Sunday Writing Tip: Make Note of What’s Good in Your Writing

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

Each week, I’ll offer a tip you can take and apply to your WIP to help improve it. They’ll be easy to do and shouldn’t take long, so they’ll be tips you can do without taking up your Sunday. Though I do reserve the right to offer a good tip now and then that will take longer—but only because it would apply to the entire manuscript.

We spend so much time looking for ways to improve our writing, let’s take a few hours to notice what we’re doing well.

This week, pick a few chapters of your manuscript at random and highlight the parts that you’re proud of.

It’s easy (and common) to think a draft sucks, but even when it is still in its ugly stage, there’s good writing and strong moments to be found. Find the great lines, the clever plays on words, the gut-punching emotional beats—whatever aspects make you smile and feel good about the work.

Save the marked-up chapters for days when you feel low about your writing to remind you that you do have skill at this.