When Daniel LaRusso wanted to get better at fighting bullies, Mr Miyagi didn’t train him by fighting alone. His sneaky  training programme consisted of honing Daniel’s skills through repetitive tasks, like painting the fence and waxing the cars. Only after practising consistently did Daniel get to put his skills into action – the memorable moment when ‘wax on, wax off’ turned into effective fighting techniques!

How could we apply Mr Miyagi’s genius approach to our own profession? If you want to improve your medical writing skills, perhaps the best way to do it is NOT by simply working on medical writing projects.

I’ve learned that for writers to put words out of our brains, we must first put words in, and we do that by reading. Reading widely will help you understand different writing styles and modes of storytelling. Observe how others weave their own experiences in with valuable advice, and how different types of writing are used for different audiences. I recommend Anne Greene’s Writing Science in Plain English as a good starting point for developing medical writers – I re-read it about a year ago and it was a great refresher.

Also, read about topics that take your interest within the industry. Some people are drawn to articles about big pharma brands and industry trends, while others are drawn to the latest scientific advances, or how medicines impact patients’ lives. Find out about what’s going on in your field of interest and it can be surprising how you can apply some of your new knowledge to medical writing projects.

Secondly, write. Write frequently, and using different styles that are designed for different audiences. Some ideas include:

A daily journal

Blog-style articles about a subject you’re passionate about

Creative poems or stories

Articles for your company’s website or social media

It’s  also interesting to rewrite content in a different style – try writing a product SMPC in a way that a patient could understand it, for example. None of these need to be shared, their primary purpose is for you to become more familiar with how you use words.

Being proactive about your own development as a writer is essential for career development. Your ultimate goal is that one day, all of this practice will combine and propel your writing to another level.

If anyone can think of the medical writing equivalent of Daniel’s knock-out crane kick, please let me know.