Though we lost an hour of sleep this past weekend, in today’s blog you’re going to gain some knowledge!

At Dorrance Publishing, it’s our job and our goal to help as many writers as we can through our expertise and our weekly blog posts.

In this week’s blog, we’re here to provide you with some simple tips to help you spring forward with your writing efforts.

So without further ado, here are five writing tips that’ll help your book writing dreams bloom!

1. Silence your inner editor. Though it’s important to be cognizant of basic grammar rules, when you’re writing a draft it’s just that – a draft. Don’t cut off your creative juices because you forgot an apostrophe. Hold off on proofreading until your first draft is complete. Once it’s done, then you can go through your work with a fine-tooth comb to fix any errors.
2. Make believe that writing your book is your job. When you’re given a deadline at work, you put your nose to the grindstone and do whatever it takes to get the project done. Apply this mentality to writing your book. If you want to improve your writing skills, writing on a regular basis can help you develop your own unique style. As the old saying goes, “Practice makes perfect.”
3. If you’re having trouble getting started writing, an easy way to get the creativity flowing is to write how you speak. Ditch the idea of perfection and the need to find the best words to use in certain situations. Instead, write in a conversational tone. This type of writing makes your work more human, interesting and truly unique to you, the author.
4. Your name doesn’t have to be Merriam Webster in order to be a good writer. What this means is that you don’t have to use fancy words to validate your work. In fact, in most cases, simplicity packs a more powerful punch than big, showy words. Simple words not only make it easier for you to write, it also makes it easier for your reader to read and understand what you have to say. The main point of your writing is to evoke emotion, to entertain and to inform. Writing isn’t meant to impress people or to show that you know large vocabulary words. When in doubt, use simple words to eloquently prove your point.
5. Don’t beat around the bush! A common writing problem that many authors experience is being unaware of what they’re trying to say or where they’re trying to go with their words. With this lack of direction, they begin to ramble, which in turn becomes a preamble. Though there’s nothing wrong with a little build up to your breakthrough, you don’t want to drag your readers through the coals as you’re trying to get your point across. Basically, your readers want you to cut right to the chase. Streamline your content, cut the fat off of the unnecessary details, break away from excessive clever comments and get right to the foundation of your idea. When you’re writing, you want to make sure that your words reflect the path that you want your readers to travel. Removing the fluff and jumping right into the meat of your story will keep your readers turning page after page until – the end.