If you wonder how to be a writer, a key piece is to develop habits that help you improve as a writer. Note: nobody’s saying you have to follow ALL the tips listed here before you can be a great writer. These nuggets will just guide you into developing unique habits to bring out the writer in you:

1. Stretch or exercise in between writing.
2. Map out a writing schedule for your project and stick to it.
3. Make a note of ideas for further development before you leave a piece for tomorrow.
4. Steal time for writing wherever and whenever you can find it.
5. Keep a journal specially for work, for analyzing your progress and doing writing practice.
6. Write when you’re tired.
7. Rewrite from memory a good story you’ve read and then compare the two. Evaluate and learn from the differences.
8. Practice condensing. Write a synopsis and then condense that. Précis the condensed synopsis. It helps to get to the bare bones of a story and reveal what it’s really about.
9. Make writing a priority in your life. If you say it’s important to you, then show it in how you spend your time.
10. Write when you’re uninspired.
11. Force yourself to disconnect for a while each day – turn off cell phone, Blackberry, iPod, music, email, Twitter, conversation with others.
12. Set a time limit on each writing session, along with a goal for what you will finish in that time.
13. Don’t be afraid to bust out the thesaurus to find a word that fits better in a sentence than the one currently there.
14. Buy a small notebook and pen to take with you.
15. Set a timer and force yourself (even if it’s not your best work) to write a story within a designated amount of time.
16. Read great writing.
17. Write at the crack of dawn.
18. Engage strangers in conversation. Then write about it from memory, describing the person, setting, and conversation.
19. Always ask the question…”What if…”
20. Dialogue with your characters.
21. Take up story challenges.
22. Write 15 minutes a day. Every day.
23. Drink water to avoid fatigue.
24. Use some opera as background music or any kind of music with a story.
25. Start your writing ahead of time – not hours before a deadline.

Courtesy: Write to Done

good one. Thumb up!