Development Techniques

Try reading alot -- read every day, from a wide variety of sources. Hope it helps.

Get critiscism. How does any writer know wether they are any good or not? See what other people make of your work.

read ... i agree ... also the crit thing is good ... i think the best way to develop as a writer is to develop a working relationship with someone else or others whose work you admire ... and through the giving of criticism as well as the receiving of it you can learn a lot ... dazzle makes it sound like a bit of a one way street with the writer out for what they can get from the hapless reader ... bit of mutual back scratching and honest appraisal works wonders i reckon ...

Keep a pocket sized sketch-pad and capture those moments of inspiration through observation. Use it on a daily basis and then at the end of each week, take a peek and observe yourself generating new idea's, opinions and textures based on your new perceptions. never be poised to draw your pad, but joyfully go about your day as you would and let those moments present themselves. Spending time realising your mini-revelations will not only reward you with new material but also offer you an insight into the wealth of opportunity around you. Strewth....I should take my own advice.

get some of those poetry fridge magnet things