How to improve your writing skills

My relatives assume that I must be knowing many editors as my pieces have been published. I tell them that I have never met any editors, though I used to be in touch with a couple of female sub-editors working for Tribune blogs (a web-based newspaper). So, when the daughter of a distant relative asked me to get some of her writing printed, I gave her the email addresses of the editors of major Karachi-based newspapers to whom she could submit her articles directly. When I was asked if I could read her articles and give my opinion, I respectfully declined. I know that most wannabee Pakistani writers think they are good writers, so I advised the woman to show them to a professor of English. That's when she said her teacher had told her that you can't get anything published in the country if you don't know the editor or someone working in a newspaper.

I really don't know if one can start to write after leaving college. Most people give up reading after graduating. So, if I were asked how to improve one's writing skills, I'd advise them to read and write a lot. Unfortunately, I've myself reduced my reading and writing after the invention of Whattsapp. Most youngsters today are constantly glued to their smartphones, watching videos that they will forget in a few minutes. But the aspiring writer should start by reading opinion pieces in good English newspapers like the Guardian and the New York Times. There are good books available for free on the internet, so it should be easy. Memorizing a page every week initially also helps. It means hard work, but it is very rewarding. Perhaps the writer can become famous if he tries hard enough for a couple of years.