10 Simple Tips to Make You a Better Writer
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All of us cannot be Clive Cussler, W.E.B. Griffin, Tom Clancy, J.K. Rowling, or Ernest Hemingway (or, insert your favorite authors here). But we all can work to improve our writing skills.
Whether you write copy professionally for marketing firms, produce written reports for work, or just communicate with your team via email, your writing often forms the first impression, and you only get one chance to make it.
Use these 10 simple steps to make you a better writer. These tips were gleaned from my own business experience editing literally thousands of documents for professional writers, budding authors, and other business copy. I regularly recommend these tips to other writers to improve their skills and impact.
Read More
Of course, I know you’re busy — aren’t we all? Reading allows you to absorb new words and expressions to use in your own writing. You are exposed to more writing styles, more stories, and more information. All these are tools you add to your writing toolbox.
Drink from as many sources as you can:
- Newspapers
- Magazines
- Blogs
- Web pages
- Fiction
- Non-fiction
- Poetry
- Literature
- Classics
- History
- Economics
- Current Events
Compile a list of new words and expressions you discover, then go back later and define them. Keep this running list handy for each time you write.
Write Regularly
Practice makes perfect — and since none of us will ever be perfect, we need continual practice. But practice is only good if you practice correctly. Use the proper style, punctuation, wording conventions, and other basic writing skills each time you write, no matter the audience.
