Now, I am, by no means, the best writer in the world nor do I claim to be — I don’t think I am even half there. There are still so much room for improvement, learning, and more practice.

Writing, for me, is not only a hobby that I cannot let go of but my way of pouring out my thoughts and feelings. I find it therapeutic; the way it helps me clear my mind and make me feel like someone is listening even though I am only facing this blank, white page that will soon be filled with my words.

I’ve been blogging for a decade now, but I’ve been writing way longer than that. I write and keep journals which contains little notes, relatable quotes, how my day went, or just about what I read that day, I wrote book reports year after year for school, and I even played with MS Publisher and wrote articles about anything I could think of.

Yet, I still need more practice. So right now, I am writing this post to share with you some of the things that have helped me grow as a writer which are still helping me through my writing journey up to this day:

Read more, read often.

Aside from my love for writing, I also love reading: articles, novels, comic books, essays, etc. So my advice is read anything — read everything. It does not only help you know your grammar, but it also helps you find your own rhythm.

Listen to people.

It has been one of the best learning methods that I learned throughout my writing “career.” I never appreciated the art of listening when I was in college, but when I started working, I realized that it is essential to understanding what you are writing about.

To listen is to understand and to understand is to interpret. When you understand things, you write about them with quality.

Research.

Research is one of the best ways of backing up your work with facts. Knowing the nature and background of things are the key essentials of writing a better article.

Research works even when you are writing fiction because it gives you ideas and a better grasp of the topic, setting, or era.

Keep learning.

Another thing that I realized is that learning new things doesn’t stop at getting your diploma. So keep making mistakes, accept them, and learn from them.

Write.

Lastly, write and write and write and write. If you think your work is not good enough, write. If you think you’re one of the bests, write. To become a better runner, you must run. To become a better actress, you must act. To become better at anything, you must take that first step and never stop.

So never stop writing.