Learning to write

Apr 9, 2015 | Better Writing

Buried about halfway down in the New York Times article, “Why Writers Love to Hate the M.F.A.” is this wonderful sentence.

“Of course, one doesn’t need an M.F.A. to write.”

Yep, that’s true. One of the great things about writing is that you can just start writing and see where it leads you. Most of my clients are businesspeople who want to write better to give their career or business a boost. Not one has ever asked me about an M.F.A. program, even though they all want to write better.

There’s only one way to become a better writer

The only way to improve your writing is to write. That’s what M.F.A. programs do for aspiring creative writers. They set folks to writing a lot. And they do more.

Getting better

Alas, simply writing will not improve your writing. If you have bad habits, lots of practice will drive them deeper into your mid-brain. You need feedback to get better. Good feedback will help you learn techniques that will make your writing better.

Feedback alone isn’t enough

Feedback is good. In fact you won’t improve without it, but you have to act on the feedback you get. In the end, it’s up to you.

Bottom Line

If you want to improve your writing, follow these simple steps. Write. Get feedback. Do better next time. Repeat eternally.