• Justice Brandeis (sounds impressive, huh?) once said: “There is no great writing, only great rewriting.” Take this to heart. Even the best writers rarely get it right on the first try. So cut yourself some slack – don’t judge your own work too harshly. That’s why it’s called a first draft. There may be 10 more!

Try It: Pick something you’ve written before that you like (even if it's only one fabulous sentence). What do you like about it? Can you totally see the character from the words you've used? Do the characters get into a great adventure? Is your dialogue really funny? (Like LOL funny?) Whatever it is, pick the part you like, cross out everything else, and write using only the good stuff. Who knows, you may come up with something totally different!

  • One way to make a story better is to experiment with it. Could you change the point of view (that's whose head we're in when we read it)? Could it be told from the point of view of the bad guy (or girl?) A dog? A fly on the ceiling? The MOST fun in writing is trying different things to see how they'll work.

Try It: Re-write a story you’ve already written, even if it’s only a first draft. Change the point of view (if a mini-woman, maybe even you, is telling the story, try having some other character tell it).

More Try-It Experiments: Now set the same story way in the future or way in the past, or completely change the ending. It’s a great way to make something old feel totally new!

  • It's hard to see the places where a piece of your writing needs work because you're so involved in it. That's why God made editors. If you get stuck when you're putting something together, a fresh pair of eyes can be way helpful. 

Try It: Have someone else read your story. No, really. Even if it’s scary, a parent or a close friend probably won’t hurt your feelings,  even if it’s the worst thing in the entire world (which it won't be). Published writers have strangers read their stuff everyday. So try it. See what your reader thinks, where it really shines or where it might need some help. Use their suggestions to go through and tweak your story, to make it even better. Keep tweaking until it’s feels right, but only until you say so. Ultimately, it’s about what you want to write, not anybody else.