10 Non-Writing Things You Can Do To Improve Your Writing

It’s National Novel Writing Month. Do you know where your brain children are? For novelists this can either prove to be a thrilling time of year or a daunting season. Whether you’re tackling your first novel this month or working on your fifteenth, it’s good to be reminded that becoming a better writing doesn’t always have to do with what we put on the page.

If you take a holistic and comprehensive approach to the task of writing, the results may pleasantly surprise you.

With that, here are 10 non-writing ways to strengthen your craft—to bring out the brain children.

Take a Hike

I’ve said it once, I’ll say it a million times, fresh air does more than merely invigorate. Nature has an unparalleled ability to recharge us, to reintroduce us our glorious surroundings, thereby reacquainting us with some excellent material.

Eavesdrop

When you’re a writer you have permission. And I’m not just talking about visiting coffee shops. Sure, you’ll glean some good tidbits there, but I’ve picked up dialogue at soccer games, outdoor concerts, even at the grocery store.

Read, Read, Read

No-brainer, right? Of course, consume novels. Books in the genre you write. But also read marketing materials, magazine articles, advertisements, flash fiction, memoir, non-fiction . . . you name it, get your hands on it and soak it up with your eyes. Absorb it all.

“Read a thousand books, and your words will flow like a river.” Lisa See

Get Artsy

Paint. Knit. Garden. Find another way to get your juices flowing. There have been studies done that show the benefits of toying with new creative outlets. Brain activity increases. And who wouldn’t want more brain activity? Especially when it comes to brainstorming an ideal ending or adding a phenomenal character. So, go artsy. For novel’s sake.

Keep a Notebook Handy

I’ve crashed out of the shower in order to get my thoughts down on paper. I’ll never forget the advice a guest shared in one of my college writing classes (but I did forget his name). “Always keep a pen and paper nearby. You don’t want to risk losing precious material.” I carry a journal with me, along with the book I’m reading. A pen and paper are stationed on my bedside table. I haven’t figured out the whole transcribing in the shower thing yet. (This one isn’t writing-free, but it’s something that can be done besides actual work on the novel. Take notes about anything that grabs your attention in life—anything that strikes you.)

Become More Self-Aware

This’ll do more than improve your writing. It’s good life stuff. Learn how to say sorry after you screw up. Be honest about your imperfections. Laugh at yourself. Reflect. Take responsibility for your life. Let go of the unnecessary. Why does any of this matter? You’ll do your characters a favor. What you imbue into them will be an extension of what you’ve learned in your own life.

Research

I spend a lot of time on Google. And I Google some pretty strange things. I also talk to people, professionals and slackers. I study people. Everything from the gestures they make to how they speak to things they choose not to share. I turn life and all of my surroundings into research. It has a way of making life infinitely more interesting.

Connect with Other Readers

I’m talking book clubs, baby! Fellow readers are invaluable. It’s in these environments that I learn from audiences what works and what doesn’t, what attracts a reader and what turns them off. I’ve lived here in CA for less than six months and I’ve already started up a book club of bright, engaging women. I made it a priority, and I’m so grateful for the group coming together.

Ask Questions & Stay Curious

I’ve said this before, too (that’s what ten years of blogging does) stay curious, my friends! People are wonderful teachers. You won’t ever fully know what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes, but if you ask deep and thoughtful questions, you can have a better understanding. You could gain empathy and God knows, our world needs more of that + more active listeners. Not only is investing in others good for your novel, it’s good for the world.

Squelch Judgment

I’ll end on this note. So, you’ve grown more empathetic. Excellent. That’s only going to flesh out your characters more—give them permission to make big mistakes and to heal properly. One more step. Shut down the temptation to judge. How would this improve your writing? Characterization 101. Characters need your permission as their creator to fail. And fail in massive ways. They need to get hurt. They need to grow. They can’t grow if you are forcing them to be perfect from page one. Write honestly, but with a solid understanding that we all, characters and authors alike, desperately need to grow.

Good luck to all the novel writers out there. I’m rooting for you. Live a full life + get the words on the page.

*Be back on the 19th.

Look Closely

See the faces in this picture? These are a few of my book club peeps and hear me when I say these women help make my world go round. Also, I’d like to mention in these tumultuous times, that in our group of twelve, there are at least six faiths represented. Did we plan to establish a religiously diverse book club? No. It just worked out that way and I’m that much more enlightened because it did. I can’t tell you how happily my brain buzzes after an invigorating book discussion with these women. I find I’m often challenged, though not threatened in my own faith. Because I firmly believe only that which rests on a weak foundation is threatened by the differences of others.

I’ve wrestled for weeks about how vocal to be about what’s happening in our country and I keep coming back to my actions—people will pay attention to how I’m living more than what I’m saying. So read this. But I also invite you to observe how I act online and in person. Hold me accountable. (Don’t vent or spew…but if you see me doing wrong to another human being, excluding, or being hateful, you are welcome to come to me and confront me about it. I believe in being open to change. And I’m certainly humble enough to know I screw up on a daily basis.)

Back to my peeps though for a second. I love God. He’s been good to me and changed my life in countless ways. I want others to know that love. However, I’m also really curious to hear about how others are living their lives. I appreciate listening to what motivates and drives them, what rituals and traditions they may espouse to, learning about their unique faith. Here’s a real kicker…the women in my book club have various political leanings as well. Would we choose to shut someone out, to oust them, if they opposed our viewpoint? No. That’s not who we are. Instead, if I may say so, I think most of us feel that someone who doesn’t share our same views actually has the ability to edify us if we’re only willing to hear them.

That’s just it.

It starts with us. We need to be willing. We need to let others in. To cut the fear. To stay accountable. To remain open and nonjudgmental.

And we need to look closely at our own behavior before we try to convince anyone else of anything.