- Rewrite — The first rule of thumb for effective writing is rewriting, and rewriting, and rewriting. Expression rarely comes out exactly how you want it the first time–it’s nearly impossible. Instead, there are many ways to express oneself on paper, and not one ‘right’ way. Creativity is infinite, and each individual is unique. Based on any of my original ideas, for example, I am a terrible writer. In order to be good, I have to figure out precisely what I want to say, find the best way to say it, and edit, edit, edit.
- Use Your Own Experiences — It’s always best to write from what you know. Familiarity with the subject you’re writing about gives you a reference point, engages you, and pulls you along. Indeed, the reason my novel is taking so long to write is because its main subject, Autism, was basically an unknown to me when I began writing; and it is only feasible to write about it now because some of the affects of my head injury, I’m learning, are similar to typical autistic peoples’ hardships.
- Show, don’t tell — Key to interesting writing is communication that engages readers, that lets them experience the scene, or whatever you’re writing, via one, two, or all five of the senses. This means it’s more effective to describe a scene than simply to report what’s happening. If readers can see, hear, taste, smell, and/or feel what’s going on, it will hold their interest.