Grow as a Writer

Suzanna Anderson Creates ♦ July 11, 2011 ♦ Leave a comment

Today I found seven old short stories and reread them. It was interesting to see my growth from fall 2009 to fall 2010. I cringed at one I wrote in fall 2009. Never will I mention that story again except as an example of how not to write a short story.

And I noticed a pattern. I use magnolia trees often, and there’s an element of magic realism in two of them while the others are basic literary fiction (like what a new writer would write.) My use of incorporating details is evident while there were obvious points in the narration. Those were easy to cut once I recognized them.

Point being, you need to grow as a writer. What’s the point of starting a new project or trying to fulfill long-term goals if you’re not improving? I’ve definitely noticed that my writing has gotten better every semester, but I will continue to grow if I strive to do better with each piece I write or revise.