Haha, no, though I did enjoy my Lit classes! Funnily enough, my major was Poli Sci - Public Law. I’m not sure that helped me any in terms of my creative writing skills, but it did help in terms of coherence — barely. 😂

Tips? I find what works best for me is that I don’t try to be something I’m not. For example, I really admire those who can write emotions so clearly, so beautifully, using flowery language and extrapolating with deep metaphors. BUT — that’s just not my style. It’s not me! If I try to force that type of writing too much, writing because SO much more difficult, and you can tell when it was a struggle when reading it. Writing is (supposed to be) fun. When you feel really passionate about something, or are having a lot of fun with it, it really flows. Yes, there are writing blocks and slumps at times, but nothing you can’t work through.

So if I were to give any sort of advice, it’d be to just practice writing little scenes to develop your style. It’s okay to take inspiration from other writers, but remember: no one can write like YOU can. Focus on what YOU like writing, how YOU like to express emotion or actions or thoughts or smut. Do you really like creating vivid imagery when describing a scene, the way a person’s shirt falls, the way their hair flutters in the wind? Do you love a more poetic style, with a lot of soft, ethereal, meaningful words that depict just how the heart breaks and how it finds new life in love? Are you a smut writer, where nothing is more fun than laying out exactly how getting penetrated makes someone’s insides feel? Are you most creative and inspired when you’re creating interesting plot lines, outlining them from start to finish and creating a twisted map of scenarios that you love to explore?

Lean into it! Focus on working that writing muscle and developing what makes your style unique! The writing will come off more naturally than if you try to emulate how someone else writes, and it will be more special, I feel.

So whatever makes your heart happy, focus on that, and the style will come. Your heart and soul to the cause — whatever it may be. 💖