Writing skills are crucial for anyone, regardless of profession. Whether it’s for emailing colleagues or creating an online announcement, effective writing can help you communicate your ideas to your audience and build trust.
Like most things, becoming a better writer requires practice. Here are some ways to improve your skills: 1. Read.
Practice
Whether you’re an attorney, manager or student, chances are good that writing is part of your day-to-day job. Whether it’s emailing clients or coworkers, writing reports or crafting a presentation, communicating with your peers through written means can help you build relationships and strengthen your professional image.
Writing well takes practice. Luckily, there are many resources available to help you along the way, from a free online grammar checker to paid writing courses. Many colleges also offer a writing center where students can seek assistance on their assignments.
Make reading a daily habit and pay attention to what kind of writing resonates with you. Studying the work of literary greats can inspire you, but don’t copy them – this can come across as unoriginal and may even sound contrived. Focus on writing that sounds natural and builds your productive vocabulary (the words you use when creating sentences). Try to vary sentence length as well. This will make it easier to read your work and ensure that it flows smoothly.
Read
Regardless of whether you’re writing social media posts, an e-mail to a client or the latest chapter of your novel, good writing skills are fundamental. And, although the road to mastering them may be littered with a few questionable essays and botched short stories, there’s room for improvement for all writers.
One of the easiest ways to hone your writing skills is to read often. Reading can help you learn to recognize the basics of grammar and spelling, which communicate professionalism to your audience. It can also help you expand your vocabulary by learning new words and playing around with different sentence lengths to find the best way to express yourself.
Additionally, reading a wide variety of literature can expose you to a variety of ways that authors express themselves. For example, literary greats can write long, complex sentences with elegance. But, if you’re new to writing, keep sentences shorter and avoid overly complicated wording.
Listen
The way you speak and think are closely linked to how you write. So if you’re not listening well, you’re likely to struggle with your writing.
Many students spend a lot of time listening to English radio or watching YouTube videos without subtitles in order to improve their pronunciation. While this does help, it’s much more beneficial to work on your receptive vocabulary.
Most English language learners have a larger receptive than productive vocabulary, meaning that they understand a word but it won’t show up in their writing. One of the best ways to increase your productive vocabulary is to purposefully use words in your own writing.
For example, if you’re writing about a new topic and want to be descriptive, don’t overdo it with the adverbs! Instead, try using different adjectives until you find the ones that fit the situation. Then your readers will be able to follow your story with ease. And remember, shorter sentences are better for reading!
Learn
Even if writing isn’t a core component of your day-to-day job, strong communication skills are common attributes employers look for in applicants. Whether it’s an email, text message or meeting agenda, effective written communication ensures your colleagues understand what you’re saying, prevents misunderstandings and strengthens professional relationships.
Even the most profound writing loses impact when it’s riddled with grammatical errors. So while tech tools like Grammarly, Sapling and the spelling and grammar checkers built into word processors can be helpful aids, you’ll want to hone your proofreading skills. Try reading your work out loud or looking at it in a mirror to identify mistakes you may not notice otherwise, or learn about less-common punctuation marks, like semicolons and em-dashes.
Finally, take the time to study the writing of authors you admire. Understanding what makes their works so compelling can help you grow your own writing skills. For instance, you might read an essay or novel and wonder why the writer uses specific phrases, paragraph structure or tone to make their point.
