How does one improve their writing?

Question

How does one improve their writing?
I am a journalism student and I am a great lover of all literature and so I would like, just for my own amusement, at least for now, to write maybe short stories or little novellas. I am just wondering if anyone has any suggestions for how to improve as a fictional writer. I spend alot of time writing reportive type essays for school and I also spend alot of time reading the classics. Both of these are probably great practice for writing, however, I am just wondering if there are any ways to really improve fictional writing. You know all, all of the great literary devices, character develepment, symbolism etc. Im just looking for some ways to improve besides the obvious continued reading of the classics.

Answer

Reading is definitely a must. Its like studying the art of writing itself. But make sure youre reading the same type of stuff that you want to write. If youre not going to write a classic type of story you shouldnt be studying the classics. Besides which you dont see any new classics around do you? brbrShort stories are written in a completely different way to novels and novellas etc so if those are the types of things you want to write, thats what you have to read and study. But dont forget the study part. Its so easy to get lost in the story and forget that youre supposed to actually be watching out for the techniques how the author wrote a certain part or how he introduced somethingsomeone or what this particular little thing has to do with the main story itself etc.brbrThere are a lot of quotLearn how to writequot type books and websites which can help you out with the basic structure of the different types of written works and other basic things like that but they can only go so far. In the end, youre going to have to create your own style of writing just by practising heaps.brbrAlso, perhaps the most important thing is to find someone you can bounce your work off who will give you useful and honest feedback and wont just say that everythings good because hes youre friend. This person can be hard to find because someone who has different reading tastes wont be helpful and likewise for someone who rarely reads at all, if ever.brbrTry signing up with a writing website where you can post your work to be reviewed but even then dont expect all useful reviews. The main purpose of having someone else read your work is so that you dont fall into the pit of despair when you feel everything you do is terrible which may or may not be the case and so that you wont give up because of it.brbrThe worst critic of them all is the writer himself.