8 Ways to Improve Your Writing Skills

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There is so much writing advice out there on the internet and learning to improve your writing skills can seem like a daunting task. But like anything else you try to do, if done in steps it goes a lot easier. Writing is a practiced skill. You may have talent, but learning more never hurts and is always a benefit to your skills.

Prep Work

Of course, with all things, you must start at the beginning and that beginning is to make a few decisions. Some may come easy, while others may take some thought and time to complete. Whatever you do, don’t skip this! This is the base of what you are doing, you’ll come back to this as you move along your journey and further into your writing career.

Plan

You must sit down and create a plan. This plan will have all the things you need to think about as a writer to keep in mind as you progress. These are the first steps to becoming a writer others will love and will come back to as you grow.

So, what does this plan entail? The plan contains your goals as a writer, small actionable goals as well as long-term larger goals. The smaller goals are your stepping stones to completing your larger goal. To making it over the mountain of obstacles to accomplishing your writer dreams.

It will also contain your purpose, the main reason you are pursuing your writing career. This is the “Why” behind your writing. Are you looking to become a professional? A published author? or are you just sharing what you love with like-minded individuals that enjoy the same as you? Whatever the reason, make it clear and keep if front and center as you journey along.

Keep in mind that your audience is important. If you don’t have an audience, you don’t have readers and it would then be pointless to continue if no one were there to enjoy what you have to offer. Who is your audience? What are they like? How do they live? Are you solving a problem they have? and why would they be interested in what you have to offer? Answer these questions and you’ll know who to put your work in front of. Knowing this will also allow you to communicate better with your audience. You’ll know what they are looking for, what they need to hear, and what they want to see from you as a writer.

Keep in mind what your writing weaknesses are as you go, what you need to work on as a writer. One of my biggest weaknesses is editing. It the one thing I really dread doing as a writer. I know others love it, but it’s definitely one of the things I need to work on. If you are not improving, your are not moving forward toward your dreams and goals.

One, last thing to prep… read! Read what you love, what you want to write about and those that inspire you. You can learn a lot from those that came before, so take that advantage and pick up a book. Now if I could only get my daughter to do so, but that’s another story.

Way 1 – Develop Good Writing Habits

Habits are there to teach you to keep a routine, to complete the tasks you want to complete each day, and to get you in the “habit” of doing specific tasks during certain times. Whether you complete those tasks every morning, every evening, or at different points during the day. But the point is too do them at the same time each day in relatively the same order.

Here are some habits that can help you with your writing journey:

• Put your writing time into your calendar/schedule
• Keep writing even when you don’t feel motivated/create a routine
• Find ways to keep distractions at a minimum – yes, they are going to happen, but you can prepare for some and work around the rest.
• Keep your writing process in mind and the steps you take to complete it
• Keep reading and learning from others
• Practice what you learn

Way 2 – Before You Begin

Before we get into more, let’s set a beginning point of your writing journey. There are some things you want to do before you begin that are going to set you up for this journey you’re setting out on.

First, look at yourself as the writer that you are. Just because you are just starting or improving your skills does not mean that you’re not a writer. You are, so start acting like it! (Don’t go overboard and get all snotty about it. No one likes that. Treat yourself as a writer and work from there.)

Then, write every day. You as a writer should be writing every day as it is. Whether in a journal or on a project, writing notes, or collecting research. Writing every day has shown to be a major benefit to those that want to become successful and/or published writers. Just Write!

Join a writer’s group; either a critique group, workshop, or other writers group where you can bounce ideas off of, get suggestions, and more. You becoming a part of a writer’s group could give you the edge you need to work through your projects more efficiently as you already have others willing to look at your work and give you feedback on it. Don’t forget to do the same for others in the group, the group is there for you as well as others.

Find a writing partner that will be available to bounce ideas off of and that you can contact more frequently than the writer’s group. This person will be your go to for validation on ideas, thoughts, and accountability.

Make it a goal to master your craft. Work hard, research, read, write, and continue on. There is always more you can learn, more you can master, more you can do to make your writing better. The more you know and use toward your writing, the better your writing will get. You can always do better, never stop learning.

Way 3 – Structure Your Writing Process

Discover your writing process if you don’t have one already and keep it handy. Write it down, follow it religiously and work on it as you work through your projects. Whether you’re writing articles, content, or novels, you should have a process for your work that you follow.

Pre-Write

Gather your ideas, the topic of your writing, the points you want to hit, the main story line for your novel and research any areas that are needed. Keep this information together and handy as you’ll be reverencing it often during your writing.

Planning and Outline

Plan your writing. This is where you may want to create an outline or create a document with main points you want to hit. This could be your theme, subheadings, events, dates and more. In the case of a novel this would be areas such as: the setting, characters, plot, conflicts and so on.

Your First Draft

Your first draft shouldn’t be perfect, that’s why it’s a first draft. You are only meant to write and write without editing. Some may be comfortable with editing while they go; most prefer to just write and edit after so they can get everything down that’s needed.

Revising and Editing

This is a multi-step process of its own. You’ll revise then edit, read through, then edit again, and start the process over once more. How many times you go through it is up to you. The more times (with breaks in-between), the more you’ll find and the better your writing will be when someone else looks over it for edits later.

Fix any holes, points, citations and more as you read through your work. Of course the length of document will vary how many times and how long it will take to edit the piece.

Things to Keep in Mind:

You want to keep in mind the areas of the document and what they are need as you work.

• Title
  • Use power words and interest to your title to attract attention (whether on social media or novel writing).
• Opening
  • Give your readers the promise to solve their problems.
  • The opening of the story you’re writing should catch their attention from the first word.
• Body
  • Show how to solve the problem. Give step by step guidance on how to do so.
  • Give your readers the journey they expect from the story you are writing with all the feels, action, sorrow, triumph, and passion.
• Closing/Conclusion –
  • Give a call to action.
  • Your readers see you as a true authority in your field if they experience the difference your value makes.
  • Tie up the loose ends (unless you’re writing a series, of course) make it great and wanting more if more is on the way.

Way 4 – Keep The Reader In Mind

Keep your readers at the forefront of your mind, no matter what you are writing! They are the ones that are going to read your work, comment on it, follow you, and talk to their friends about you. So, it only seems natural to want to keep them in mind as you work so you don’t disappoint them. (Of course, you won’t please everyone – that’s impossible, but do your best).

I’m gonna hit on this in two different ways, so bare with me. We will talk about you and how you’re going to help your readers and then your readers and what they will expect.

You

When you are writing, you need to think like a reader. Read as though it were your job to do so. Analyze what you read and learn from it. Use techniques you like and learn what not to do that turned you away from the writing.

You becoming an avid reader will give you an advantage in the writing space. You learn from others what to do and what not to do. Read what you plan on writing about, you will learn what readers enjoy and what they didn’t by reading reviews and comments. There is not disadvantage to reading when you are working through your writing journey.

Them

Your readers are expecting something great from you. They want to read your work and learn about you, so keep them in mind as you write and grab their attention from the beginning. Whether that be through articles, promotions, ads, or the stories and journeys you take them on.

Way 5 – The Writer

Not only will you need to keep the reader (your audience) in mind, you must also work on yourself as a writer. This article is about you after all, and the writing you want to accomplish. You as the writer have your work cut out for you, but most are things your should already be doing or are things that as a writer you’ll enjoy. You are writing as a choice after all. Let’s take a look at what you can do to improve your writing as a writer.

1. Establish a Writing Routine and Stick to It – You want a routine you can stick to so you are always writing, learning and improving.
2. Start Small – If writing seems like a daunting task, start small. Start with articles, poems, short stories and the like. The same goes for goals; start with something small adding more small goals. These goals should work toward a larger goal.
3. Write What Inspires You – If you don’t like what you’re writing about, it will be hard to continue with it down the road. Write what interest and inspires you so you keep going long term.
4. Write Like It’s Your Job – Well for some, this will become your job. It’s only logical to start acting as though it already is your job to write.
5. Try to Limit Distractions – This is never an easy task, but there are things you can do to limit the distractions around you so you can continue working. Check out THIS POST for more information.
6. Edit in Steps – Editing larger pieces can take a long time and many run-throughs. Take it one step at a time so as not to get bogged down or discouraged as you go.
7. Write, Write, Write! – Continue writing no matter what. As long as you write you are by default helping yourself as a writer. Use a daily journal, mind dump, planner, or some other form of writing to continue your skills.

Way 6 – Edit Like Your Life Depends On It

Editing is one of the biggest parts of your writing, especially for those writing stories and novels. It involves multiple rounds of looking at the same items over and over (and even backwards) to make sure the writing is as smooth and best it can be.

Self Edit

Yes, you should self-edit your work. It’s one way to get better at writing. You find the things that need fixing and hopefully next time, you will write it correctly the first time. You read your work looking for plot holes, missing citations, and the like. Then read it again for grammar and punctuation, then again for word choice and so on. By the time you send the piece out you will have gone through it with your own eyes four to five to six times.

Then you let someone else, or a few people look at it to give you suggestions either on specific things or everything they can find within your writing. It’s up to you how you want to spit it up. Then you may send it to a few more to focus on a few other aspects. This could be the end if you’re working on online content or articles. You’ll need to continue for novels and longer pieces.

Once you get the feedback and fix those, it’s off to a professional editor. Now, you usually don’t want to send it straight to a professional editor because you want it as clean and polished as possible. That way they don’t feel bogged down with unnecessary edits and they can focus on the important things to make your work great.

I’m providing you a list of things to look over in your own edits. Use it or don’t, I like to give you the choice.

Things to Look For:

• Keep sentences and paragraphs short and simple, or at least varying lengths. Some like them short, so like them varied. Just try not to use a lot of long ones.
• Search out passive voice and change to an active voice.
• Use powerful verbs.
• Avoid adverbs.
• Avoid filler and unnecessary words and phrases.
• Go easy on the prepositional phrases.
• Use contractions.
• Avoid cliches – unless you can put a new twist to it.

Tips to Help:

• Keep a list of ways to combat Writer’s Block.
• Invest in an editing tool – Grammerly, ProwritingAid, etc.
• Brush up on basic grammar and spelling rules.
• Accept that first drafts are usually crap, that’s why they are first drafts.
• Edit your work without mercy, act as though it isn’t your work and you’re helping out a friend.
• Read your work aloud, or find a program that will read it to you.
• Try transcribing your work yourself. You never know what you’ll find.
• Find a good, patient editor.
• Understand keyword research and SEO for publishing purposes

Way 7 – Keep In Mind

There are always things to keep in mind for nearly everything you do in life and writing is no exception. Know that what you are doing it something you’ve worked hard to accomplish, you’re working toward a goal and you are going to succeed.

So, keep these in mind as you continue your journey to improve and know where you are in your journey!

• Do your research, make sure you know what you’re talking about in your writing.
• Infuse your personality into your writing, whether writing articles or novels. Show your readers who you are.
• Don’t be afraid to voice what you think – share your opinions and thoughts.
• Done is better than perfect – if you strive for perfection, you may never finish the piece.
• Remind yourself how far you’ve come by reviewing your older works. It’s nice to see how you’ve improved and the journey in which you got to where you are.
• Practice, practice, practice – Write, write, write!

Way 8 – Become an Expert

Learn to become an expert in your field. Listen and learn from others; take in what they have to offer. Put into practice what you’ve learned so you can see and know what to look for within your writing. Notice along the way how far you’ve come and where you started out.

• Listen to experts – Check them out on Youtube, Podcasts and more.
• Join a workshop or take a night class – You can always learn more to improve your skills.
• Study writing that you admire – Learn from others that you enjoy.
• Imitate writers you admire, Don’t Plagiarize. Learn from others what you can do for your own writing.
• Learn to weave stories into your content – Add your personality to your writing so others know it’s yours by reading it.
• Pace your stories and hook your readers with tiny cliffhangers – Make your readers want to keep reading.
• Experiment with word choice and try conversational tone so readers start recognizing your voice.

Final Thoughts:

You never know who you will inspire with your work and words. Never give up on your writing. Put in the work, keep learning and become an expert. Be humble, help others as they help you. Edit till you can’t take it anymore and publish even when you’re not ready. You are a writer, keep improving and you’ll achieve success.