99 posts ago, I was someone who wanted to write a novel. Now, I'm still someone who wants to write a novel, but I've actually put forth the effort and planned out a trilogy and an extra novel on the side. I've written half of one novel, started writing a second, and written the character sketches and plot maps for all of them.
My writing style has seriously changed in the past 270 days. I joined an online writing group, Scribophile, and I've joined a real writing group here in town. I've traded chapters with others and received A LOT of feedback. From the things we talk about in my writing group, I've learned how to create better sentences, but more importantly, I've learned which details are actually important to the story, and which don't need to be included. I've made a lot of writer friends too, people whose opinions I know I can trust.
I've also learned how to take feedback. 270 days ago, I felt like crying every time I got a negative comment on my writing. I didn't know what to do because I took everything so personally, and I felt my self-esteem being torn down. Then, I started to realize people had a point. I had a really hard time seeing some problems in my own writing, and I needed others to point out those issues to me so they could be corrected. Now, I look forward to feedback because I know how much it can help.
I've done a post before comparing two versions of my old writing, from a few years ago to about a year ago. I've also posted both versions of chapter 1 of Rose, and of Powerful. It's ridiculous to see the change in how I write.
And then I found this quote:
It all adds up. It's not something that can just happen. It's because I've spent so much time and put in so many drafts that my writing has improved. It's because I've spent so much time writing that I've improved. It's because of 270 days and 99 blog posts of focused writing that I've improved. I still have room to improve, but day by day it will add up.
~Alyson
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