To become a better writer, work on your weaknesses one at a time, step out of your comfort zone, and always proofread what you write. It takes time, but each of these strategies moves you in the right direction.
For some people, writing is easy. For others, it is a huge challenge. If you think you belong to the second group, the following 3 strategies can help you move to the first.
1. Fix your weaknesses
No one is born a perfect writer. Writing is a skill you acquire. Even famous authors had to climb the ladder one step at a time, and they keep learning long after they have made their name.
"So what should I learn?"
Start with your biggest weakness. Where do you fall short? Writers whose first language is not English, for example, often struggle with colloquialisms. If you are one of them, read up on them: look for articles that explain how colloquialisms are used. Watch films and see whether you can spot them, and take note of the context.
When you think you have the hang of them, start using colloquialisms in your writing. Listen to feedback and criticism until you are comfortable with them. Don't stop halfway to start working on another weakness, though. Tackle one at a time.
2. Get out of your comfort zone
Writers tend to have a distinct style, and they stick to it without noticing. The problem is that if you stick with one style for too long, you cannot grow.
Stepping out of your comfort zone may sound scary, but it doesn't have to be if you plan it well. For instance, if you have only ever written fiction in which the characters are rowdy and uneducated, rewrite one of your old stories so that the characters get into trouble with the law. You then have to learn how lawyers and judges talk, and that language can be quite a challenge to master.
If you usually write in the third person, try writing short pieces from the first-person point of view, with plenty of dialogue. You will be surprised how much you can grow by doing these simple things.
3. Proofread
In academic writing, bad grammar and spelling can cost you dearly. It is no different when you write fiction: bad spelling can still ruin a good story. That is why proofreading is so important.
One of the easiest ways to proofread is to read your work aloud. It is an effective way to spot bad grammar, poor word choices, wrong spelling, and other flaws. A spell checker helps, too. It catches the typos you no longer see, and it can save you a lot of time, especially in a long piece. Using one is not a sign of incompetence: it is simply using what you have at your disposal. How to proofread effectively has more techniques.
The Spell Checker checks a text that you paste, or a document that you open from your computer, from a link, or from cloud storage.