 Hello, hello, writers! I'm Kristin Kiefer, author of fantasy fiction and creative writing resources, and you are listening to the Well-Sturried podcast, where I share insights, encouragement, and actionable advice designed to help you craft sensational novels and build your best writing life. Always in 30 minutes or less, so you can get back to writing, of course. Ready for the show? Let's get talking. Writers, it is so lovely to be back and chatting with you for another episode of the Well-Sturried podcast. Thank you so much for joining me today. Today is, of course, Thursday, August 19th, 2021, and in today's episode of the podcast, we are talking all about how to level up your writing and storytelling skills. If you would like to read along as you listen to today's episode, you can find the corresponding article at well-sturried.com slash life. Now, without any further ado, let's dive into today's episode. Storytelling is both an art and a craft. And like any craft, the skills required to write great stories can be taught and learned. The most fundamental way to improve your writing and storytelling skills is to write. Every time you read a book or watch a movie, you internalize important storytelling lessons. And the simple act of writing allows you to subconsciously apply these lessons to your work, using healthy self-criticism, that is, comparing your stories to those you've consumed, to hone your craft. That said, there are also action steps you can take to level up your skills and stories with intention — to learn more about the craft of writing fiction at a faster and more effective pace. Since you're reading this article, or rather listening to this episode, you already know one way to improve your craft. After all, I've made it my mission here at well-sturried to teach writers how to craft sensational novels and build their best writing lives. And you've clearly taken the initiative to learn. So, way to go. What are some of the other steps you can take to improve your skills and stories beyond simply consuming how-to content? And how can you best apply what you learn to truly level up in your craft? Let's break down these six essential strategies you can put into practice to pave the way for incredible growth in your writing life. Strategy number one, adopt a growth mindset. Imagine you want to learn to play the guitar. You don't expect yourself to pick up a sick string and immediately know how to finger pick a haunting tune, do you? Of course not. Nor should you expect yourself to know how to craft a fantastic story the first time you pick up the pen. As I often say, excellence is an earned skill. To excel in any craft, you must be willing to start from the bottom, to know nothing and learn everything. Embracing humility in this way is key to growth, and ultimately, success. If you struggle to believe that you could ever write excellent stories, then you're likely operating from a fixed mindset. This is just a fancy way of saying that you believe your skill is static, that you aren't capable of growth. That raw talent is the only thing separating the successful from the unsuccessful. But writer, this is far from the case. In truth, there's no limit to how much you can grow in your craft. Yes, talent might be a boon to creative excellence and success, but it isn't passion, it isn't persistence, and it isn't damn hard work. Plenty of people waste their natural talent, just as plenty of so-called mediocre creatives go on to prove to the world just how phenomenal their work can be. So before you take any action steps to level up your skills and stories, first take a moment to adopt a growth mindset, to believe that you are capable of becoming the writer you want to be. Because you are. You've got this, writer. Strategy number two, mind your doubts. Most writers view doubt as a roadblock in their writing lives. They see it as an obstacle to overcome, or even a weakness to hide. But as I first mentioned in Build Your Best Writing Life, my self-development book for writers, doubt can actually be an incredible tool for self-improvement. When handled mindfully, doubt is nothing more than your subconscious trying to bring potential issues to your attention. Often, your subconscious presents these issues in the form of a question. Am I not good enough to write this story? Is something in this scene not working? Does that dialogue sound wrong? Doubt becomes destructive when we take the question mark of uncertainty and transform it into the period of a limiting belief. I'm not good enough to write this story. I can't make this scene work. I write terrible dialogue. As a writer, it's your job to accept the helping hand that doubt presents. To do so, consider the question that doubt poses. Is there really an issue that you need to resolve? And if so, is there an action you can take to resolve it? For example, if doubt tells you that you might not be good enough to write your story, then ask yourself why? What's really going on here? Maybe you don't feel good enough because you don't know what to write next. This situation doesn't mean that you aren't capable of writing your story. It simply means that you need to take a step back from drafting to figure out where your story lost momentum. Maybe to read up on the basics of story structure. See how that works? You can use this same process to transform any instance of doubt into a springboard for growth. Strategy number three, read critically. The books we read have much to teach us about how we can improve our writing and storytelling skills, and we can be intentional about learning and absorbing these lessons. There are many ways to read critically. For example, you might review how your favorite author writes descriptions to learn how to improve your own. Map out the structure of a book in your genre to better understand the types of beats you need to hit. Write a book review to consider what you did and didn't like about the novel you just read. Explore what makes one of your favorite scenes so memorable and immersive. Or examine the feelings of jealousy that arise when you read to understand areas where your own work might need improvement. If you'd like to take your critical reading skills to the next level, then you're in luck. I've written a full article and done a full podcast episode on this topic that you can find at well-draid.com slash reading or by checking out the podcast episode from January 16th, 2019. Strategy number four, consume prescriptive content mindfully. If you've ever dipped your toe into the world of writing craft content, then you know that there's an absolute wealth of information available to consume. Books, blogs, podcasts, social media posts, you name it. It's no wonder that many new writers feel overwhelmed and inadequate when seeking resources. To save yourself from information overload, try to consume prescriptive craft content mindfully. Choose just one or two resources to review per week or consider only consuming content when you're ready to address a specific issue or area in your writing life. While you can learn a lot by reading and listening, the best way to absorb new information is to take notes. By jotting down what you're learning, you identify the key techniques and strategies you can apply to your work, helping you better understand what you're learning and how you can use that information to improve your craft. By taking notes, you can also create a personal database of the writing and storytelling principles you find most helpful, which you can then reference on repeat throughout your writing life. Awesome, right? On to strategy number five, we go. Implement, implement, implement. Knowledge is power, but it isn't action. If you want to improve your skills and stories, then you need to implement the information you've consumed. To do so, consider slowing down. Many writers treat productivity as religion, focusing so much time and energy on getting words on the page that they fail to put in the work to write better words. Yes, writing is foundational to your growth, but implementing new knowledge often requires a slower approach to creative work. So don't be afraid to take your time. It's okay to sacrifice word count in the name of honing your dialogue, just as there's nothing wrong with foregoing revisions for a few days to really dig deep into your story structure. Complete a writing exercise or journal from your protagonist's perspective, whatever you need to do to realize the growth you've imagined for yourself. Put in this work now and you'll reap the benefits for years to come. Finally, strategy number six, seek feedback. As writers, we are often too close to our manuscripts to truly see their strengths and weaknesses. That's why seeking external feedback on our work is such a profound way to improve our skills and stories. When we seek feedback from beta readers, critique partners, or professional editors, we intentionally cultivate a broader understanding of where and how we can improve in our crafts. We pave the way for incredible growth. That said, I know it's not easy to share your work with others, especially when that work isn't yet polished. But remember, good feedback is constructive. It exists to build you up rather than tear you down, to help you make your stories the best that they can be. If you'd like to learn more about how you can handle constructive criticism with grace, then check out the full article on the topic or podcast episode on the topic from July 1st, 2021. You can find the article version at well-storied.com slash mindset. Putting these six strategies into practice in your writing life is a fantastic way to improve your writing and storytelling skills with intention. But don't forget that at the end of the day, the most fundamental way to write better stories is to keep writing stories. You don't need to know every writing tip and technique in the book, no pun intended, before you begin writing. Nor is it possible to master the tips and techniques you learn without putting your newfound knowledge into practice. Find a balance between writing to improve and writing to write, and it won't be long before you recognize just how much you've leveled up your skills and stories. Happy writing! Thank you for listening to today's episode of The Podcast Writer. I hope you found it helpful to your writing journey. If so, make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a new episode and to give the podcast a quick rating or review. Doing so goes a long way toward helping the podcast reach new writers and lets me know that you're enjoying what I'm creating. You can also give me a shout out directly on instagram at christin underscore keeper. For additional guidance as you work to craft sensational novels and build your best writing life, be sure to head on over to www.well-storied.com where I share blog posts, workbooks, e-courses, and other helpful resources for writers. Again, that's www.well-storied.com. Thank you again for tuning into today's episode my friend. Until next time, happy writing!