How To Be A Better Writer- Copy Work

Writers get better by LITERALLY copying other writers they admire (Copy Work)
- Like musicians learn by practicing other musicians and cooks learn by copying other cooks recipes.
- I have never heard of this advice… It feels life changing!
- I realized why it was “unheard” of and felt “wrong” and therefore “not an option”:
  - Plagiarism: we were inundated with NEVER and DON’T’s that the idea of literally copying someone else’s work felt “bad” and “illegal”… of course it is if you copy it and claim it as your own, but that’s not the point. The point is to feel the flow, the voice, the word choice, the rhythm… those intangible things that are hard to learn…
    - Who would’ve known there was gold in “plagiarism”!
  - You learn the same way you learn anything else… imitate, copy, get the basics and then add your flare once the concept and intangibles are understood.
  - If you add your personality before you know the basics of what makes something “good”, then you will personalize it and think “they don’t like me”, or “they just don’t get me”… it’s not that personal…
  - There is a method behind the seeming “luck” and when you execute around those basics, things just work.
  - Becoming a good writer is KNOWABLE and DOABLE.
    - It’s possible. Luck is not necessary.
    - It’s learnable, like music and cooking.
    - It’s more systematic than I previously thought.

Published by nuanceddiscernment