7 Initiatives that will Improve Your Writing Skills

The famous American novelist Louis L’Armour once said, “Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow unless the faucet is turned on.”

And that’s where exactly lies the very foundation of good writing skill. You got to start with a bang and never look back. After all, you can always edit a bad copy, but you cannot do anything with a blank page. Every writer has their style of writing, which can only get better with time and persistence.

So, if you think that you should upgrade your skills according to the latest trends and styles, then how about embracing these 7 simple daily practices?

Here you go!

Keep a tab on your grammatical mistakes

Trust me; there’s no writer under the sun who has a delivered grammatically flawless copies at one go. If you are not committing any grammatical errors, then you are probably not working on enough drafts. From the wrong choice of prepositions to faulty parts of speech; grammar errors are quite common among writers. But you also need to keep a tab on such shortcomings by refraining from making the same mistake twice.

Here’s what you can do to work on your grammar.

Read more books. It is said to be the best way to improve grammar skills. Start reading good books and watch your words flow like a river.
Get a grammar reference manual such as The Best Punctuation Book, Manual of English Grammar and Composition and A Pocket Style Manual. These resources shall come in handy.
Review your writing, proofread thoroughly and check for minor errors. These may include missing commas in a compound sentence, misplaced or dangling modifiers, wrong usage of words/phrases and the likes.
Check for misused placement of apostrophe, for example, “Its’” instead of “it’s”.
Focus on keeping sentences short

When words come flowing in, it gets difficult to stop. Unfortunately, in writing, you need short pauses and periods to break the monotony. Many writers often tend to get carried away and end up projecting what they would have done during verbal communication. As a result, sentences get too lengthy, thus, disrupting the readability parameter.

Here’s what you can do to keep sentences short, crisp and insightful.

Do not come up with useless modifiers. Consider breaking up long thoughts and perspectives into several short sentences.
If you choose to write on a complex topic, balance it with the use of shorter sentences to explain certain points.
Count the number of commas you have used in a single sentence, remove all redundant words, and unnecessary use of conjunctions.
Make it a point to express one thought per paragraph, instead of overstuffing things in a cluttered manner.
Stick to a conversational tone

Maintaining a conversational tone is said to be, by far, one of the best strategies one can implement to improve writing skills. It will help readers engage and relate to your writing in a better way.Students can also enjoy the operations management assignment help .

Take note of the following suggestions for effective results.

Use simple, easy-to-understand words. For example, instead of using words such as “onerous”, “exigent” or “abstruse”, use “hard”, “strenuous” or “tough”. They carry the same meaning, which means “difficult”.
Make your writing more personal. Use “you” and “I” in your write-ups to add a personal touch which will help your readers engage in an effective way.
Storytelling works great. Try and tell a story through your writing. Begin with a relatable real-life example; turn all facts and figures into stories where readers can use personal emotions to perceive things.
Do not sound too formal. Instead, focus on making the write-up interactive by asking interesting questions, using similes and metaphors wherever applicable.
Bring power words into play

This is yet another effective technique to improve writing skills. Incorporating power words will help you replace the redundancy of using clichéd words that are either outdated or too drab. Most importantly, power words have the potential to make write-ups intriguing and impressive for readers .

Take a look at some of the power words you can use in your next composition.

Life-changing
Forbidden
Profound
Inspiring
Heartwarming
Gripping
Gigantic
Unforgettable
Extraordinary
Provocative
Awe-inspiring
Minimalist
Savagery
Cheat-Sheet
Captivating
Life-changing
On-demand
Be open to feedback

No matter if the feedback is positive, overly critical or negative; you should always accept reviews and learn how to improve your writing with each passing day. Here’s how you can get reviews and learn from feedback on your write-ups from various sources like solidworks assignment help.

Post your write-ups on digitised writing communities such as AgentQuery Connect, Critique Circle and Critters Writers Workshop.
These forums are the top choices among writers who wish to share their creations, receive feedback from others and learn how to improve their writing.
Take note of the shortcomings that are frequently pointed out. Focus on them and chalk out plans to rectify the mistakes.
If you are working on writing, then urge your private tutors, elder siblings or school/college seniors to go through your paper.
Outline the topic if it is complex

Not all topics are the same. Some of them may appear to be overly complicated, having different angles, perspectives and thoughts to express. If you ever work on such subject matters, then it is recommended to outline the topic before initiating the task of writing.

Here’s how.

List all major points of discussion and focus on introducing them right at the beginning of your copy.
Now list out all supporting ideas and arguments for each major point of discussion.
Also, try and sub-divide all supporting ideas until you have a fully-developed outline.
Strategise how you choose to introduce a particular perspective and what points of references you would include to back every argument.
It is equally crucial for you to outline the perfect concluding note with key takeaways, thought-provoking slants, universalised comparisons and call to action.
Make sure to organise all information in a hierarchical or logical order.
Put yourself in the readers’ shoes

Lastly, you need to look at things from the perspectives of your readers. You cannot just write something abrupt, only to realise that the context does not fit into your readers’ persona.

Here’s what you can do to understand your audience better.

Be brutally honest with the context of discussion, and imagine how someone would react to a particular situation before penning it down.
Stop being over-the-top creative and end up projecting too many abstract and less relatable ideas.
Remember, readers are more interested in knowing what happened, how it felt, how you reacted to it, and what you learned.
Don’t just force your readers and tell them what they should do. No one likes to be intimidated or controlled. Instead, leave a few questions for them to answer and allow them to decide what’s best for them.

Parting Thoughts

I hope this blog will help you inculcate the traits of a proficient writer who knows how to cultivate ideas and let words flow through them like a mountain stream. Well, before signing out, let’s revisit the things we have discussed so far.

Take grammatical mistakes seriously.
Write short yet engaging sentences with no fillers.
Stick to a conversational tone in your writing.
Use power words in your copy to create an appeal.
Accept feedback and learn from criticism.
Outline a complex topic before you write anything.
Craft your paper, keeping your readers in mind.

Cheers!

Author Bio: Peter Clarke is an experienced academic counsellor and a professional blogger associated with a leading agency in New south wales, the Australia. Apart from that, He is a currently working on behalf of the digital academic forum Myassignmenthelp.com