There are two ways to improve your writing, and they are both necessary and extremely simple. They are (1) Reading and (2) Writing.

Reading is necessary to writing. You wouldn’t attempt to write a symphony without having heard others, and you wouldn’t attempt to make a movie without having seen others - so don’t try to write without having read a fair amount. It doesn’t have to be Shakespeare, either - even reading your friends’ writing will help you improve your own. Giving other people constructive criticism is actually one of the best ways to improve yourself.

Writing is also necessary. The more you write, the better you will be at it. It’s common sense.

There are several ways to practice both of these. One, as I have mentioned, is writing with friends. Write a little, read each other’s writing, critique it, and write more. However, there are a few other resources I can suggest for practice.

National Novel Writing Month - This is a challenge in which you attempt to write a 50,000 word novel (that’s about 80 pages, single spaced) in a month. It sounds impossible, but it isn’t, and the site has forums on which you can talk to other writers, encourage each other, and find any help you need. More than anything, it’s just a good way to motivate yourself, because you can’t afford to pick every word carefully. I know I started out thinking that everything I wrote had to be perfect and the best I could do, but if you approach writing with that mindset, you don’t get much done. If you write lots and lots - even if it’s not very good - you will see your writing improve. National Novel Writing Month is held each November.

Fanfiction.net - “Oh, no!” you say. “Fanfiction? Every good writer knows that fanfiction is unadulterated trash written by thirteen-year-old girls!” Much of the time, this is sadly true. However, it’s also possible to find really amazing writers on this site (some of whom are thirteen-year-old girls), and it is absolutely one of the best ways to receive feedback on your work. Try it - write something fairly short, post it, and watch people review. Sometimes, you don’t get a lot of reviews, and sometimes, they’re not very helpful, but a lot of the time people will tell you specifically what they liked or didn’t. And if you can’t stand the site, try searching for a community on LiveJournal.

Those are really the best ways to improve - just keep reading and writing. Practice makes perfect, and the more practice you have, the easier it becomes. And don’t worry about making everything you write a masterpiece - if you feel like writing something trashy and clichéd and unoriginal, do it! Everybody needs a break from being brilliant now and then. :)