Content Strategy How to Write

How Do I Become a Better Writer, Fast?

May 24, 2017February 25, 2019 by Alyce Vayle 2 Comments

Do you want to become a better writer? Writing is not easy, let’s face it. There’s often a perception that just because most people can do it, that it shouldn’t be too challenging. After all, it’s one of the very first things we learn at school, right? You’d think that putting together coherent, interesting text should be easy. The truth is very different!

The good news is that excellent writing can be learned. Sure, some people are naturally more adept at writing than others, but like any skill, such as painting, sport or cooking, once you learn and practise the basics, you really can improve in leaps and bounds. I promise!

Here are a few simple and surprising tips to get you started. Some are even fun and all can be attempted almost right away. Writing is one of the most fulfilling ways of communicating information but the truth is, it’s quite common that many people cannot express their thoughts and feelings in a written form very easily. Coming up with interesting text that conveys a message in a coherent way is always a challenge, even for the most experienced writers.

Help is available!

The further good news is that there is help available online for students of writing both young and old. Some practising writers can make use of online essay writing services which can help you put together comprehensive documents and provide you with a few tips to get you on your way. If you’ve got a writing task of any kind due and you simply feel stuck, online essay services can help pull you out of your rut. They won’t do all the work for you but they can help to give you a framework, as well as feedback and advice – and if you’re on a deadline, this can be invaluable.

So, let’s have a look at various ways to improve your text creation skills. If you really want to become a better writer, there are many things you can do. The tips below are pretty much universal and will be useful for everybody who wants to learn how to compose texts effectively without getting stuck or into grammatical trouble. The very process of text composition is easily divided into three major stages: pre-writing (or writing prep), the writing composition itself, and post checking and formatting. Here are some tips to get started.

First Step: The Pre-Writing Stage

These tips are especially important because this stage forms the basis for success. Without putting in some planning and forethought – you will likely get stuck.

#1: Reading

It might sound obvious but one of the first ways to become a better writer is to read a lot. It may sound unusual, but if you want to upgrade your language skills, you should read more because this exposes you to different ways of putting phrases and sentences together and improves your grammar and vocabulary.

When reading classic, modern or other literature, you will find that you remember different phraseological units, grammar constructions, and punctuation rules. It’s like you absorb them with next to no effort. By reading widely and experiencing different authors and writers, you’ll find that your interest will be piqued naturally and your curiosity will expand. Give it a try! Make friends with your local library to begin.

#2: Time management

When you have a deadline, learning to manage your time is essential. All professional writers and students must learn to work to deadlines; this is essential if you have to prioritise your tasks. It is especially important for students and for those who are working to improve their language skills in a professional sense.

To create something beautiful and unique, you must give yourself enough time. Learn the fundamental principles of time management and apply them in your personal life and make improving your “art” a priority. Think, “What is the most essential part of this task?” and begin there.

#3: Get a good night’s sleep

This tip might seem a little “left of centre” but it honestly works! It is very difficult to think in a cohesive way if you didn’t have the opportunity to sleep well. Your mind will be drifting, you’ll be distracted and unable to focus on the task at hand. Get some rest. Even a quick 20 minute nap will improve your effectiveness. Try it.

There have even been studies that have shown that multiple sleepless nights are harmful to human health and therefore don’t contribute to your best work. It follows that if you want to show all your creativity at its peak, sleeping well is one of the most essential things you can do.

Second Step: Composing your writing

Can’t even get started? If you have difficulties with beginning your work or if you’re suffering from writer’s block, these recommendations might be exactly what you need.

#4: Try “free writing”

Just sit down and note down everything that comes into your head, in a non-structured way. Let the words flow, even if you think they are complete nonsense. If you get stuck on a writing task, put it down for a few minutes and pull out a blank piece of paper or a blank document and let your stream of consciousness flow.

It’s a known fact that many famous authors started their working day from this very method, so you might as well try it out.

#5: Give brainstorming a go

No idea is a “bad idea” when you’re brainstorming. To really become a better writer you need to let go of all the pre-conceived notions you have of what “great writing” is. Within all of us is a little spark of creativity that often gets stifled.

Think of your writing topic from left-of-centre. Think “out of the box”. Google the words “writing prompts” and spend five minutes writing down some creative ideas to get the thoughts flowing. Look towards experts in your “vertical” or subject field. Who are the thought leaders you can gain inspiration from?

#6: Outlining is essential

Another point that’s imperative for successful writing is outlining or structuring your work in a sensible way. So many writers fail to give their work a good introduction, clearly thought out argument and definite conclusion.

Your reader should come away from your writing having felt something and knowing what the “point” of what you were trying to say is. What are they supposed to take away from the writing piece? What should their next actions be? Think of the reader; always. This is essential to great text.

Third Step: Post-writing and checking

Ok, so now you’ve completed your writing task, so what’s next? What else can you do to make the existing piece of work better? Here are simple some actions to take.

#7: Proofreading

This step is an integral part of your professional progression. You can’t let poor grammar or simple mistakes spoil an otherwise great piece of writing. Proofread the next day if you can, with “fresh eyes”. Remove accidental mistakes, typos, and other little errors.

#8: Editing

This part is another essential step for giving your finished product a sense of “polish”. Editing is aimed at improving the different stylistic nuances and potential semantic mistakes. An experienced editor is able to make each piece of writing look like the work of a professional author. Give your work not just a “once over” but a “twice” and even “thrice over”. Check, check and check again.

#9: Include references

Great writers back up their statements with facts, statistics, expert quotes and references. This is especially important in academic essays and journalistic articles. It’s not good enough to have your writing as a simple, “stream of consciousness” – that’s what your brainstorming and “free writing” exercises are for. In your pre-planning, make sure you decide what parts of your argument are essential and validate these with expert facts.

#10: Get professional help when you need it

There are many online schools of creative writing, academic writing and journalism. Make use of online courses, online services, writers’ groups and your teachers and more experienced colleagues if you can. Take lessons from professional online writers who will be glad to teach you some major techniques of writing. It can be easy to connect with people via platforms such as LinkedIn (for example) or even academic journals and community sites. Reach out and improve your writing.

Ready to become a better writer?

Text creation does not need to be a laborious and dull task. If you want to become an experienced writer, you can and will be – just don’t give up! Check out more recommendations at Wikihow and remember: practice makes perfect. Write a little bit every single day and you will be sure to succeed.

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