8 Practical Tips on How to Improve Your Writing Skills

Every writer needs to have excellent skills and unique writing styles. A writer’s style in delivering the message is what attracts the audience rather than the idea. There are some elements that every good writer should consider, such as short sentences, simple words and language that engages readers. While striving to preserve and maintain your unique tone, you can improve your style by being keener on arranging your words and how you craft your idea. Every student, at some point in their life, will be required to write high-quality essays, assignments, and research papers as part of their learning process. Most students will find writing a daunting task since they already have too much on their hand, and coming up with an impressive essay can be very difficult. When it comes to essay-writing, most students have no clue how to go about it to come up with a good article. To be an excellent writer, you need to learn how to be precise and clear while putting your unique signature to your writing. Follow the below tips to improve your writing.

Read Famous Authors Work

Although this may sound obvious, it is the best place to start. A majority of the well-renowned writers are also the best readers. Therefore, reading regularly and widely is the best way to develop your writing skills. Always choose materials that interest you, with a variety of styles, voices, and forms of writing. As you read more and more, you learn how other writers create their styles and choose their words.

Learning New Vocabulary

To write more fluency and with confidence, you may be required to expand on your vocabulary. As much as you may know a lot of English words and their meaning, the most important principal is the ability to use these words correctly to express yourself clearly. Always use simple words as they are more direct, and readers will easily understand your points. Reading wide can significantly help you to improve your vocabulary.

Short Sentences are More Powerful Than Long Sentences

Ensure to make your sentences short, precise, and clear. Long sentences are cumbersome and confuse readers. A sentence containing too many words will lose meaning, and the readers will end up not grasping your point; they may not even read through the sentence, which will lead to you losing points. On the other hand, short sentences are easier to comprehend and understand; something your audience will appreciate a lot. Avoid having more than one idea in one sentence.

Mastering Spelling

Spelling English words can sometimes be confusing and tricky as some words such as desert and dessert sound the same, although they contain different meanings. Keeping a list of confusing words is an excellent idea as it will spare you the embarrassment of writing the wrong word when you intended to write another one. You can also use the spell checker on your computer if you set it to auto-correct mode.

Write Short Paragraphs

Short paragraphs are clear and easier to manage. Each paragraph should have sentences supporting the same idea or thought. Do not introduce more than one concept in one paragraph. Short paragraphs are easier to understand, as well as creating a more visually appealing layout. Academic writing consists of lengthy paragraphs as they require more materials to support each argument or idea. But in informal writing, shorter paragraphs should be the way to go.

Use the Active Voice

When writing, always use the active voice instead of passive voice and follow the subject-verb way of structuring sentences. This is critical as it directs you as you make your point. The active voice, when used shows that the subject is doing something. This is more exciting, contrary to the passive voice, which shows that something is being done to the subject. Active voice gives room for short and straightforward sentences, whereas passive voice will create long and complex ones which are a terrible way of relaying information.

Making an Outline

List down all the essential ideas about a topic as this gives you a clear road map to follow when writing your paper. This will help you save time and keep you focused when writing as you will not deviate from the topic at hand. Before sitting for an exam, you should be aware of how to structure an essay. Put in mind that a well-structured essay should consist of a thesis statement which is the centre of the paper, body paragraphs which discuss your arguments, and the conclusion.

Review and Edit Your Work

After the writing process of the first draft is over, sit down and proofread your work and edit where necessary before submitting your paper to your professor. Pay attention to punctuations, grammatical errors, and spelling mistakes. Check sentences structure and your choice of words to make sure they make sense and check whether the paragraphs are of the correct length and that they have a logical flow. Also, ensure your documents are neither too short nor too long as required as this could robe you some points.

Nobody said writing is smooth, and many seasoned writers are still struggling to hone their writing skills. Academic writing is not in any way easier, and a lot of students have no idea how to go about it to create impressive work which will help them earn good grades. Writing, to students involves too much effort and time which may leave them drained and stressed. The above tips, when followed diligently and a positive attitude will see students transform their writing skills for the better. Prepare your paper in advance by collecting all the facts before you can put it in writing.