Beat the writer's block and create a beautiful verse or story by weaving the words in your own unique style. Tips on how authors can improve their writing skills.

Is writing tough for you?

How do I approach writing? I always carry a book, a notepad and a pen in my handbag! Sounds strange, right? A book helps me explore the fantasy world; one woven through the beautiful words threaded together by an author.

If it is a good book, reading is fun. Not only literature, even a piece of content that attracts your imagination and builds a new world around you. This world will narrate a good story through beautiful characters and continuously amaze you. This is the power of a book.

I usually write non-fiction; my readers feel I state the facts and share small lessons of life without being preachy.

As a writer, you must not read only for pleasure. You should also observe the nuances of writing adopted by the author and try to understand the uniqueness of his/her writing style.

While reading a book, you learn a lot about how to write well. This knowledge is stored permanently and may be of use some day.

Suppose you read a book about financial planning, you learn about investment, tax planning, etc. See, how a single book has introduced you to several other sub-topics.

Writing is nothing but presenting things you have learned, in a unique style. Every author has distinct taste – i.e. you may like to read fiction, while another author may like to read poetry. Do you like what you read? Then, it will give you food for thought for your next book.

Creating the habit of reading

Once you develop the habit of reading, you just cannot pick a book, read it, and forget the content. The content stays with you for the whole life.

• Determine your reading goals; begin with 30 minutes daily.
• Read any piece of content
• Share with your friends about what you read
• Create a blog/post about that book’s takeaways
• Reward yourself on accomplishment of reading goals.

Follow the steps mentioned above for a month. Out of 24 hours in a day, I am sure you can spare 30 minutes for reading, isn’t it?

I always carry a book, notepad, and a pen in my handbag. Whenever an idea strikes me, I write it down in the notepad when I return home, I compile all notes, generating new ideas for my next book.

My favorite authors are Jhumpa Lahiri (The Namesake), Ruskin Bond, Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle, Paulo Coelho (who inspired me to write ‘The Mind Game’), the list is too long to mention in this blog.

Storytelling skills

Great writers are great storytellers. They have a good sense of humor and their stories revolve around memorable characters, which touch the reader’s soul and help the reader travel their imaginary world. After reading, if you don’t wish to keep the book down, it means the author has a great writing style.

Analytical Approach to Reading

As a writer, you must conduct an in-depth analysis of the characters, story, plot, and the central theme. Reflect on these factors, while reading or later. Rethink of the same story from your perspective. Do you have a different story line than the author?

To become a good writer, you must focus on the words used by the author; understand their context and what impact they create on your mind.

Do not stick to one or two genres. Explore multiple genres to understand the horizon of writing. Develop your unique style through experimentation. Experiment continuously to write different books.

Do you read?

Reading is a holistic approach including learning, analysis, and experimentation. It is fun when you read. If a genre is out of your comfort zone, read something that you enjoy. Do not overthink or overanalyze. Once you develop a reading habit, you will analyze automatically once you are lost among the words.

So, which book are you reading currently?