When I hear people say, “I'm not a good writer”, I respond with “Pish-Posh!” Fine, I don't really say that but I might say pish-posh from now on. What I do say is if you talk you can write. Writing is unavoidable; Now more than ever when most of our communications are written. Whether you need to write an email or want to write a novel, let's chat about some of the ways you can become a better writer.
Practice
The inspiration for writing this post actually came from realizing my own writing has gotten rusty. Why? Because, at this point in time, I don't write blog posts, articles, eBooks, etc on a regular basis. I've only just started writing again. Just like shooting hoops or playing ukulele, you need to practice. It's okay to write something bad, as long as you revise it. It's okay to write something that doesn't make sense, rewrite it in different words. It's okay to not know the right word, look up a similar word in a thesaurus. What happens when you do it and then do it again? You learn a better way. The best way to learn the best way to do something is to do it wrong first. I think Edison said something like that. What are you waiting for? Go write something!
Grammar
Oh boy. Grammar. I'll admit it. I geek out over a properly constructed sentence with the right conjugations. I'd say practice applies here but first you must do some learnin' (how's that for grammar!) Seek out resources like Grammar Girl to learn a bite-sized tidbit to build your knowledge. Search for commonly misused words and you'll surely learn something you didn't know before. Affect and Effect anyone? Brush up on Your-You're and There-Their-They're. Look back at something you've written and correct the grammar. Or revise something you just wrote.
Creative Writing
Go have some fun! If you write as a job, it can get menial. You're trapped in a box defined by policies and guidelines. Gross. They say be more creative. You say “How am I supposed to do that, Frank, when I can only use the approved list with 25 words!?” Stretch your creative muscles by doing a little fun writing. Write a poem. Change the words of your favorite song to mean something else (a parody). Search for “creative writing exercises” and I'm sure there will be an idea that sounds like fun to you. Write a list of rhyming words. Then throw them all away. Or keep them all. It doesn't matter. Just do something out of the norm that feels silly or sensitive. Cute or serious. Just write something!
Feedback
Sometimes you need another set of eyes. Since we usually write for others to understand, it's helpful if you have someone you think of as a good writer to read what you wrote and tell you what they think the message is that you are trying to convey. The sign of a good writer is someone who is open to feedback, revisions, and critiques. Start by writing something and have someone revise it for you.
Vocabulary
Building vocabulary is one method of improving your writing. I’ve left vocab for last because using the wrong word in an attempt to sound like you have a large vocabulary does the opposite of the intended purpose. Build your vocabulary the responsible way by learning new words. You can learn new words by visiting the Word of the Day page on Merriam-Webster’s website. The page has quizzes to test your knowledge and a podcast so you can hear the word being spoken and used in a sentence. Start today by just learning a new word!
If you want to become a better writer, there’s really only one piece of truly effective advice; Just write something! Writing is one skill that requires repetition for improvement. Hopefully you found one tip above that will help you become a better writer.
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