[Hexigoon]

So INFJs (and anyone who's interested in answering), since writing is something the type is known for, I have to ask:

Got any writing tips to offer? Whether it be for story-telling, poetry or any brand of writing in general.
Read any good books on the subject?

 

[grandpa2390]

So INFJs (and anyone who's interested in answering), since writing is something the type is known for, I have to ask:

Got any writing tips to offer? Whether it be for story-telling, poetry or any brand of writing in general.
Read any good books on the subject?

I enjoyed Stein on Writing . Not sure if that’s what you’re looking for. I’m pretty sure it is considered a classic

I also remember a book about a snowflake method of growing a piece of writing which was very helpful

 

[Sour Roses]

I also remember a book about a snowflake method of growing a piece of writing which was very helpful

How does it work?

 

[grandpa2390]

How does it work?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Von_Koch_curve.gif

this is a gif. if it doesn't work just click on it.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koch_snowflake

Koch’s snowflake is an example of a fractal

The idea is that something that appears so complex is just repeatedly adding on the same shapes the same way. each time you add a triangle of the same size but facing the opposite direction over each triangle. the first triangle overlays the other and creates 6 smaller triangles. 6 smaller triangles over those 6 creates more triangles that are smaller. and so forth. and you can do this infinitely many times. and you see that just by adding the smaller triangles to each bigger triangle. overtime you get a more complex, and more beautiful picture.

This is used as an illustration.
So the author said something like, You begin with a one sentence blurb which you expand to be the back of the book summary.
Expand that to a full summary. the kind that you would submit to a publisher (or something like that. been awhile). you take that and make an outline. splitting it up into chapters. then adding details to those chapters. and then adding more details to that. and then more details to the details. etc.
And you just start adding more triangle smaller and smaller details until you end up with something that is a beautiful work of art. Now obviously you have to do a little more than that. if you want the story to line up and everything. the idea is not to create each chapter individually.

it is just a way of seeing the writing process and not getting discouraged or intimidated by thinking about how hard it must be to write good complex novels or otherwise. That you are not just sitting down and writing from start to finish the perfect novel. You are not sitting down and writing Harry Potter or the KingKiller Chronicles, or Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, choose your poison. from start to finish precisely the way it will be published. what a daunting task that would be. It be impossible for me to start writing if I had to do it that way.
What you are doing is you are starting with something roughly in the shape of the end product and slowing cutting it. like a diamond.

 

[Windblownhair]

Two books by Dean Wesley Smith - Writing Into The Dark, and Heinlein's Rules: Five Simple Business Rules for Writing. They both reflect the idea of writing quickly and leaning into the creative flow. No ‘waiting for the muse to come to you,’ and no drafting the same story into oblivion.

And a couple of my previous posts because I’m lazy:tongue::

Post-Its are my friends. As much as I love outlining in my head, my memory just isn't good enough to hold all the elements I want. So whether it's an errant plot point or a snip of conversation, I throw it down on a post-it for later. Even the discarded ones help me see how the plot is narrowing down and what elements need to be discarded.

I did NaNoWriMo in November, and that was a neat experience. Being forced to hit a word count, regardless of actual inspiration, is a crazy process. The first few days it drove me insane that I didn't have time to edit. And you're writing so fast that sometimes your finer plot points aren't things you remember later. But just getting into that groove was amazing. And honestly, looking back at the finished product, I can't tell or remember which days were forced and which days were inspired. Just knowing that I can power through writers block was worth the whole experience :love_heart:

For me, fiction is where I let the Ni run free. I love the moments of "I have no clue why I'm adding this plot point, but I'm confident it's going to be important later, so I'll do it" and then being pleasantly surprised when the disparate elements stitch themselves together into a unified whole.

I don't write songs, primarily just short stories and novels, but there does seem to be a progression to the process.

I start with a vague concept (sometimes it's more complex, sometimes it's just a list of things I want to tie together) and then I write. Write, write, write, with ferocity and no editing until the first draft is done. It's this exhilarating rush of writing by the seat of my pants and having to trust Ni to bring it all together. I love Dean Wesley Smith's term 'writing into the dark,' because it's precisely that. It's a leap of faith where I'm trusting it will all work out by the end.

And that's the drive that I absolutely can't escape from: Must close all loops. If I haven't closed them, the story isn't done. I love that feel of inevitability. A hundred unrelated threads have been building to the denouement, and now every single one of them ties together, and there was never any other way to end the story except this one particular way.

Along the way, the writing gets a lot more personal. I'll examine relationship dynamics, issues I've been facing, flaws and challenges. It isn't a conscious I should examine myself and my relationships sort of thing. It leaks out into the material. On some level, I think it's because the fiction format threatening. I'm not saying any of that about myself. I'm saying it about my characters (who just happen to mirror large chunks of myself and my life XD). I do feel like writing has brought a lot of emotional and mental clarity to me, but that has never been the intentional purpose of it. I'm trying to tell a story that's bursting from me, and the personal application feels like a happy accident.

 

[Hexigoon]

I enjoyed Stein on Writing . Not sure if that’s what you’re looking for. I’m pretty sure it is considered a classic

I also remember a book about a snowflake method of growing a piece of writing which was very helpful

Thanks! I appreciate any recommendation that helped.
Lately I've been reading "The Anatomy of Story" by John Truby.
I'm enjoying that a lot, it would make any fiction-writer better, although it's not so much about writing per say as it is about story-telling.
A really good book regarding writing in general (I'd even say it's essential for any writer) is "The Elements of Style" by Strunk & White. It's less than 100 pages but a very useful companion guide for grammar and, well, style.

I'm gonna have to check those two out, I've heard people say good things about that snowflake method.

Two books by Dean Wesley Smith - Writing Into The Dark, and Heinlein's Rules: Five Simple Business Rules for Writing. They both reflect the idea of writing quickly and leaning into the creative flow. No ‘waiting for the muse to come to you,’ and no drafting the same story into oblivion.

And a couple of my previous posts because I’m lazy:tongue::

Thanks for the suggestions! I've been considering doing that NaNoWriMo thing eventually. Just never had anything plotted out.
And haha I also have those "I don't know how this is going to fit but I'll make it work" scenes. Sometimes you have to "kill your darlings," but I find that there are scenes or elements that do end up finding their place eventually.

 

[Windblownhair]

Thanks for the suggestions! I've been considering doing that NaNoWriMo thing eventually. Just never had anything plotted out. .

It’s a fun experience, for sure. I’m not big on plotting. Grab a basic concept and write by the seat of my pants sort of thing. But I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea! I hope you’re able to try it out someday

And haha I also have those "I don't know how this is going to fit but I'll make it work" scenes. Sometimes you have to "kill your darlings," but I find that there are scenes or elements that do end up finding their place eventually.

For me, it’s always an element I don’t understand...like throwing in clues but I don’t know yet what I’m alluding to. It’s very much a Ni trust exercise, because at some point it feels like there are too many things I don’t understand...and then as they begin building and threading together, I can see Ni had a plan all along. That’s a really cool feeling!

I do like the idea of saving everything, where a discarded scene or character might find new life later. At very least, every piece of writing is experience toward becoming a better writer (ha, or so my optimism likes to think!).

 

[Hexigoon]

It’s a fun experience, for sure. I’m not big on plotting. Grab a basic concept and write by the seat of my pants sort of thing. But I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea! I hope you’re able to try it out someday


For me, it’s always an element I don’t understand...like throwing in clues but I don’t know yet what I’m alluding to. It’s very much a Ni trust exercise, because at some point it feels like there are too many things I don’t understand...and then as they begin building and threading together, I can see Ni had a plan all along. That’s a really cool feeling!

I do like the idea of saving everything, where a discarded scene or character might find new life later. At very least, every piece of writing is experience toward becoming a better writer (ha, or so my optimism likes to think!).

I do envy people who can just improvise. Well, I can do it to an extent. During childhood it came natural because you're no where near as self-critical as a kid. But now I'd surely enter a writer's block, so ideally it's for the best to have a map before one starts the car; even if it was drawn in crayon on a napkin. lol
But maybe there's something to be gained from driving in the dark.
Thank you, though! Mind telling what your NaNoWriMo project was about? Is it something you intend to do again?

But agreed, it is cool how that works! Ideas are always on the backburner. Never truly dead.
Stephen King once said though that you should avoid immortalizing bad ideas by writing them down in notebooks and such, and that the truly good ideas will always stick in your mind. I think there's some truth to that. But alas, I have enough notebooks to build a fort.

 

[Windblownhair]

I do envy people who can just improvise. Well, I can do it to an extent. During childhood it came natural because you're no where near as self-critical as a kid. But now I'd surely enter a writer's block, so ideally it's for the best to have a map before one starts the car; even if it was drawn in crayon on a napkin. lol
But maybe there's something to be gained from driving in the dark.
Thank you, though! Mind telling what your NaNoWriMo project was about? Is it something you intend to do again?

It was amazing, the sense of not having any self-consciousness. Just telling a story for the joy of entertaining yourself. One of those childhood things you don’t realize the value of until it’s gone.

Hehehe, I love the visual of the napkin map. It brings to mind being so inspired that you scribble down the idea on whatever is handy.

Ohhhh, we’ll see how good my memory is...if I recall correctly, Nanowrimo 2015 was Library of Alexandria + Lighthouse of Alexandria + “Your reflection winks at you in the mirror.” Nanowrimo 2016 was “A love letter to books.” And Nanowrimo 2017 was “Water remembers, Fire forgets” + some miscellaneous perfumes I own. I do keep coming back to Nanowrimo because it’s such a powerful experience.

I’m not sure what I’m doing this year, but I’ll be in Ireland for the first half of the month, so I’m just going to roll with it and let the environment influence the story.

But agreed, it is cool how that works! Ideas are always on the backburner. Never truly dead.
Stephen King once said though that you should avoid immortalizing bad ideas by writing them down in notebooks and such, and that the truly good ideas will always stick in your mind. I think there's some truth to that. But alas, I have enough notebooks to build a fort.

Oh I love the Stephen King reference. I so respect his work ethic and practical philosophy toward writing. Have you read any of his writing advice? I have On Writing in my bookpile, but I haven’t got around to reading it yet.

Hehe, talk about an epic fort! :tongue:

 

[Vaka]

Advice...let yourself become possessed by something you can't define, that primal force in you that teases at you when you listen to music or go to a concert and you realize you're only on the edge of yourself and you're halfway between the physical and spiritual world. Words are not their definitions, but what they symbolize and represent, they're parts of a much more complex universe underpinning the one you can touch, taste, and feel. Definitions don't matter. The words take on the meaning that you give them. Let yourself just write and then you read back and it's like you're reading something someone else wrote you. The being who wrote it is your spirit. That's the most enjoyable thing to me about it...reading back and finding all these symbols and every layer of meaning I didn't even write intentionally, but it's there. You're not just writing, you're exploring the deepest parts of your being, it's something very raw, vulnerable, and primal

And of course, the classic... Just fucking write! Don't judge what you're writing as you're writing. Anything that serves as a censor is an enemy and in that way, perfectionism can be an enemy. Perfectionism is good in doses, but you have to temper it if you're someone like me who's HEAVILY perfectionistic to the degree that you'll shame your own self into writer's block even though right below the surface of that self judgment, you're simmering with creatively that needs to be expressed. Just go. Be vulnerable. Be free. Expose yourself, be an exhibitionist of the mind and soul and emotions

 

[grandpa2390]

I am starting the Great Course on Writing Great Fiction right now. I'll tell you how it goes.

 

[Hexigoon]

It was amazing, the sense of not having any self-consciousness. Just telling a story for the joy of entertaining yourself. One of those childhood things you don’t realize the value of until it’s gone.

Hehehe, I love the visual of the napkin map. It brings to mind being so inspired that you scribble down the idea on whatever is handy.

Ohhhh, we’ll see how good my memory is...if I recall correctly, Nanowrimo 2015 was Library of Alexandria + Lighthouse of Alexandria + “Your reflection winks at you in the mirror.” Nanowrimo 2016 was “A love letter to books.” And Nanowrimo 2017 was “Water remembers, Fire forgets” + some miscellaneous perfumes I own. I do keep coming back to Nanowrimo because it’s such a powerful experience.

I’m not sure what I’m doing this year, but I’ll be in Ireland for the first half of the month, so I’m just going to roll with it and let the environment influence the story.

You're right, you're lucky if you can cling on to your natural creative proficiency from childhood. Many people seem to lose theirs once they reach adulthood. It's quite sad. I was definitely quite an active writer as a kid; I wrote my first book when I was about 8. (Was technically 3 short stories in a notepad - I bet it was full of spelling mistakes.)


That's an interesting group of concepts. Were those writing prompts from the community, or ideas you came up with yourself? I'm sure you did very well.

Ireland, hey? That's a pretty cool place for some inspiration, especially if it's a new and different place to your home. Yes, you should let that be a basis for your next NaNoWriMo project.
Ireland... island... something about an island? haha

Oh I love the Stephen King reference. I so respect his work ethic and practical philosophy toward writing. Have you read any of his writing advice? I have On Writing in my bookpile, but I haven’t got around to reading it yet.

Hehe, talk about an epic fort! :tongue:

I've read a few things here and there, but I also need to read his book on that. Or at least listen to the audiobook. Stephen King is one of my favourite authors too. I gotta respect any writer who can actually scare me like he did with The Shining, Pet Cemetery and some others.

xP Hehe Now that I think about, that would make for a pretty awesome fort. Now have this idea of a town whose houses are made entirely out of books. o_o

 

[Hexigoon]

I am starting the Great Course on Writing Great Fiction right now. I'll tell you how it goes.

Please do! I'd like to hear more about that.

Advice...let yourself become possessed by something you can't define, that primal force in you that teases at you when you listen to music or go to a concert and you realize you're only on the edge of yourself and you're halfway between the physical and spiritual world. Words are not their definitions, but what they symbolize and represent, they're parts of a much more complex universe underpinning the one you can touch, taste, and feel. Definitions don't matter. The words take on the meaning that you give them. Let yourself just write and then you read back and it's like you're reading something someone else wrote you. The being who wrote it is your spirit. That's the most enjoyable thing to me about it...reading back and finding all these symbols and every layer of meaning I didn't even write intentionally, but it's there. You're not just writing, you're exploring the deepest parts of your being, it's something very raw, vulnerable, and primal

And of course, the classic... Just fucking write! Don't judge what you're writing as you're writing. Anything that serves as a censor is an enemy and in that way, perfectionism can be an enemy. Perfectionism is good in doses, but you have to temper it if you're someone like me who's HEAVILY perfectionistic to the degree that you'll shame your own self into writer's block even though right below the surface of that self judgment, you're simmering with creatively that needs to be expressed. Just go. Be vulnerable. Be free. Expose yourself, be an exhibitionist of the mind and soul and emotions

Great advice. I like your way of looking at it.
Haha, yeah. Probably should just write. Definitely, perfectionism is a burden to straddle yourself with. But then again... it does make you strive to do your best, so I guess it's not all bad.

 

[Vaka]

Great advice. I like your way of looking at it.
Haha, yeah. Probably should just write. Definitely, perfectionism is a burden to straddle yourself with. But then again... it does make you strive to do your best, so I guess it's not all bad.

I agree absolutely. It only must be balanced. I guess I'm just speaking from my own experience since I've had to deal with being extremely perfectionistic to the point it does make me avoid what I love so deeply, writing. I say sometimes, perfectionism will drive you to the top, or it will be the one thing that keeps you at the bottom. It's a powerful thing that must be harnessed but I do consider being a perfectionist a good thing. It's easier to temper something than it is to conjure it up, I think. Granted, conjuring something can be seen as tempering another force no matter what. But you get the picture lol

 

[GusWriter]

Tip I read, I believe it was from Stephen King, was just write the story, stay in the story, don't worry too much about grammar, spelling, etc. that's what editing is for.

Kind of what I have done. I go sit with my laptop and just go into that world and that character and write the story. If there's something I really need to research I'll drop down a couple of lines and type the question for later real quick and then try to get right back into it.

Another thing is if you get a great idea for a "scene" for later in the book, go ahead and write it while you're inspired. If you need to tweak it later due to small story change fine, but writing the part while you are inspired makes it better, plus helps prevent writer's block.

 

[Aiwass]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Writing-Memoir-Craft-Stephen-King/dp/1444723251

This is by a long shot the best book I've read on the subject

(I think it has already been mentioned on the thread, though)

 

[valosagutas]

First, I have to mention; I didn't learn anything about writing from book, mentor, teacher, etc, I never even write a short story before, therefore, I have no experience but I have some ideas because I recently start to write an amateurish scenario for a video game I want to develop. While I writing, I realized why I love particular books:

• The beginning of the story always has a mystery that the reader wants to find out.

For example: "run, John, run. or else you will be one of them" said James while desperately running...

This example makes you think "what do they running from?", "what happened so they had to run?", "are they running from zombies?", etc. Well, it seems another zombie BS but you want to find out the truth anyway.

• The beginning always start as it's a part of a story that continues but you don't know what happened before, therefore, it makes you wonder.

• There is always a flow of new information and mysteries to find out, therefore, it doesn't bore the reader(s).

For example: ...John tired of running, physically and mentally. They were running for days since the day after his 8th birthday. Why do they have to run? Why James really running from them exactly? For himself or for his brother because of the promise he gave to his parents?

They were always following the same route: The route that leads to a three-tower. "follow the 3, James. never forget it" said their father, "never lost each other. promise us, James. You will always be there for your little brother." said their mother. James looked at his brother who is in the arms of her mother sleeping because of the fatigue caused by the birthday party and seriously gave his word: "I promise!" like for a moment you would believe this 12 years old kid could overcome anything for his brother. Their mother surprised of the seriousness of the answer, but, she was happy, so their father. Tears escaped from her eyes, but James couldn't catch the meaning of it..."

• The setting of the story always have to be understandable in the beginning or else people get bored. In this story, we understand it's a story of brothers who running from something. We understand that they are trying to reach somewhere, probably the whole story is about their journey and surviving.

• Give information as a part of the story instead of sharing the information whenever you want.

For example: "...They were running for days since the day after his 8th birthday..." instead of "John is 8 years old".

This is also is a good opportunity to add an element to the story. By adding birthday I also added negative emotion.

• The main character(s) has to be someone who the reader(s) can care. Therefore, I used kids and a relationship of brothers. The main character(s) have to be someone who can be admirable. Therefore, James will be a brave brother who will take care of John. John will be a coward kid. John's cowardness will help me to develop the story and it will create a good opportunity for me to add emotional moments. The most reader will want them to survive, therefore, it will be a story of a surviving. Some reader will want them to die horribly but I'm not horrible, therefore, I may give these kinds of readers a sense of the forthcoming dead of character(s) from time to time. It will also add an element of negative emotion for those who care for these kids but they will survive, therefore, I will make them relief.

• The mystery has to be something interesting and it should be worth to learn for.

For example: ..."John couldn't understand why they had to run from them. "James! John! Come to my arms. Please! It's fine! We were wrong! You don't love me anymore?! Your own mother?!" John knew it is his mother but couldn't understand why he had to run from her.

A silhouette of a woman is trying to catch them. Nothing could stop her. She couldn't even slow down. She can just pass through everything. John couldn't recognize her face anymore. She became a shadow, so his father..."

Yeah, it's not another zombie stuff but ghosts? I don't even know what they are yet.

• The reason for everything have to make sense but the explanation has to be interesting. Solving logic fails is similar to playing chess with yourself.

The reason for why they become like a shadow being could be caused by an experiment of investigating dimensions. Their parents were part of scientists who were researching it. Somehow, they get sick or something to cause them stuck between dimensions. This sickness only passable by touching shadows. Therefore, they are running.

One of the thing that doesn't make sense is how could they run from a being which can pass through everything. They have to stop sometimes because they can't run forever. Therefore, these shadow beings (from now on I will call them "shadows") will disappear after a few minutes and get back randomly after a while, not so soon.

There is a problem about how the characters can understand when shadows get back. Maybe sudden darkness will indicate they are near, like, there will be darkness even though it's sunlit. It will get darker as they get close.

The last problem is how these kids survive? What they eat and drink? Well, there will be fruits everywhere at the beginning but later they will have to hunt. James knows how to take care of himself, but John not, therefore, he will learn. They will follow a river which they can hunt fish and drink water. Fish will be shadows, therefore, they will have to hunt another animal.

• The story has to develop constantly, therefore, sustain the new information flow.

• A story always needs a message (it doesn't have to be one message) that worth to learn for. I will use John to give a moral lesson about you can't grow as a person if someone holds your hand always. Therefore, James will become a shadow. John will learn to be brave and take care of himself.

• At this point, I don't know what will happen and is it worth to continue the story. Therefore, I first think about what should happen in the end, and then, what will happen in the middle of the story.

In the end, John's uncle may solve the shadow problem by fixing what went wrong with the experiment, therefore, they will learn what happened to the ancient civilization lived in this planet (yeah, the story take place in the far future which humans found a planet that can be habitable and they find out there was an ancient civilization lived there but their city was in ruins because of something recently happened but there were no bodies and no living things expect animals. scientists tried to learn what happened. maybe they found a device and therefore somehow they become shadows? the device is for changing dimensions?) In the end, John grows up faster than normal phase because of the exposure to shadow's darkness, therefore, he became a middle-aged man. With his uncle, they fix dimensions and they travel the dimension of where the ancient civilization went.

Then what will happen in the middle of the story? Well, James will die, John will learn to take care of himself, John will reach to the 3 tower (maybe shadows can't enter to the tower somehow?), John will meet with his uncle. he will explain why they were living outside of the towers (it turn out they are exiled because they knew they will be shadows but didn't know when), they suspected John is sick too (because they were exposed to the device when they were stranger to each other. they made James then John and after that they learned those who exposed of device become shadow, therefore, they thought these people' children will be shadow too but they will understand he won't be somehow), his uncle expected them to be shadow sooner, he didn't expect to meet with his nephew (last time he saw him he was a kid, now he is a young man).

What I do is connecting the beginning, the middle and the end somehow, while I make the connection, I add details to the story and voila! The troublesome part is, you may have to write the story over and over again to make these connection proper.

• I like diverse information, therefore, adding elements of love, action, relationships, mystery, etc. prevents the reader(s) from boredom. But of course, it had to be properly and necessarily made (e.g. harry potter). Thus, every type of reader can like it.

Why I dislike particular books:

• I despise unnecessarily used words which give unnecessary information in an unnecessary way. For example, some writers would write "the giant fireball which is seen by all, showing its unprepossessing face once again as expected" instead of writing "the sun was shining once again.". Ugh! Sometimes meanings don't even make sense, therefore, you have to understand these cryptic shits to continue the story. Yes/no, I'm aware they usually paid for per word.

• The flow of same information constantly.

Have you read Dune by Frank Herbert? There is a phrase which is constantly wrote something like "The woman planted the seed of fear in his/her mind". Ugh! If the book has 300 pages, this phrase only could fill the space of 30 pages and this is the not only phrase that wrote over and over again which is why I couldn't finish it.

• The story goes off the rail and it takes too long to return to rails.

Have you read Oblomov by Ivan Goncharov? Instead of sharing necessary information as a part of the story, the story constantly halts and sharing information about the characters and thoughts of Oblomov then continues. Sometimes it goes off enough to forget what was happening before.

• Unneccecarly extended details about a point that writer wants to make.

In Oblomov again, even though the point is obvious, the writer mentions something so unnecessarily detailed like it's interesting but in reality it's boring.

• Giving not enough information about the reality of the situation.

Have you read Neuromancer by William Gibson? This book is a perfect example of it.

For example, you may think the character is in the building walking around but somehow he is outside of the place and actually he is driving the car for hours? What? When? How?

• Deus ex machina.

Just, nope.

• Plot twist.

It's not okay if you try to make it interesting and/or surprise. It's only okay if you explain a part of the story which is not clear and you have to explain to give the particular information to clear the doubt (e.g. matrix).

Why I like particular books:

• It's straight to the point without BS.

• The writer can give a lot of information without unnecessarily using words.

• Using proper words wisely.

I think the information after the last two dots is must for every kind of writer.

 

[lizw47]

I'm a professional writer.
I've published several books and I'm working on one right now.

My best writing tip is to just write. Write every single day. That is how you will get better at writing, by writing as much as you can. When I'm feeling "in the zone" I can usually write about 10 pages or 3,000 words in a single day.

Write about something you love to write about. When you love the subject, writing will be easier. If you don't love it, you'll procrastinate. Writing is an art and you must love the art.

Got more specific questions let me know

 

[NipNip]

It depends what you want to write really. Studying books on writing will generally make you an alright writer for blogs, articles, columns, and informative texts. Steven Pinker's The Sense of Style is a pretty good read for this purpose. It presents some fundamentals that might serve as some sort of eye-opener.

If you aim for more (a novel or poetry), the most important element, in my eyes, is keeping it natural. Create your own rules; the style that suits you most. The only factors then remains readability. (Many authors make many different things work: compare Cormac McCarthy, Philip K. Dick, Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Woolf, ...)

The rest honestly comes down to dedication, putting in the hours, staying motivated. And finally a little bit of 'talent', as having a 'good mind' defines your capability to keep generating ideas. A 'good mind' is also relevant factor in the quality of your "natural style".

Also: be interesting. Be entertaining. Know what you want to say.

 

[NipNip]

I'm a professional writer.
I've published several books and I'm working on one right now.

My best writing tip is to just write. Write every single day. That is how you will get better at writing, by writing as much as you can. When I'm feeling "in the zone" I can usually write about 10 pages or 3,000 words in a single day.

Write about something you love to write about. When you love the subject, writing will be easier. If you don't love it, you'll procrastinate. Writing is an art and you must love the art.

Got more specific questions let me know

^The reason why I am in a love-hate relationship with writing.

I only love it when I am in the zone.

(P.s. Congrats on being a professional writer. Great respect for the ones who make it.)