With all the writing you do during the school year, one of the last things you might want to do during summer vacation is write some more. However, keeping up a consistent writing habit will help build your skills (and may even lead to more enjoyment when you’re analyzing Hamlet or Beowulf when school starts back up).
Don’t worry. I’m not going to give you extra reading and essay assignments to do. I’m just here to show you how to sneak a little bit of writing practice into your day—without writing a single essay.
Unless you want to, of course.
Online Writing Practice
The internet is an amazing tool when leveraged correctly. For writers (novice, professional, and every level between the two), it’s especially useful. And a great way to use the internet’s power to improve your writing is to… well… actually write on the internet.
Start with Facebook or Reddit
Long-form social media platforms like Reddit and Facebook are great places to express yourself and improve your writing.
For example, sharing stories about your summer job in r/TalesFromRetail or similar subreddits allows you to vent about bad experiences or revel in the good moments.
Best of all, you’ll learn a little more about how to craft a compelling story. (Just be sure to change names of people, businesses, and cities in the story, so you don’t give out too much personal information.)
On Facebook, you can join writing groups to connect with other writers in your area or worldwide. You can also comment on people’s posts (no trolling, please) or make longer posts of your own.
Turn to Twitter for writing challenges
While you can’t write long posts on Twitter like you can with Facebook or Reddit, Twitter does have a couple of advantages. The first is that there are many accounts dedicated solely to writing prompts. Simply find a prompt you like, and get creative with it.
You can also challenge yourself to write impactful short pieces. Being so limited in your character count may force you to use words in a more intentional and impactful way by cutting back on the fillers and fluff.
Why not start a blog?
Blogging is one of my favorite ways to incorporate writing practice into my week while exploring my other creative interests. You can start a general blog where you write about anything you want, regardless of theme. Or if you have a hobby or passion, your blog can focus on that.
If you write a focused blog (and consistently publish posts), you can even monetize it. This probably won’t make you rich, especially when you’re just starting out. But it’s still nice to make a little extra money writing about something you love.
Or Take a More Old-Fashioned Approach
For some people, there’s something so soothing about writing by hand. It does have certain advantages, including the ability to doodle or organize your thoughts in a more customized way. It also helps you improve your hand strength and handwriting, so you can write more legibly when school starts again.
Writing by hand doesn’t have to be a chore, though. There are a couple of ways to keep it interesting.
Send letters
It’s so rare to get a handwritten letter, and it may really make someone’s day to see that you put time, effort, and a little bit of postage money into communicating.
Whether it’s family or friends who live out of state—or even introducing yourself to a pen pal—sending letters can benefit both you and the recipient.
Take up journaling
Journaling comes in many forms. Some journals have prompts to guide your writing. Others are bullet journals that give you the freedom to write, plan, and doodle all in one space.
So if one style isn’t for you, don’t give up on journaling just yet because you’ll miss out on some of the awesome benefits it can offer:
- Improving IQ and EQ
- Helping you achieve your goals
- Boosting your memory
- Improving your communication skills
- Raising your self-confidence
- Encouraging your creativity
Not sure how to start? You can write about anything—how your day went, what you dreamed about, what made you laugh, etc. Or start with a journal prompt.
There’s no word limit or formatting to worry about, so it’s a great way to let yourself be fully immersed in your writing. Don’t just take my word for it. Check out what these student have to say about journaling:
- The Use and Importance of Journaling in Everyday Life
- Journal Writing as a Means to Release My Emotions
Looking for a Bigger Challenge?
Be a rockstar
Okay, I know that becoming a world-famous musician probably won’t happen over the course of the summer. However, you can start laying the groundwork—and make your writing practice fun in the process.
You don’t even have to know how to play an instrument to start writing songs. All it takes is the lyrics. Writing song lyrics allows you to express yourself in all new ways.
Plus, it’s pretty great practice for writing poetry when you reach that point in your classes.
Write the next great novel
Have you ever wanted to write a book? It seems pretty intimidating, but there are countless author/writing channels on YouTube, as well as blogs and books about the subject.
And while it may sound unbelievable, it actually is possible to write the first draft of a novel in just a month. Camp NaNoWriMo happens every July and gives you the tools and support you need to start on that novel you’ve always wanted to write. All you need is a computer and the motivation.
Like becoming a rockstar in a couple of months, writing a fully fleshed-out, completely edited, and good novel in a couple of months probably isn’t realistic. But a first draft is a lot further than most people get.
Final Thoughts
Writing practice can take many forms. All you have to do is find the one that is the most fulfilling to you. It takes the work out of it and makes writing more fun.
And once school starts again, you’ll be even better at writing those analysis and persuasive essays. Of course, if you’re still not completely confident in your skills by then, Kibin editors are always here to help.
