1. What was the first piece you ever wrote? How bad was it? How far have you come?

2. What is your favourite piece of literature? For how long had its writer been writing when he/she wrote it? How far have you got to go until you can write that well?

Assuming you’re somewhere between Total Beginner and Literary Genius, you have already travelled some distance along the path to better writing, but the way is long and you have many miles to go. Most published authors are just dallying at inns down side alleys a few miles ahead, exhausted or daunted by the length of the long, long road.

Catch them up, steal their pony, and gallop ahead laughing.

"Why bother?"

"But how can I improve?"

Accept them with grace: first by learning to be self-aware in your writing; second by editing and practising technique.

Do you write prose? Or poetry? Struggling with  plot? Voice? Want to get started with some solid research, or polish up after the draft is done? Are you mystified by metre?  Or hacked off because the thing you actually need help with isn’t listed here? Somewhere out there, there is (probably) a tutorial for you.

Decide what works in your piece. Decide which bits let your piece down. Edit. Accept your own imperfection and be determined to improve. Write more.

Join a hardcore prompt or workshopping group and write something like nothing you’ve ever written before. Enter a competition; read the other entries (especially the winners) and see what you can see.

Read everything. Read bad stuff and good stuff. Work out why the bad stuff is bad (and identify any features which redeem it) and why the good stuff is good (and how it could be even better). Read “Literature” and popular fiction, poetry and plays, ancient classics and modern fripperies, ancient fripperies and modern classics. Try new things. Step outside your comfort zone. Keep reading.

Ready to move on?

FAQs
How do I get a DD?
Critique
Daily Deviations

The #Expose-Lit project aims to hook up dA writers who feel lost, overwhelmed or overlooked, with the literature community at large. Why not join us?