Countless writers never get their books finished because they insist they "need to polish it a bit more". While it's true that you should aim for constant improvement, you should never let this be an excuse for not completing your manuscript. However, you certainly need to fix errors with style and technique to give your story the best possible chance with an editor.

I could fill a whole book with tips on style and technique, and still not cover everything you need to know - so one article in one tipsheet is definitely not going to do the trick! Instead, the focus here will be on how you can improve your technique, along with advice on where you can find some useful articles.

1. Tackle One Thing At A Time

This might sound simplistic, but it's necessary advice. Far too many writers crack under the strain of trying to fix everything that's wrong at the same time.

As many of you know, I've created several full-length courses on writing for major educational providers, and I've been a tutor for those courses (as well as for my own) for over eight years. Each lesson in these courses focuses on one specific aspect of writing. Therefore, when I mark assignments, I try to focus on what is being taught in that lesson, rather than singling out every error I see. I know that if I try to give advice about everything that needs attention, my student is likely to decide it's all too hard and give up.

You can't master everything you need to know overnight. Be kind to yourself and take it slowly. Usually, you will find out what needs fixing through feedback from other writers or a tutor. Keep a list of what you need to work on, and work through it systematically. You'll find that some things will be easy to master - as soon as your errors are pointed out you'll say "How could I not have noticed that?" and you'll never do it again. Other things will be harder - no matter how hard you try, you can't seem to 'get it'.

Remind yourself that most writers go through this. (With me it's 'who' and 'whom'. I've had it explained a million times and I still have to sit and think through it before making the choice - and even then I'm never sure that it's right! Yet most other areas of grammar are easy. However, I've learned to live with this... it's just one tiny area, after all. I avoid using 'who' or 'whom', or I ask someone else to check!)

If it's something more important (like adding emotional depth to your scenes, or mastering viewpoint) you'll have to grit your teeth and try again. Don't give up. Keep working on the problem, and keep getting feedback from others about how you're doing. One day, you'll find that you finally get it! And then... you'll know that you've just taken a BIG step forward in your journey toward publication.

2. If Something 'Sounds Wrong', Try To Work Out Why

I've lost count of the number of times I've had this sort of frustrated comment scribbled on the cover page of an assignment: "I've spent hours editing and polishing this scene. I've rewritten it about a dozen times and I know it's still not right - but I don't know why!"

Most times, I've been able to home in on whatever it is that is stopping the scene from working, then explain to the writer both what the problem is and how to fix it. Often I get a comment like this back by email or on the cover of the next assignment: "Thank you! As soon as you explained I could see exactly why it wasn't coming together. Now I know what to do next time."

Sometimes all you need is an objective pair of eyes to look at your work and identify the problem. Your subconscious mind already knows that something's wrong - but it just can't bring it to the surface; it can't put a name to the problem.

This is why it's so important to have a writing buddy or a critique circle to look at your work. You can cut the learning curve by weeks or months simply by having another writer point out what's not working.

Trust your instincts. If you feel that something's wrong, then you're probably right. Keep asking questions (of yourself and of others) until you find out what the 'something' is.

3. Build Up Your Writer's Resource Library

Most professions have industry magazines and related reading material. There is an absolute ton of information both on- and off-line for writers. Your job is to build up your own reference library so that you have the information on hand when you need it.

This is not difficult. Most large book chains (like Borders) have a comprehensive section of how-to books for writers. Every so often, organise a trip to see what's new. Give yourself time to browse and read sections of each book that sounds good before you buy. A book might have a catchy title, but this doesn't mean you'll enjoy reading the content - or even that you'll learn from it. I have books on the craft of writing that I've barely glanced at - because after getting them home, I found they bored me. Now I know better; I read enough of a book to know whether it will interest me before I plunk down my money.

If you're like me, you'll enjoy reading a 'real book' and having it close to hand for reference while you're learning tips on technique. However, you'll also find it useful to download articles and e-books from the Internet, print them out and store them in carefully labelled folders. The Internet is a cheap and convenient resource for writers.

Give your folders labels that mean something to you, so you can easily find the articles you need. For example, you could have a folder for articles on characters, another one for plotting, and another for technique - viewpoint, dialogue, emotional punch, and so on.

4. Where To Find Relevant Articles

Here are some places you'll find good articles on the craft of writing. I suggest that you allot a day or several mornings to finding and printing out useful articles, then filing them so they'll be at hand when you need them.

The Writing4Success Tipsheet Library

I've written many articles on technique, characterisation, plotting and so on - and they are conveniently arranged in an e-book library for you. Go here to download the Tipsheet Library (free of charge, and in easy-to-open, easy-to-print PDF format).

www.writing4success.com/tipsheet_archive.htm

The Writing4Success Club Site

The Club Site has over 450 articles on writing for you to access, as well as other goodies. Click on some of the links on the home page at www.writing4successclub.com or do a search for writing terms you particularly want more information on.

Other Writing Sites

The best place to find out about writing sites that are currently popular and satisfying the needs of writers is at the Writers Digest site. Check out their list of the 101 most popular sites here:

www.writersdigest.com/101sites/2006_index.asp

You're sure to find out what you need to know from one of them!

A Final Word

Writers are never perfect. They will never know everything there is to know about good technique and a smooth style. However, writers who get published tend to be those who have worked at their craft so they can be as good as they can possibly be. They understand that there will always be something they wished they'd known before the last book was published - but that's okay: they are happy to fix it for next time, and meanwhile, to keep learning new tricks!

Bottom line: an essential part of getting your writing career on track is to understand how to keep growing as a writer. The two main ways to do this are:

1. Build a good basic professional library (ideally, a mixture of printed articles and books on writing) then keep searching for relevant new information. Add to your resource library regularly.

2. Get feedback to ensure that you understand what you need to do to improve your style and technique. Then work on one thing at a time until you've mastered it.

Your goal for Week 5:

Establish a basic professional library of resources, so when you become stuck you'll have a backup to help you. This should be a mixture of books and downloaded articles. File them logically so you can find what you need, when you need it. Update your library regularly.

Then, if you haven't done so already, start looking into a way to get feedback on your writing, so you understand what aspects of your style and technique you need to improve.