Do you want to be more creative and inspired with your writing, but have no clue how to improve your writing skills? It can be difficult to find comfortable ways to refine and or evolve your writing, and it does not happen in just one day. Just like it takes a while to build up muscle, it can take a little time to improve your writing skills. Don’t worry though, here are five effective techniques to challenge your writing and creativity:

Play with Wikipedia

Wikipedia offers a “random page” button on the left side of its webpage. If you want to challenge your creative writing skills, write a story (short or long) about the topic, person, or subject you are directed to. This is a great way to get your gears turning and even step out of your comfort zone to explore new concepts and ideas. This game is a great way to get the creative juices flowing.

Form Fiction from Fact…

Similar to the Wikipedia game, this technique involves taking a recent news article or announcement and creating your own story from it. Try to investigate a situation through different perspectives discussed in the article, using your own fictional characters to play out a story like the one in the news. If you like writing stories that are realistic and deal with modern issues, this is a great technique to challenge yourself with.

Join a Workshop

Whether online or in person, writing workshops can be very beneficial to you. Not only do you get the opportunity to create new stories and receive feedback on previous or current works of yours but you can also form relationships with potential future writing partners as well as toss around story ideas with one another. Socializing with other writers and refining your work based on the feedback you get can be fun and inspirational.

Outlines Are Your Buddy

Before you write up the story in your mind, take some time to write out the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of the plot. It can be extremely helpful to record your thoughts and ideas into an outline that can then guide you through the story you wish to tell. It can be a challenge to try and lay out the scenes and sequences of your story, especially if you are eager to start writing, but this technique is a good way to plan ahead and really delve into your characters, theme, and overall plot of your story. Outlines are definitely your buddy.

Read, Read, and Read

Sometimes the best way to improve your writing is to read. The more you read, and the more variety of subjects and styles you read in or about, the more you’ll learn about your preferences in writing style and technique. Also, reading the works of your favorite authors and deciphering what makes them so interesting can aid you in developing your own style in writing. Finding and taking the time to do so can be challenging, but ultimately helps you with understanding and improving your work.

To conclude, there are many simple ways to challenge yourself and improve your writing. All you have to do is put in the effort and time. It will pay off in the end.

To learn more about ways to challenge your writing skills, visit the articles: "16 Ways to Improve Your Writing Skills," and "27 Ways to Improve Your Writing Skills and Escape Content Mediocrity."