10 Tips to Improve Your Writing
7/20/2026 | Anna Hawkins
In my time as a writer and editor, I’ve found myself repeating some of the same pieces of advice over and over again, as newer authors tend to struggle with the same things that I also struggled with when I was first learning the writing craft. I’ve distilled these repeated pieces of advice into what I see as the top ten things writers can do to improve their craft at any stage, but especially when they’re first starting out. So, without further ado, on to Anna’s Top Ten Tips for Improving Your Writing.
10. Triage Feedback
Many writers get stuck after receiving feedback from beta readers or critique partners. Often, feedback will be contradictory, and trying to incorporate every bit of feedback from every early reader will inevitably turn your book into something that feels like it was written by committee. This is why “triage feedback” comes in at #10 on this list. It’s important to have a scheme for prioritizing which feedback to address. If several readers are telling you the same thing about an element of your story, it’s a good idea to address changes related to that story element first. Conversely, if you’re getting different reactions to an element of your story, it’s reasonable to decide that changes to that element aren’t as important.
9. Be Descriptive
Don’t leave your readers floating in an empty void! Descriptive writing, both of the scene setting and of your characters’ actions, makes your writing come alive for your readers. You do have to be careful with this, though, because being too longwinded with your descriptions can tip your writing into the area of purple prose. But there’s a happy medium between “too much” and “nothing”, a balance that as the author, it’s your job to strike. Make an effort to do descriptions well, and your readers will feel transported into your story.
8. Establish Goals
Your main characters’ goal, and what’s at stake if they fail, is one of the most important elements to get readers hooked on your story. A clear, compelling goal gives readers something to root for (or against!) and will keep them turning the page to see how the character(s) succeed (or fail!). Especially if you’re planning to query agents and publish traditionally, a goal needs to make it on the page within the first few pages of the story. This initial goal doesn’t have to be the ultimate goal, and it can shift and change over the course of the story, but if you make it clear your character wants something, readers will be more likely to get invested in their story.
7. Character Mind Meld
Get in your POV character’s head! Your POV character’s internal monologue is so important to help the reader understand the WHY – why a character acts the way they do, why they hold certain principles or pursue certain goals, etc. Seeing into the mind of the POV character is one of the benefits of written media that visual media just can’t match. But, as with description, there is such a thing as too much internal monologue. Stories written in first-person (I did, I said, etc.) often receive the criticism that the main character is “annoying”, which is usually because the author leans too hard into their internal monologue. But I often see newer authors skipping the internal monologue entirely, so the reader has no window into the POV character’s thoughts. There’s a balance to be struck here as well, and learning how to strike it will greatly improve your writing.
6. Incluing
“Incluing”, or indirect exposition, is a technique for revealing your world to your readers without large blocks of exposition that interrupt the story and are boring to read. Use incluing to weave your worldbuilding into plot action. If you want to learn more about incluing, as well as see examples, check out my blog post on the subject.
5. Consider POV
When writing from a close POV, it’s important to consider what your POV character would notice in a scene or about another character. No one walks into a room and immediately notices all the details of what’s inside, but if they’re particularly fastidious they might walk in and notice all the dirt and grime covering every surface. Or if they’re short they won’t be able to see the murder weapon on top of the fridge, unless they pull over a chair to stand on and look up there. So, when you’re writing, consider 1) what your character can see and 2) what objects might draw your character’s eye. For example, in general people can not see the icy blue of their own eyes, but if they’re particularly narcissistic they might look at the other characters in the room and reflect proudly on how their eyes are bluer than everyone else’s.
4. Consider Balance
I’ve mentioned “balance” a few times in this post already, and that’s for good reason! Writing is all about balancing the narrative and technical aspects of your story against each other. This includes all of your elements – dialogue, narrative, internal monologue, action, worldbuilding, etc. Too much of anything in a big block will slow your story down and turn readers off. Learning how to balance all your story elements is one of the best things you can do to improve your writing.
3. Read Aloud
This is such an important step in the self-editing process that it makes #3 on my list. When you’re done with your first draft of your manuscript and you’ve let it rest for an appropriate amount of time, the first thing you should do is read it aloud to yourself. Hearing the words read aloud engages more of your attention than reading it silently. When you start reading your manuscripts aloud, you’ll find it’s easier to pinpoint mistakes and issues with balance and flow. It’s also a great way to help yourself find the large blocks of exposition that made it through your first draft. If you implement none of the other tips so far, I highly encourage you to add this one to your self-editing process.
2. Read
I’m taking off the kid gloves with this one because authors must MUST be readers. It’s not optional. There are no excuses. You cannot be a good author if you don’t read. If you have a hard time reading physical books, try audiobooks. Listen to an audio drama / fiction podcast. Comics and graphic novels also count as reading, if you have a hard time with text-only books. If you can’t afford or don’t have room in your home to buy new books, take advantage of your local library. Most libraries have options for inter-library book loans and digital and audio book borrowing, and if they still don’t have a book you want to read, you can put in requests for them to add books to their collection. Find a reading method that works for you. Read books in your genre to build familiarity with genre conventions, tropes, and storytelling styles. Read books outside your genre to build your knowledge base. Just read. This is one of the best things you can do as an author to improve your own writing. And honestly, if your excuse is “I just don’t like to read”, why are you bothering with trying to be an author in the first place?
1. Practice
Aside from reading, this is the single best thing you can do to improve your craft as an author. Writing is a skill just like anything else, and you have to practice to learn how to do it well. Practice is how you learn how to balance your story elements, reveal your character’s goals, write good descriptions and internal monologues, all of it. And because full novels are such large time commitments, I encourage all my clients and students to practice by writing short stories. You can write one relatively quickly and have that satisfaction of having finished something as you build the skills you need to be a good writer. Challenge yourself to tell a complete story in the fewest number of words you can. When I first started writing short stories, I was writing 10,000 word behemoths. But once I mastered those I challenged myself to write a full story in under 5,000 words, then 3,000, then 1,000. If you can tell a complete, compelling story in very few words, once you go to write that 50,000+ word novel, you’ll be in good shape as far as pacing and not letting your story get bogged down with exposition.
There are plenty of other tips that didn’t make it to this list, but if you’re an author looking to improve your writing, this is a great place to start. If you still find yourself stuck or seeking additional ways to improve, check out our weekly free Writers Lunch workshops. Tomeworks also offers various coaching services for tailored, one-on-one learning.