Every time you read something, you are forcing your brain to say those words, the words written down; you’re forcing your brain to say them and then obviously to think about them a little — that’s why reading helps you learn.

If something seems too easy to believe, too neat, i recommend that you suspect it of being made up — of being a story, that is; fiction.

Real life is messy. It’s not neat; so just because you see simple words somewhere, don’t believe that there is a correspondingly simple reality to go along with it. Those sparse words are probably a vast oversimplification; that’s what storytelling is.

So don’t believe simplistic accounts you read in a newspaper or a magazine, online, or in a book; it’s always more complicated than that, whether it’s history or current events — it’s always messy.

“Write what you know” is the standard advice for wanna-be authors, and it’s usually a good starting place. “Write who you know” is the pronominal corollary, and some of the best books ever written (Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises being the foremost example) followed exactly this directive — and much of the story was lifted directly from reality (to the displeasure of some of the participants).

Most writers start off by copying the styles of writers they like, and that’s also a perfectly valid practice — especially if the writers you choose to emulate have diverse styles. Don’t be afraid to reach for the greats!

Some writers read their favorite books many times, training their neural nets (so to speak) repeatedly on quality texts; they may gain the ability to emulate the emotional tenor of a classic, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Different people will naturally develop different writing styles. Don’t be afraid to be distinctive — just be consistent. Some people can proofread their own writing; others have more trouble and have to seek outside help. Sometimes it helps to read the text aloud so you can hear how it sounds; there are separate areas in your brain for language: receptive and expressive. So reading out loud (and listening to yourself) employs more of your brain than just reading silently to yourself.

Try different methods of writing if you’re having trouble; switch to pen & paper instead of a keyboard, or try composing your text by talking to your smartphone for a change. It’s all you; switch it up, and different parts of your style may emerge with different ways of writing. Try writing in a quiet place at home; try writing in a noisy café; try writing on a beach, or in the woods. Don’t be afraid to experiment!

If you keep at it, you may find yourself creating a world you wish to inhabit — that’s the joy of writing.