Aside from writing more, what single thing has most improved your writing?

Absolute Write. I'm forever grateful to this place.

Reading from plenty of good authors. (Only allow yourself to build off the best!)

And this website, no doubt.

Reading more.

Another vote for AW. There be wisdom in these pages.

Joining AW. I make a point of reading through the Grammer for Grasshoppers, Basic Writing Question and Writing Novels (especially the Learn Writing with Uncle Jim posts) threads each day.

AW and some of the star wars film novelisations. Those were fricken awful.

This may sound tooooo obvious, but one thing is getting older, and the second is really trying to feel empathy for others, that ol' saying I thought I had it bad cause I didn't have shoes until I met a guy with no feet. You really got to feel it to be able to translate it to words, i sometimes think that we as writers are truly the greatest actors ever because we don't interpret others words, we interpret others thoughts, a bit more difficult, IMO

Anything that improves creativity such as art class, topics in writing classes, or flash fiction exercises.

AW. Everything I know about publishing (like how to write query letters, format the MS, even how long a novel should be) I learned here. I also learned most of what I know about basic grammar here (I wasn't paying attention in elementary school, apparently).

I also learned a lot by going back and re-reading some of my favorite novels with an eye to what exactly made them so perfect.

JustJess said:

So what has been most instrumental in making you a better writer?

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AW, no doubt.

KrystalR said:

Joining AW. I make a point of reading through the Grammer for Grasshoppers, Basic Writing Question and Writing Novels (especially the Learn Writing with Uncle Jim posts) threads each day.

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I have a folder of the Jim threads printed out. A great tool.

Oh, yeah. AW for sure. This is a writing university. And my agent sure does know where I shine and where I stink. He's a great instructor in his own right--very strict too.

Tri

Feedback from perceptive, tough beta readers whom I trusted, one in particular with whom I've exchanging critiques for years.

I agree with Glaze that reading the best stuff has given me a better ear.

Studying Linguistics at Uni, without a doubt.

AW helped me the most. Before i was on this forum i didn't have anyone to ask about anything. So i was just blankly muddling around.

Also Beta's have helped me alot. . Which is also because of this site

XX

For clarity and style, Joseph M. Williams's book Style gave me a ton of guidance and confidence. It helped me to attend to readers' expectations, and to evaluate my style choices (word selection, word order, paragraph structure) from that perspective.

For how to write a good scene, I learned most from Dwight V. Swain's Techniques of the Selling Writer. Swain's methods are (as he admits) heavily formulaic, but you can easily apply his ideas in a more organic way.

And most of all my local Sacramento writers' group WordForge. Almost all are very good writers, and a growing number are better than very good. They give me encouragement, on-target feedback, and friendship.

Dale

Reading fiction and non-fiction on writing.

Reading voraciously and widely.

Aside from AW and reading--writing workshops. I've had some great teachers.

Two things for me: blogging and script reading. Although blogging doesn't quite fulfill the "aside from writing more" part of the question, it's helped me sharpen a different type of skill, which is self-editing. Blogging started as just another side hobby, but aside from actually working on my WIP's, it's become one of the most effective ways I've improved my overall writing. As for script reading, I do it as a side job and it's made me really quick to pick up on story flaws, character development issues, etc. Which is kind of great, since one exercise helps with the storytelling element of writing, and the other the mechanics.

The great folks here at AW without a doubt. And reading, reading, reading. And editing with a pro.

Beta reading and helping other writers. Great way to see writing from other writers' point of style.

Roleplaying. Mostly real time roleplaying in graphical games.

I'm sorry if this seems prosetylizing, or gloopy and new-age, but: mindfulness meditation.

A wise person once told me that getting one's ego out of the way is crucial, because there may be a part of you saying, "I can't write about THIS because then people won't like me," or "If I write about THIS people will realize I'm a bad person," or "If people don't instantly recognize my awesomeness I will be a failure," or "I need to express myself so that people will understand me and realize I'm a good person," or "If I just pretend not to care, then it won't hurt if people don't like me."

It is impossible to write well while scrambling to cover up your personal flaws and whitewash your own self.

I'm hella bad at coping with my ego. I'll take anything that helps me keep it tamed.