Oh gosh. Okay. I'm not a pro writer and I haven't been writing nearly as long as some people on here, but these are all little things I do that helped me out!
1. Just... reading a lot :)
Get your hands on some published novels and such! Usually the grammar and spelling are on point (English isn't my 1st language so this was SUPER important for me), if the author has been writing for a long time they will already have developed their own style, etc etc. Since you're planning on writing college essays this is probably what will help most (passively).
You can also read fanfiction! I've read some fics worthy of classic litterature on AO3. The only risk — since most of us aren't pros with beta readers and editors — is that you accidentally copy mistakes that authors make (like me, I always confuse wield/yield and my grammar apps don't necessarily point it out).
2. Writing something shitty every day
Not necessarily shitty, but writing every day! Usually, if you're inspired, I feel like that will come naturally. Don't be scared to just start on that fic you've been thinking of, even if you end up only wiring a paragraph. I have soo many docs with only a couple hundred words, snippets of scenes, dialogue ideas...
Your first fics will probably be bad, or at least, not as good as you'd like, and that's totally okay! It takes time to develop a style, to know how to set a pace, heck, I've been writing 6 years now and I still don't know X)
I'd recommend testing the waters with shorter fics and one shots. It can be daunting to write a 100k 50 chapter fic no matter your experience level, but this is something you'll figure out for yourself with time!!
If you feel like it, post the fics on here! You can get feedback if you want it, and you get to be part of a really cool community of other writers who went/are going through the same things as you :)
4. Be self-indulgent, but experiment too
Look, I grew up on x reader fics. Some people make fun of that—whatever. Make your y/n as overpowered and annoying as you like. Make every character fall in love with her and make her change the whole course of the story even if it doesn't make sense. Who cares. What matters is that you write things that you make you happy!
With time, however, if you want to get deeper into writing, y/n will change... Nowadays, my y/n has lots of flaws. I actively force myself not to make her overpowered. I think about the plot, about the probabilities. I finally see y/n as a proper, real character, rather than a representation of what I wish I could be.
Do you have to do this? Nope. But giving someone as close to me as my y/n flaws and limited character abilities has helped me hone my character making skills, really. I don't even post all of those fics with y/n in them, they're just for me.
Give your y/ns and ocs abilities and disabilities that you've never written before, do research on them, think about the psychological impacts... But this will come with time and experience, it's by no means an obligation! For me, letting go of op y/n was a way to mature in terms of writing; it let me get into the heart of every character and write them in more realistic ways :)
Thesaurus.com and Dictionary.com save me regularly 😩 + Onelook Dictionary. Don't be afraid to avoid repetition in your fic by looking up synonyms and such. We all went through that "avoiding the word 'said' excessively" phase, and honestly, I learned so much vocabulary thanks to it 😅 Those sites will help you out lots for college essays, too.
6. Maybe learning about theory?
Completely optional, not even sure it helps that much. But, if you feel like it can help (or even just for your own intellectual curiosity), you can definitely check out articles and videos about how to write a story.
You can learn how to write a good plot, how to set needs and wants for your characters, etc etc, but don't forget that it's all theory, not practise. And when you're writing, imo, practise > theory. But, learning about the structure of a good story has helped me figure out problems with mine, it's given me the tools to name and identify the parts where it's lacking. So. You know. Your choice.
And... yeah, that's it! I don't really have any other advice. Since writing fics is a pretty relaxed deal (or should be, at least), I wouldn't bother too much with complicated rules that could put you off writing. Just do it, really!
Writing is an art and everyone has their own approach, which is what makes it all so special! Hope it helped 🥲
