To get better at writing, you need two things:
1. A desire to get better at writing.
2. Writing a lot.
There's more of course, but in the end it boils down to those two simple things. All the advice and techniques boil down to that in the end.
In animation school we called it pencil mileage. Buddhists I knew said study and practice were much more effective when combined. You don't need Clarion or Reddit or whatever, just those two basic elements.
@aldersprig That's true. You don't even necessarily have to read /good/ writing. Variety, I think, is more important than any one story's quality. So read well-written stories and not-so-well-written ones, and think about what the difference is, and how that can be applied to point 1.
@Nezchan Yes! And noting how they did things and how you’d like to do things like that or not like that.
@aldersprig Yeah, exactly. Like I enjoy fanfiction. But it's through reading more polished work that I understand the nature of fanfiction to be mostly first drafts, which in turn gives me greater understanding of the /purpose/ of first drafts. Which also helps demystify them, making that blank page a little less intimidating.
There are good ideas in the raw there too, which can sometimes inspire.
Which isn't to say an expensive writing course or going on a retreat or a cell phone app or reading Stephen King's book /aren't/ useful. If they work for you, by all means do what resonates.
It's just that to my mind, those connect back to the basics.
@Nezchan And reading, I’d add.