Joel Landau: Practical Tips for Becoming a Better Writer

Writing is more of an art rather than science, which means it isn't something you can study by hard, and it may be harder to realize what you can do in order to get better. Nevertheless, just like most writers, Joel Landau also agrees that the best ways to improve yourself as a writer is by reading more, and writing more. Training is an important aspect of every profession, and why would things be different with writing? The more often you write, the more you train your brain. The more you write the better you'll get, as writing is a skill, and like any other skill, one needs to practice in order to get better. Write every day, multiple times a day, and remember to have fun while doing it.

Ideas are a writer's best friends, which means writers can't do without them. Every writer, including Joel Landau has occasionally hit a dead spot, a writer's block, or a period when a person is left without any idea. Sometimes it may take some time for an idea to strike you, but a good writer should always be ready and prepared with a pen and paper to write those new topic ideas. You might even come up with a bunch of bad ideas, but sometimes there'll be one or two gems that will come from a brainstorming like this. As a simple brain exercise, every day Landau takes 7 minutes of his time and does this, and eventually it did made his job easier.

Coming up with different topics and ideas can be hard, which is why Joel Landau recommends some of the techniques he uses. For example, choose random headlines from a newspaper, a blog, a website, and write them on a piece of paper. Than step away from your computer or your phone and let your brain do the magic. Spend the next 5 or 10 minutes coming up with as many topic ideas as possible. You don't have to limit yourself to just one topic. Coming up with new topic ideas is one of the hardest parts of a writer's job.