You can improve your writing with a few simple habits: think before you write, check your grammar, choose the right style for your readers, write on a schedule, and learn from other writers. The 11 tips below work for emails, messages, reports, essays, letters, and speeches alike.
For some people, writing comes naturally and easily. For many others, writing well is a headache and a real challenge. Writing is not only work, though, or a task to get through. It can be fun, and it exercises your brain. Here are some of the best ways to improve your writing skills.
1. Think before you write
Some of the greatest writers did their best work by writing spontaneously. Not everyone has that gift, though, and that is fine: you can make up for it. To get the best result, think before you start. Gather your thoughts and put them in order, for example in a short outline. Putting your thoughts together beforehand gives you a clearer picture of where you want to go with your text. For more help, read these 6 tips for effective writing.
2. Use a grammar checker
Everyone makes grammar mistakes. English grammar is hard to get right all the time, and nobody is perfect. Many apps and websites help you find and fix the errors in your writing, and using them can improve your writing over time, because you learn about mistakes you never knew you were making. The Spell Checker, for example, marks spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes and explains each one.
3. Use the right style
You speak in different styles to different people, and the same is true for writing. The right style depends on the readers you are writing for. You talk to your friends and family in one tone, and to your manager, your colleagues, or a customer in another. There are many types of writing, such as formal, business, persuasive, and descriptive writing. Your point of view is part of your style too: see first, second, and third person point of view.
4. Remember why you are writing
Whatever you write, you write it for a reason. It is important to remember that purpose. It keeps your text on track, and it motivates you to finish.
5. It's not about you
One of the most common mistakes in writing is forgetting who you are writing for. Your text is not about you; it is about your readers. You are trying to get a message across to them, so leave out information that matters only to you.
6. Let other writers be your guide
You learn something from other people every day, and writing is no different. Read good writers, study how they do it, and try out their methods. Strategies that have already proven themselves work best when you combine them with your own style.
7. Write on a schedule
Many people put things off, even when they know they have to do them, and writing is no exception. The best way to beat this habit is a regular schedule. Pick a time when you do nothing but write: in the morning, at lunch, or during a break. Writing at the last minute only causes stress.
8. Jot down notes
A journal or a few quick notes help you save ideas for later. They also help when you are stuck or have writer's block. A notes app or a pad of sticky notes works well for this. When you later look for material or ideas, your notes come in handy.
9. Edit other people's work
Many good writers like to edit other people's work, because it sharpens their eye for their own. Find someone who would like their text looked over, and ask them to edit yours in return, so that you help each other. Mistakes that you miss in your own work are often easy to see in someone else's writing.
10. Switch to longhand
Most people rarely write by hand unless they have to, because typing is so much easier. But when you need a change, pen and paper can do the trick. Writing by hand slows you down in a good way and can help you sort out your thoughts. 9 reasons why handwriting benefits the brain explains more.
11. Make the dictionary your friend
One of the most useful resources a writer can have is a dictionary. It holds words you may never have thought of using, and words that give you ideas for what to write about. A thesaurus helps too, because it lets you say the same thing in different words. Repeating the same words makes any text bland, and the right word in the right place gives it flavor. Why you should use a thesaurus shows how.