As a writer, you may know that there is no better way to improve your writing skills than to learn from the best of the best. Let’s take Ray Bradbury, an author of numerous amazing stories. The most famous of them are The Martian Chronicles and Fahrenheit 451. He used to say that writing at least one story a week is an amazing practice for aspiring writers. At least, because it is simply impossible to write so many bad ones!
Indeed, including writing into your daily routine is a very good idea. This is especially true if you work as a freelance writer – finding a couple of free hours a day might be a manageable task. Writing should be a part of your life, just like your work, hobbies, family, and all the activities you usually do.
Writing one story a week is a nice experiment, since you can make this process run gradually without pushing yourself to do everything at once. Still, it stays pretty challenging. However, we will guide you and give you some useful tips for a start. Let’s go!
Monday: Come up with an idea
Everything starts with a good idea, so let your week start with it also. Check your notebook, because we bet that you already have a list of ideas you wrote down before. If you didn’t, well, think about some issues and concepts that have been bothering you recently. This is the best chance to implement them in life.
When you have decided the central idea of your story, think about the plot and the characters. Some writers prefer doing outlines or graphs, but you can limit yourself to the fast notes.
Tuesday: Write the opening
Let’s focus on the standard structure that features three main elements: opening, climax, and ending. On Tuesday, you are going to compose the first one. Here you will have to think about the setting and the main characters. Also, decide the conflicts and motivations.
This point is very important, because it will lead your story forward and grab the reader’s attention (or not). To be honest, making a good opening takes time. However, remember, that if you will put your best efforts into the first part, the next ones will go simpler and better.
Wednesday: Write the middle
When you have decided the basic elements of the story, consider the second part. The second part is exactly where the main events are happening. On Wednesday, you should compose an entire piece, where you will reveal the conflict. Don’t stop until you arrive to the climax.
Thursday: Plot resolution
On Thursday, you will give a resolution to a conflict you have written a day before. Put everything together and move right to the conclusion. The conclusion tells about the results of the actions your characters did previously. Show them to the reader and finish the story.
Behold! Now you have it done. Almost.
Friday: Revise, revise, revise
Don’t forget that revising is no less important than writing. So, today you are going to reread your draft for a hundred of times and improve it. Add some details, play with word choices, and fix the mistakes. Reflect on the results you have now. Do you like it? Is there a chance that publishers will approve it?
If you believe that your story is good, then continue revising it on Sunday and Saturday. Then you can post it in your personal blog or send to some serious publishers. If it’s not – don’t be frustrated. This practice is not about composing a masterpiece every week. It’s about practice.
