7 Ways to Improve Your Writing Skills

Intro - If you’re trying to improve your writing skills, or if you’re simply not sure if your writing abilities are up to par, check out these seven helpful tips that will have you writing better than ever in no time!

1) Read - It can’t be stressed enough: read, read, read. Writers are readers first. The more you absorb from other writers and master communicators, the better your writing will become. A writer who’s also a reader is like a chef who dines at Michelin-starred restaurants—they have a broader palette with which to work. Reading is key because it not only helps you improve your writing but can even give you ideas for topics or stories of your own! If you want to write successfully in just about any niche, start by reading what others in that field are already publishing; they won’t steer you wrong. If you need help coming up with reading material on particular topics, keep an eye out for articles with writing tips as well as favorite books written by successful authors within your field of interest. The goal is to create awareness about excellent writing so that you can become more proficient over time.

1) Read - It can’t be stressed enough: read, read, read. Writers are readers first. The more you absorb from other writers and master communicators, the better your writing will become. A writer who’s also a reader is like a chef who dines at Michelin-starred restaurants—they have a broader palette with which to work. Reading is key because it not only helps you improve your writing but can even give you ideas for topics or stories of your own! If you want to write successfully in just about any niche, start by reading what others in that field are already publishing; they won’t steer you wrong. If you need help coming up with reading material on particular topics, keep an eye out for articles with writing tips as well as favorite books written by successful authors within your field of interest. The goal is to create awareness about excellent writing so that you can become more proficient over time.

2) Write every day (even if it’s only one sentence) - The old saying, If you don’t use it, you lose it, rings true with writing. If you don’t write every day, your skills will deteriorate. So set aside time each day (even if it’s only a few minutes) and force yourself to write anything. Write about a movie you saw or how you woke up that morning and what kind of weird dreams you had. Even if it doesn't turn out great or even make sense, still get those words down on paper or onto your computer screen. And, over time those, small dribbles of writing can add up into something worth reading and then publishing. The more practice writing gets, the better writer (and person) you will become!

2) Write every day (even if it’s only one sentence) - The old saying, If you don’t use it, you lose it, rings true with writing. If you don’t write every day, your skills will deteriorate. So set aside time each day (even if it’s only a few minutes) and force yourself to write anything. Write about a movie you saw or how you woke up that morning and what kind of weird dreams you had. Even if it doesn't turn out great or even make sense, still get those words down on paper or onto your computer screen. And, over time those, small dribbles of writing can add up into something worth reading and then publishing. The more practice writing gets, the better writer (and person) you will become!

3) Ask an expert for help - There’s no shame in asking for help, especially when it comes to writing. There are professional writers out there who charge $60–$100 per page and know what they’re doing. If you want someone else to tackle your writing chores so you can focus on other areas of your business, get in touch with a writer who specializes in your industry and has experience crafting content for blogs, websites, and more. Once you sign a contract with an agency or individual writer, get them onboard by giving them only one project at a time—and make sure they have plenty of time allotted to complete that work.

3) Ask an expert for help - There’s no shame in asking for help, especially when it comes to writing. There are professional writers out there who charge $60–$100 per page and know what they’re doing. If you want someone else to tackle your writing chores so you can focus on other areas of your business, get in touch with a writer who specializes in your industry and has experience crafting content for blogs, websites, and more. Once you sign a contract with an agency or individual writer, get them onboard by giving them only one project at a time—and make sure they have plenty of time allotted to complete that work.

4) Stay focused, but allow for creativity - Since you’re writing for readers, you try to write as clearly and precisely as possible. You have must not fall into a rut, however. If you find yourself using buzzwords or phrases over and over again, come up with ways of saying them more interestingly. As a professional writer, it is your job to show off your knowledge and experience. Use active verbs wherever possible—instead of saying something is being done or being prepared, say that someone does it or prepares it. While these might sound like minor adjustments on paper, they go a long way toward making your work more engaging. They also help you avoid grammatical errors, so if there’s anyone thing you can do to improve your writing skills quickly, focusing on active verbs is it. Use different sentence structures to keep things fresh; don’t always use commas before conjunctions; know when to use semicolons instead of commas; throw in some sentence fragments here and there—it all goes a long way toward keeping things lively.

4) Stay focused, but allow for creativity - Since you’re writing for readers, you try to write as clearly and precisely as possible. You have must not fall into a rut, however. If you find yourself using buzzwords or phrases over and over again, come up with ways of saying them more interestingly. As a professional writer, it is your job to show off your knowledge and experience. Use active verbs wherever possible—instead of saying something is being done or being prepared, say that someone does it or prepares it. While these might sound like minor adjustments on paper, they go a long way toward making your work more engaging. They also help you avoid grammatical errors, so if there’s anyone thing you can do to improve your writing skills quickly, focusing on active verbs is it. Use different sentence structures to keep things fresh; don’t always use commas before conjunctions; know when to use semicolons instead of commas; throw in some sentence fragments here and there—it all goes a long way toward keeping things lively.

5) Copy the masters - If you want to improve your writing skills, follow in their footsteps. Some of history’s greatest writers were writing for a paycheck before they ever had any artistic ambitions. Ernest Hemingway worked as a journalist for many years before he finally gained notoriety with The Sun Also Rises, F. Scott Fitzgerald was an advertising copywriter who penned most of his novels between working on ad campaigns, and John Steinbeck made his living from newspaper work before he published anything close to one of his masterpieces.

5) Copy the masters - If you want to improve your writing skills, follow in their footsteps. Some of history’s greatest writers were writing for a paycheck before they ever had any artistic ambitions. Ernest Hemingway worked as a journalist for many years before he finally gained notoriety with The Sun Also Rises, F. Scott Fitzgerald was an advertising copywriter who penned most of his novels between working on ad campaigns, and John Steinbeck made his living from newspaper work before he published anything close to one of his masterpieces.

6) Know what you want to say before you write it - Before writing, you should know what it is you want to say. But many of us don’t take that step—we begin writing and only then realize we’re stumbling. If you start with a clear point in mind, however, you’ll be less likely to wander off-topic or lose your thought. If it helps, write your ideas down as they come to you.

6) Know what you want to say before you write it - Before writing, you should know what it is you want to say. But many of us don’t take that step—we begin writing and only then realize we’re stumbling. If you start with a clear point in mind, however, you’ll be less likely to wander off-topic or lose your thought. If it helps, write your ideas down as they come to you.

7) Give yourself deadlines, but don’t be afraid of failure - Deadlines are your friend. They motivate you to get things done and make sure that you’re not frittering away time in place of real work. That said, it’s important not to give yourself deadlines that you can’t meet—it’s better to finish something (even if it takes a bit longer) than nothing at all. Also, be sure that your deadlines don’t stress you out too much—trying to hurry through projects will only hurt your writing in the long run, so be realistic with yourself! One way or another, find a good balance between easygoing deadlines and ambitious ones; when in doubt, err on the side of ambition! While you shouldn’t let fear of failure keep you from working towards improvement, putting off your writing because you fear what others might think is ultimately detrimental both to getting published and becoming successful as an author. If we cannot control our fears, fear will control us. Many writers have failed, but those who have succeeded once are no longer afraid of failure. Keep moving forward even though there may be stumbling blocks along the way. Write right over them!

7) Give yourself deadlines, but don’t be afraid of failure - Deadlines are your friend. They motivate you to get things done and make sure that you’re not frittering away time in place of real work. That said, it’s important not to give yourself deadlines that you can’t meet—it’s better to finish something (even if it takes a bit longer) than nothing at all. Also, be sure that your deadlines don’t stress you out too much—trying to hurry through projects will only hurt your writing in the long run, so be realistic with yourself! One way or another, find a good balance between easygoing deadlines and ambitious ones; when in doubt, err on the side of ambition! While you shouldn’t let fear of failure keep you from working towards improvement, putting off your writing because you fear what others might think is ultimately detrimental both to getting published and becoming successful as an author. If we cannot control our fears, fear will control us. Many writers have failed, but those who have succeeded once are no longer afraid of failure. Keep moving forward even though there may be stumbling blocks along the way. Write right over them!