Becoming a better writer isn't about consuming advice; it's about consuming storytelling on a long-term basis.
Why AI Didn't Make Me a Better Writer?
Many IT experts and health experts stated that AI is great for assistance, but not as a means to replace your writing creativity. When I first started using AI in my writing, I was strongly against it as I felt that it would take away my creativity.
AI saved me a few hours, but it didn't improve my writing. In fact, the more I relied on it, the more my work started to feel polished and inauthentic.
No wonder so much polished content today feels unnatural; it's missing the authenticity writing once had long ago.
I am not saying you should not use AI tools at all, just use them only for assistance, not as a means to generate huge chunks of text and call it done. I did this a few years ago, and it ruined my creativity with zero authenticity.
Are Self-Help Books Really Useful?
Many self-help books focus on mindset and productivity, not craft. They may help you think better, but they don't teach you how to write better sentences, build tension, or develop a voice.
To become a better writer, simply read fiction books. Be it romance, thriller, crime, comedy, history, or many more, they help you write well.
Another thing I have noticed in these self-help books (and I am not sure if you have noticed as well) is that they update with the latest version. This is something that bothers me as a writer. Why do authors change advice every time a new version of the same title is published? This may not be the case for all self-help authors (I am not strongly against it), but I feel giving different or the latest advice confuses readers.
Don't you think?
How Fiction Books Made Me Write Well?
The good thing about fiction reading is that every writer has their own style of writing; some write small sentences while others write huge paragraphs.
Fiction books help me with things no self-help book could, such as how to build tension, vary sentence rhythm, and how to keep the reader hooked without sounding forced. These things make readers curious about what happens next.
This is how I've developed my style of writing in my content writing career. One thing you must not ignore is the tone of voice; this is something most writers struggle with. Authors have their tone of voice, which makes me learn how to develop various tones when writing for various audiences.
This interest in fiction books built my interest in content writing and helped me learn to grow as a writer.
Wrap Up
AI does help you write in seconds, but doesn't make you write well. Self-help books help you become a better version, but that doesn't make you any less of a great writer.
The art of fiction novels is beneficial and taught me that becoming a writer also requires becoming an avid reader. With various genres out there, I have learned how to develop tone, sentence fragments, and writing style.
If you want to write better, don't just read advice; read stories. That's where real writing lives.
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