Really good writers are a minority. Although writing is a major part of high school and college coursework, most people are not motivated enough to improve their writing skills – probably because most professions do not require huge amounts of writing. If, however, you write for a living, you need to make sure that your writing skills are, frankly, stunning. This means good grammar and composition, but it also means your own unique style creativity, and critical thinking. Here are 13 tips that will be lifelong, because becoming a better writer never stops.Fine Tune Your Basic SkillsIf you have deficits, you probably know what they are. Do you tend to write run-on sentences? Or fragments? Do you have problems with subject-verb agreement or placement of adverbs? The best thing you can do is get a good grammar and composition reference book – something like Elements of Style. When you have a question, you can look it up – this book is well-organized by specific grammatical elements.Read, Read, ReadOne of the things that research shows when it has evaluated writing skills among students who read well, tend to be better writers. This is reasonable, because the more someone reads good writing, the more it is absorbed. Readers have larger vocabularies and better writing styles too, so there’s a good incentive. And you can read whatever you like – science fiction, mystery novels, favorite non-fiction, etc. Reading academic and scholarly pieces may not be your best choice, however, because if you are writing content, that style is just not suitable.Write as Much as PossibleWhen you learned how to ride a bike; when your learned how to read; when you learned your multiplication tables – you practiced. Writing is no different. You must force yourself to write, and there really are not shortcuts here. – Learning to write well is a process that involves writing, identifying your errors, fixing them, and writing again.Take a WorkshopYour community college offers writing courses and workshops with all sorts of purposes – remedial writing for those with skill deficits; writing for publication; creative writing. Sign up for one – you will get some solid instruction.Find Writing Groups to JoinThere are both online and offline groups of writers that exist to share their work, to provide evaluations and to make suggestions. These can be really invaluable. Consider joining one if only online. You will get to read some great and not-so-great writing, and you will get support that you need to keep working on your skills and talents.Find an Author You Love to Read – Study and ImitateIf there is an author you love to read and whose style you would like to develop, take a closer look. Take a piece s/he has written – a chapter of a novel, a short story, an essay, and really analyze. How are the sentences structured? If you are a content writer find a blog writer you love to read. What about his/her style appeals to you? How is the topic introduced? What are the transitions between sub-topics? Are there phrases that have a lot of impact? You will probably see certain commonalities among the blogs that really engage you.• They have openings that make you want to read on – whether that is a story, some surprising facts, a joke, etc.• The make their points in an organized way.• They may add some humor• They may be a bit “punchy” when they make their pointsThese are all things you can learn to do. It takes practice and it takes some thought before you being. A lot of bloggers say they leave their introductions for the end, because they want to think about them as they write the “meat” of the piece.Print out a blog or two that you really like. Pick a different topic and see if you can imitate the structure and style – with practice you will be able to do this well.Remember – your success as a writer builds with time – take each step toward success and feel good about yourself.Always Start with an Outline, No Matter How Rough it isYou created a lot of outlines as a student, and you “know the drill.” Fortunately, your outlines for what you write now are for your purposes not those of your teacher. Do whatever works for you to organize your content, but do get it organized before you write – even a list of the order in which you will cover those sub-topics.Be Your Worst EnemyWhen you finish a piece of writing walk away from it for just a bit. Come back and be the worst English teacher you ever had. Print it out and go over it with a “red pen.” Get rid of unnecessary wording. Shorten those long sentences. Find “weak” words and replace them with powerful ones.Read Your Writing Out Loud to YourselfFirst, you find a lot of your own mistakes, because, if you have good verbal language skills, you will automatically realize what isn’t right.Second, you will be able to see if the whole thing makes sense, if it flows well, and if the detail you have put in really supports the point you are making.Best of all worlds? Find a friend or team member who is willing to read it and be an “enemy” too.First Drafts are Usually Pretty BadDon’t become frustrated. If you only knew how many great writers re-write their stuff several times before publishing it. Just think of yourself as being among the “greats” if you end up re-writing a few times – they do it too.And if you have an editor who seems to pick apart everything? Live with it. That’s their job. If you really want to write, and you have editors reviewing your work, you need to develop a really thick skin.Keep it SimpleIf you have ever read Hemingway, and I hope you have, you will understanding simplicity of style. If you can’t find an author you really like, then get a copy of Old Man and the Sea and study it. A 7th grader can understand it. Write like Hemingway.Don’t Cut Corners on the ResearchIf you need support for your points, or you need to gather some knowledge yourself before you write, take the time to do it right. Don’t be lazy – making up statistics or failing to cite sources – you look unprofessional, and you won’t be trusted in the future.Don’t Beat it to DeathNo piece of writing will ever be perfect. You could re-write a hundred times and still go back and change even more. At some point, you have to stop and say, “This is a good piece of writing, and it will stand as it is.” At some point, if only because of a deadline, it has to be finished.Be nice to yourself. You know you want to write; you know that getting better is a process; you know that every kind of writing needs a different style. The style you need now may not be one you are used to, but it can become one in which you excel with some work.
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