Jimmy Said:

Was learning to write in cursive a waste of your time at school?

We Answered:

If you practice, you write faster that way.

Christopher Said:

How do I learn to write well?

We Answered:

Read mythology from many lands, but especially from the Far East. It will give you ideas for your stories and help you to better understand others' work as well.

What answer did I give you last time you asked this question?

Read, read, and read some more. Read from several genres. Read books, magazine, comic books, cereal boxes. [If you don't like to read, you will never excel in writing.]

Google around and find free help on writing. There's a lot of junk out there, so don't get stuck on one site too long. Keep looking around until you find a truly informative site, then kick back and study it. [If you don't want to study how to write, you will never excel in writing.]

Write, write, and write some more. Write every day. Write as though your life depends on it because, if you want to become a writer, it will. [If you don't have the self-discipline to write everyday, you will never excel at writing.]

Find good crit partners. Friends and family are fine for starters, but they most likely won't be able to help you at all. Their suggestions might even hinder you or cause you to feel like giving up and abandoning all hope. A good crit partner will read your work and critique it, telling you your strengths and weaknesses without babying you or ripping you to shreds. They're hard to find and worth gold! [You can start by putting up your work to be critiqued here: http://absolutewrite.com/forums/index.ph… or try an online crit group like this one: http://www.critters.org/ (I haven't used this group, but have heard of others who do).]

Read. Write. Read. Write. Write. Write.