However, if you start with that, not only will you lack the skill to write it well, you'll be so overwhelmed with the content that you'll end up giving up half way through.

You want to "practice" writing a mystery, but the thought of starting another ten-chapter mystery just seems too daunting to you? That's why you make it obtainable. Everything doesn't need to be a novel. Your stories don't need to all be epic. Short stories, micro fiction, short stories by any other name can still be just as short. Create your goal, a 3-page story with mystery in it, and then write it.

Does it feel rushed? Who cares. Did the story end abruptly with no epilog and story tie up? Big deal. A writing doesn't need to follow the hero's journey or the dichotomy of a story... as I mentioned a few chapters ago, you can write whatever you want. You should write whatever you want. Small, obtainable, completable pieces will give you a feeling of accomplishment. When you're done, you're done... and remember, you can always go back and rewrite it later as a longer or more thorough story, but treat what you do as a completed piece of art.

Write 10 5 page stories from 10 different genres, and I'll bet you've learned more from that experience that writing 1 50 page story from a single genre. At the very least, consider keeping things in a range you know you can finish. Don't be like me, with a half-dozen half-finished manuscripts lying around.

Burned out on reading? Can't think of even writing another sentence? Then give editing and critiquing a chance. Look at someone else's work subjectively, and learn from analyzing other people's writing on how you can improve your own. I do recommend that you avoid getting conceded. As I've mentioned before, just because you perceive your story as better than another story, it doesn't earn you any extra brownie points.

However, sometimes, you're just too close to "home" to truly be able to see the faults in your own book. It takes pointing out a mirror scene in 3-4 other books before you suddenly realize just how dreadful the mirror scene in your own book is. You won't learn about common grammar mistakes until you see other people making them. Even if it's not a mistake you often make, by correcting other people, it'll make you a lot more conscious of those mistakes and even less likely to make them yourself in the future.

Plus, simply developing a method of critiquing or editing refined by actually doing these things would really help anyone when they turn that knowledge to their own work. Once you've developed a surefire editing plan, then you can take that same plan to your own work. Analyze your own work like you learned with others. Maybe you'll start finding the plot holes in your own story that you were originally too close to notice. Maybe you'll realize just how annoying em dashes are. Whatever it is, practice makes perfect, so if you want to write something to be read... then when you get right down to it, reading and writing are about the only two things you can do. So get practicing.

Good Luck, and Happy Writing!