Three parts to practicing poetical prose

Hey!

A skill that is crucial to becoming a famous author is the tool that often gets overlooked. It is the way in which you read their work, the flow of the writing - the prose.

Prose, in its simplest definition, is how the work is worded. This can be either flowery and descriptive to create a sense of beauty, or even simplistic for the sake of audience readability.

However, not many writers know how to go about their prose. They long to be able to write in those flowery ways mentioned earlier, but get caught up in it that they barely write at all.

I believe there are three steps towards not only improving your prose, but understanding the purposes behind the different approaches.

📖Read, read, and read.

You may have heard it many times already, but reading is one of the best ways to improve your prose. Your mind is a sponge and by reading you are taking in the way authors write and hopefully absorbing it.

When you next sit down to write, you begin to subconsciously mimic the prose and style of those you have read. It is a great way to try and force yourself to write in a specific way that you wouldn't have otherwise tried.

⏱️Once again, it's all about consistency

I'll say it again, like in all my other posts. The best way to improve at something is to make it a habit and stick to it. That way, after time, it will become more natural to you.

If you sit down to write a short five hundred word piece every day, you'll end up writing a lot. Think of it not like writing 15k words in a month, but rather that 50o per day. It is all about breaking it down (and I don't mean dancing).

By consistently writing it will help you find what style of prose you naturally gravitate towards. By employing both this part and the previous, you'll improve massively and be ready for the third and final part.

🤔Part 3: Making the decision

Once you are at the point that you understand the different types of prose and can write in those said styles, you have to choose.

This doesn't have to be all-encompassing. You can change depending on your audience. But, as a baseline, you should decide what kind of prose you feel is best for you.

For example, if you want to reach a larger audience and don't mind coming across as slightly basic, then maybe a more simplistic prose is best for you. If you want to focus on readability and making sure everyone can approach your work, this is the way forward.

However, if you like the idea of having your work seen as beautifully written at the expense of turning away a few readers that struggle with that sort of writing, then maybe practising that style of prose is more suited for your needs.

Either way, by considering your audience and putting the practice in, you can improve your prose and be more intentional with the way you write.

That's all from me today,
Fin :)