You don’t have to plough through hundreds of writing exercises to become a better writer, or read the myriad books written on the subject. Admittedly, doing so might help, but there are five top tips I can give you right that now will help improve your writing straight away…
1. Don’t be scared of editing
Editing is necessary. It may feel cruel, but it’s necessary. After spending a while on a piece of copy, you’ll find it difficult to spot any mistakes or where you could tighten up your text.
George, courtesy of Smoosh.com
You may become confused, or unsure…
Please, don’t end up like George. Hand your copy over to someone else to edit. They’ll look at it with fresh eyes and perhaps have some useful feedback. If they can improve the piece’s readability and shareability, what’s stopping you?
2. Having said that, at some point you have to let go
You can draft, draft and re-draft, but at some point you have to let go. Yes, there will always be changes you can make, but have faith in yourself. Let go. It WILL be ok.
3. Keep it concise
Speaks for itself, doesn’t it?
4. Just get the first draft down
If you’ve got lots of thoughts running around in your head, just write them down. Don’t stop to correct the spelling, grammar, punctuation or structure. There’s plenty of time for that later. Just get it all written down.
Once you’ve got everything on paper, you’ll find it much easier to refine the piece. Plus, you won’t forget any flashes of inspiration you had!
5. Read your work aloud
Your sentences may look great on paper, but reading them aloud can help you spot any mistakes or find the natural rhythm of a piece. If that sounds a bit boring, try rapping or singing… it’ll lighten up the process and will help greatly with that rhythm thing I mentioned.
