What do you do if your writing skills are falling behind due to a lack of innovative writing tools?

Well explained. Because often what happens, regardless of a neat outline, the complex details hinder your writing from standing out. So, it is always a wise step to carefully evaluate what your craft needs. What could be possibly missing regardless of the practice and consistency? Even if you're unable to analyse the same, reach out to a reliable guide and seek necessary feedback. Sometimes you need a fresh pair of lenses to alter your perspective. Understand the loopholes, attend to the sections that need changes, and proceed accordingly.

Most times it's hard to see the problem ourself, so what I'd suggest is seeking feedback. If you have writing buddies, bosses or colleagues, ask for their feedback on your work. If you have an avid reader as a friend too, they could give their perspective on what you need to do to improve. Once you know what the problem is, search for solutions. There are so many resources at the tip of your fingers. Surf the internet!

This is an interesting question. One can improve their writing, and indeed, there is always room for improvement, but I don't think we'll experience lack of innovative writing tools anytime soon. Like other contributors on this page, I too would look for feedback, but only from carefully selected sources I believe are qualified to provide it. Looking for inspiration and learning from more advanced writers whose work we like is also an option, as well as investing in writing courses to polish our techniques and learning new ones.

Always know your why. Whatever it is you are setting out to do, have your goals listed. Don't just have them in your head, list them, break them into actionable steps (how you want to achieve the goal and what you need to do), and most importantly, hold yourself accountable!

I find that scheduling the steps needed to achieve a goal on a calendar works wonders. Set reminders too. If accomplishing a step is challenging, find a different way to do it. Sometimes that's all that is needed: a small change to make something that seems daunting more appealing.

You only get better by consistently putting in the work and practicing your craft. The more you write, the stronger your creative muscles get. Even if you don't have a client to write for, create a personal blog and make some posts there, or better still create posts on social media. It's not easy, but you just have to do it if you really want to get better at writing.

"Everyday it gets better. But you've got to do it every day." Practicing any skill is the most useful way to improve it. Writing a blog, writing for social media, writing in your notes app are all beneficial. Reading your own writing back after building some critical distance is also beneficial to evaluate what does and doesn't engage you. But the more words in the bank the easier this is to do frequently.

Ask Generative AI for help. ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot are all free bots that can help you compare writing tools and choose the best one to improve your writing skills. 1. Tell the bot exactly what you need and explain why you need it. 2. Ask it to recommend a list of writing tools that can help you accomplish your goals according to your individual writing skill needs. Once you choose your tool, skip lengthy manuals & head to YouTube or TikTok. Search for "[tool name] + tutorial" & learn via screen captures. These bite-sized lessons show you exactly what to click & how to use different features, maximizing your tool's effectiveness. Bonus: many creators offer insights on best practices!

There's no growth in our comfort zone. It took a lot for me to push myself from writing poetry to exploring other genres of writing, but it's one of the best decisions I have made in my life. Doing this has brought so many opportunities my way and I am still consistently pushing myself to explore other writing genres. Honestly, the first step is always the hardest, just take it, you'll be shocked to see how well you do!

One of the magical features of writing is the connection between the craftsperson and their craft. The carpenter is separated from their wood by hammer, nails, and saw. For writers, the words stand on their own. All this to say: if you are falling behind in your writing, it is probably not because of your tools.

Use simple words you don't need a dictionary to read my work. Write about something that people can identify with. And for me I only write about what I know. After 35 years of credit and lending, I called my 5th grade English teacher who reminded that "I didn't teach you how to write, I taught you to enjoy writing I knew I was on the right track when a grandmother stopped me in the hallway and said, " Mr. Jeffrey, I loved the story you gave my daughter for my granddaughter". I stopped and took a deep breath that my simple story had reached three generations. Jeffrey Blanche, jrblanche@yahoo.com