Every author who has ever written a how to book on writing has hammered home the point that the best way to learn to write is to read what other authors are writing, and that is where we’re headed today in the series, Learn To Write.

As basic as this sounds, this advice may be the the second best I have ever heard when it comes to learning to write. The best advice would be to just write.

Writing practice that happens  every day allows the mind to open up and the ink flow. We begin to gain our voice over time and feel more confident about what we write. The all important process of chipping away at inhibitions will carry on as we write what we see inside of us and what our feelings about those sights are.

Reading what other authors write is very important on many levels.  One great thing about reading many authors is learning about different voices. This will help us fledgling writers learn to cultivate our own voices.

I think we also learn how to converse with our writing. I would bet that each one of you find certain authors to be among your favorite because you feel like you carry on a conversation with them. This sticks with us as writers and we try to use the same mechanisms of relaxed tone in our own voice.

Squidoo Lens Reviews

The best writers at Squidoo writing reviews of some of the best writing at Squidoo. It can’t get much better than that.

Squidoo Lens Reviews gives us at least five different stellar conversations every week via five different, but equally awesome voices. Each conversation not only adds an outstanding introduction to the Squidoo lens being reviewed, but more often than not, the review is engaging enough to stand alone as an account of some aspect of the author’s own life.

Take luvmyludwig (Crystal) and her review of a lens entitled Teaching Your Kids to Cook for instance. Crystal gives a wonderful accounting about how she lives for the times she spends bonding with her son in the kitchen.

The weekly line up includes all these unique, but equally inviting voices:

• Wordcustard (Monday)
• BevsPaper (Tuesday)
• luvmyludwig (Wednesday)
• LeanneChesser (Thursday)
• kimmanleyort (Friday)

Of course these are the regular voices, but Growwear (Mimi), site owner and operator, has also assembled a wonderful line-up of contributors, including:

• 24websurf
• Beth821
• clouda9
• Ecolicious
• OhMe
• Stazjia
• Sylvestermouse

Sites  that give us fresh content to read every day, like this one does, can go a long way to teaching us about voice and confidence. But this review site is a mark above pack and gets a big thumbs up from me.

© 2010, Alex Crabtree. All rights reserved.

Years ago I started writing Flash Fiction for just the sheer enjoyment of writing, and now it has turned into a full blown addiction. I can't quit the horse, man! Another dirty little secret about me is my ability to write all kinds of web content. SEO content, articles, blog posts, manifests; you name it, I'll write it. Looking for some help? My gun hangs at r.alex.crabtree@gmail.com

Alex Crabtree

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Tags: Learn To Write, Series, site review, Writing, Writing Tips

This entry was posted on June 20, 2010 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Learn To Write, Series, Writing Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.