You're a bartender who can tell a customer's future with every order.

Now, I am not famous, nor am I an award-winning author. But every author I know who does well reads a lot. It's as simple as it is hard to find the time. Read. It may seem reductive, but it's really all you need. 📚 So just read. Read what you want to write, read authors who master where you feel like you struggle. Read read read. Especially if you have writer's block, it helps. 📺 If your only inspirations are movies and video games (no hate, I love them too), it will be noticeable in your writing. Especially in the way you write action 👀. I know it's hard to find time, especially when writing takes up a lot of time itself, but it's a necessity, and it's obvious in the writing when you don't. 🌟 If you read, everything else will come. Again, this is my personal experience, based on observation and the advice of other authors, both big and small. Good luck, folks, and don't quit. You got this. 😉

Wait... am I the only one watching a literal IMAX movie in my head? 🍿🎬 ​I was just talking to my family about what they "see" when they read, and my mind is officially blown. ​Me: It’s like a full-blown cinematic experience. I see the characters, the lighting, the action... it's a movie. ​My Husband: Just words. Like, black ink on a page. That’s it. (How?!) ​My Daughter: Sees blank space. 🤯 ​I’ve realized my "messy" brain is constantly rendering 4K video while other people are just reading code. Is this why I have 65 tabs open? Because my brain is a literal production studio? ​Which one are you?? > 1. Full 4K Movie 🎥 2. Just the words/text 📝 3. Total blank space/concepts 🌫️ 4. Something else entirely? ​Tell me I’m not alone in the movie theater! 👇

Something I’ve been realizing: When I reread my own writing, it always feels clearer than it probably is… because I already know what I meant. Makes me wonder how different it feels to someone reading it for the first time. Do you think about that when editing?