Book authors - how do you hone your skills?

[FastNAwesome]

I'm writing my first book.

It was unplanned, a series of events which peaked in a moment. And in that moment it occurred to me - I should write a book (self-help genre).

It almost writes itself, and I know at least one person who needs it - me.

My questions to those who already wrote books:

How do you hone your skills?
Are there any resources you can recommend for becoming a better writer?
Do you have any other advice?

On one hand, I don't lack words to say, words pour out, and I have my message, my own voice. Maybe that in itself has it's charm?

On the other hand, I realized that everything is a craft, every trade has it's tricks, and the professional authors among you probably think I can't even write a proper post

I agree with you, and that's exactly the reason for this post

 

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[V8Bill]

I wrote mine in a conversational tone and people seem to like it. Just write as you speak for now and sort it out (or get it edited) later. The most important thing is to know what you're talking about and the second is to just get it all out. One tip I'd give is not to plan writing a certain amount each day or any other fake schedule people might suggest. The worst thing you can do is to force your writing. You may spew words but they'll be forced and it will sound and read like it. Just write it as soon as possible with as much passion as you can (imagine the perfect reader who's fascinated in what you have to say) and when you're on a roll just keep typing and writing. You'll be amazed how much you can write in one day if it's flowing. My maximum was 10,000 words in a single day.

Start with a list of topics or sections which may or may not become chapters later or just start writing a massive slab of text. Just do anything to get it out. If one day you feel bad for not having written for a while just commit to 10 minutes of writing. If it flows, keep going until you have to stop. If it doesn't flow, put your pen down and try again later or another day. The worst thing you can do is force it.

 

[loop101]

I'm writing my first book.

It was unplanned, a series of events which peaked in a moment. And in that moment it occurred to me - I should write a book (self-help genre).

It almost writes itself, and I know at least one person who needs it - me.

My questions to those who already wrote books:

How do you hone your skills?
Are there any resources you can recommend for becoming a better writer?
Do you have any other advice?

On one hand, I don't lack words to say, words pour out, and I have my message, my own voice. Maybe that in itself has it's charm?

On the other hand, I realized that everything is a craft, every trade has it's tricks, and the professional authors among you probably think I can't even write a proper post

I agree with you, and that's exactly the reason for this post

Read up on Scott Sigler (for fiction writing)

 

[MTF]

Just write and read a lot. There are no secrets here.

One book that will tell it like it is without gimmicky marketing is On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King.

This is a pretty good summary (but it's best to read the entire book anyway): Stephen King's Top 20 Rules for Writers | Open Culture

In Stephen King's words: "You learn best by reading a lot and writing a lot, and the most valuable lessons of all are the ones you teach yourself."

 

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