General Discussion

Use words you wouldn't normally use. A thesaurus can be your best friend!

This applies to any hobby honestly: practice, practice, practice!

Whenever you start to use an adverb, stop and ask yourself if there's a more precise word you can use instead. E.g. Walked softly = tiptoed

Be careful when using a thesaurus; some words have specific connotations that aren't brought up in the examples. Off the top of my head, would you use odour to describe flowers? Scent to describe trash? Bad example but you get the idea; don't be too eager to use a fancy word just because.

Speaking of fancy words, if there's a simpler word that conveys the same meaning a longer one can, pick the simpler word.

Write what you know, but don't be afraid to try something you've never experienced (with adequate research, of course).

Sight isn't the only sense we have. Make use of sound, smell, touch, and taste to really bring a scene to life.

When someone talks, take note of their sentence structure and word choice. This will help you in writing varied dialogue.

"So if two or more characters are having a conversation..."

"There's no need to say 'he said' 'she said' at the end of every line of dialogue."

"'Cause if their voices are distinct, you can tell them apart easy."

On the same note, don't feel compelled to use a synonym of 'said'. Readers tend to skim over 'said', so any other word breaks the flow far more than 'said' ever will.

All stories have a beginning, middle, and end. Anything without these three things will meander and turn into a ramble.

If a scene doesn't establish a plot point or provide character development, cut it.

If you hit a block, just write what comes to mind and don't think too much about it. It's a lot easier to edit a bad page than an empty one.

If you can't seem to start your story, don't be afraid to begin in the middle, at the end, or the most exciting chapter.

Honestly I could go on forever, but every writer's style is unique, so I can't speak for your personal strengths and weaknesses. These are just how I write my own pieces.

It can be good practice to write the same scene over and over again, but changing it according to what you want to convey - sadness, excitement, suspense, a new perspective (such as an observer's perspective, or as told by a side character, etc.) and so on.

Also, when you have writer's block or don't have inspiration for what you're currently working on, try writing something else with new scenery, new characters, new objectives. You'll either end up with something you can use later on, or you'll just help yourself move past a roadblock by clearing your mind.