Faking being a better writer
Speaking with my voice, speaking with the words that make sense to me, is the way that I believe I will be the most effective with my writing. Writing styles are personal and unique and I love every individual's style. I don't write professionally, just as an amateur, so I haven't developed my own style. I have no experience or knowledge of what it takes to be a good writer; that doesn't mean I can't write, or I shouldn't write.
The first step To develop a w You want a good style? You gotta break it down. Step one: Talk to yourself, tell yourself you're the best, or, at least that you can become the best. And by best I mean the best version of you. Don't oversell yourself. Because you're not going to be any great poet. Do this to make it clear that things are going to change. Albeit slowly. Becoming the best you means you'll be taking it one step at a time, to move forward, that is. Don't bite off more than you can chew.
Next step is to emulate someone you admire you've read before look up to. Practice makes perfect, and if you never pretend to be like Jordan you won't be able to dunk the ball. You need to should look at people who've done it, and see what it is they are doing. Something about the way they shoot the ball; maybe its the way the hand is on this side, or the feet need to be that this far apart, or the shoulder here, or the... hey wait! I thought I was writing about writing here.
The next step is to Stop deleting. Editing is huge. That's what I learned from reading Ernest Hemingway's stories, being able to see all the ways he thought through a draft was eye opening to me. The strike throughs, and the false starts, all instilled an idea of iteration. And I like to see the wrong ways to do it. The crossed out ideas can still be inspiring inspire tangential trains of thought. There's a whole 'nother essay to be had just on editing.
Put your pride on the shelf, over there by the door. Yeah that one! Don't waste your time being afraid of judgement. You stink. Accept it. Now get better! Show me your work, it's terrible. Start over, and get better. That's how it's done. You iterate. Now clean it up and make it pretty. Spank it on the bottom and let it breath the real air. The writing's alive now, it has feel. You are on your way to better places.