Are you motivated to improve your fiction writing skills as a freelancer? It’s a fairly niche avenue to take, as most freelance writers focus on non-fiction content for blogs and other mediums of online communication. Writing fiction is somewhat romanticized, and it’s widely seen as much more difficult than researching and writing factual content.

But it doesn’t necessarily have to be more challenging. The creative freedom afforded to fiction writers is something to be cherished, and it gives you the chance to bring any scenario to life. But is there a way you can improve your fiction writing?

Of course! Writing fiction is a skill, and like any other skill, it can be improved through practice and training. The more fiction you write, the more you can hone your style and begin to create a noteworthy portfolio. If you’re just starting out as a fiction writer, here are five ways you can dramatically improve your fiction writing ability.

Sign up for a creative writing course. 

Creative writing is the fundamental skill of fiction writing. The great news for aspiring fiction writers is that it’s a skill that is widely taught by experts, such as this Write Your First Novel course offered by Coursera.

While it’s difficult [if not impossible] to teach someone to have the imagination to produce the next Harry Potter series, it’s perfectly possible to teach them the skills to be able to write it, should their imagination do all of the hard work for them!

Ensuring you’re equipped with the necessary creative writing skills to succeed as a fiction writer is a super important place to begin, and any course that you complete will help you improve your abilities and get to know what it takes to produce a compelling piece of fiction.

Read a book that inspires you to write fiction. 

You might think it’s counterintuitive to read a book about writing! It certainly seems like a strange thing to do from the outset, but you can learn so much from people who have been there and done it.

One of the best books to read as an aspiring fiction writer is Zen in the Art of Writing: Releasing the Creative Genius Within You by Ray Bradbury. Filled with essays on what it takes to become a writer, as well as tips and insights into Bradbury’s career, it’s an excellent way to prepare yourself for your fiction writing journey.

Regardless of the book you read, make sure you take notes and complete any exercises or tasks that are laid out by the author. These will help you to build your confidence and will introduce you to the necessary steps you will need to take to become a fiction writer.

Immerse yourself into a world that you have created. 

This point might sound a little abstract, but bear with us! One thing that fiction writers often struggle with is the boundaries between reality and make-believe. Are you planning to write fictional stories that integrate into a real-life, believable narrative?

Or are you hoping to create a world of your own, which is explored through your complex fictional characters? However you approach your fiction, you need to create and then immerse yourself into your created world.

This world needs to be able to sustain your readers’ attention for several hundred pages, so make sure you’re inspired by it and keen to explore it through character creation. If you aren’t fully immersed in the story from the word go, you are unlikely to captivate your audience.

Begin by writing short stories. 

While you might dream of publishing an epic, five-hundred-page novel that becomes a bestseller, you might want to consider beginning your career by writing short stories. The beauty of a short story is that it can be expanded upon and enhanced if you’re excited by the finished article.

You might consider posting your short story to a site like Booksie and ask your readers for feedback. Writing a short-form account of a fictional story and working on it over time is an excellent way to enrich your plot and build your characters.

When you have a small compendium of short stories, and you’ve gained confidence and an engaging writing style, you may feel more capable of taking the step up to writing longer fictional pieces like a novel.

Get your ideas down in front of you, even if they don’t make sense. 

Many fictional writers suffer from procrastination when it comes to writing their stories. They might have spent weeks planning their characters and plot but can’t seem to get any words down in front of them, as they don’t seem to say what they want them to.

Consider these words from author Louis L’Amour:

“Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”

Fiction writers often strive for perfection and struggle to get anything tangible down on the screen in front of them. While understandable, it’s not at all helpful, as it’s impossible to edit a blank piece of paper.

In the early days, focus on articulating your ideas in front of you, even if they don’t make any sense or follow a cohesive structure. You will find that the more you get down, the easier the words will flow. And you will have a short piece of fiction in front of you in no time at all that’s ready to edit.

Closing thoughts. 

Writing fiction may seem more difficult than writing non-fiction, but with some time and effort, you will find it’s incredibly rewarding. While we might not all be blessed with the creativity of Tolkien or Rowling, everyone has a spark of creativity and imagination inside of them.

Hopefully, these five tips will help you unlock that spark and share your story with the world. Don’t forget, every author started by staring at a blank page, so get as many words down as you can and refine your ideas and plot as you go.