on Writing Forward:

For writers, the learning process never ends. There’s always some new skill to acquire, a new writing technique to develop, a new tool we can use. We strive to master basic writing skills (grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, etc.), and learn our form (fiction, nonfiction, or poetry) and genre (romance, suspense, fantasy, etc.). Storytellers, for example, must learn plot, characterization, setting, dialogue, and other elements of stories in addition to learning basic writing skills.

At times, it can be overwhelming. There’s so much to learn and so many ways to learn, it’s hard to know where to start and how to continue the learning process over the long term.

I’ve been writing for decades, yet I continue to learn new writing concepts regularly. I make it a priority to learn writing skills on an ongoing basis. Here’s how I do it: