[Alphapheemail]

Originally Posted by ahi

Michelle, I remember some writer (whose identity I do not recall) taught himself how to write by regularly copying pages and pages from books of authors he/she admired. Doing so helped the person get into the habit of writing the way said authors did, and the benefits eventually stayed with them even when they were writing impromptu (as opposed to copying from a book page).

Oh man! this is such a good idea... now I have to sit and think who to pick..

In my writing--whether it's a poem, a story, a letter, or a forum post--I cannot get it very good or fully coherent and concise the first time around (unless, of course, I patiently plan it out in my head in advance). So I go back and edit, until I stop feeling that the sentences I am reading are messy/inelegant. (In case you are wandering, I infrequently do that with online forum posts to the extent I would with more formal writing... so don't be scared.)

This is very true! I hardly edit aswell, only for spelling purposes.

I found it also helped me to read books about writing that address a broad range of issues, and thereby suggest ways to improve most every aspect of your writing/composition. In particular, I recommend the Chicago Manual of Style--which is presently offering a free 30 day trial online:

http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html

Thank you so much I am going to check it out , I am sure I will need it once I get back to the grind of writing!