Some parts of writing improvement take far longer and more effort to master than others do. More difficult than correcting grammatical faults, deleting repetitions, and improving your usage of tricky phrases is learning how to critically analyze information, organize your thoughts, and absorb the advice of experienced writers.
In this article, I’m going to provide you with ten simple edits you can make to your writing to make it more comprehensible, convincing, and understandable. Some of these adjustments are technical, while others relate to the writing style.
1. Review the Fundamentals
You’ll need to have at least a rudimentary mastery of the fundamentals of writing before you can begin creating amazing material.
You don’t have to attend a choice creative writing program at an Ivy League university to do this, but you will need to be familiar with the fundamentals of grammar and spelling.
Strunk and White’s “The Elements of Style” is a little but essential book that every writer should have on their bookshelves. It is one of the most complete sources on proper grammar usage and other beneficial subjects.
Mark Merriam-Webster and Grammar Girl as quick and simple internet tools.
2. Write at your most productive time of the day
Your writing will sound irritated if you’re feeling agitated. You could be skilled at putting on a brave face, but you have no control over your mind.
That doesn’t mean you have to wait till you’re feeling happy to write. Simply write when you are generally more mellow throughout the day. Early in the morning or late at night are my preferences.
3. Write as though it were your job
Writing is no different from other skills in that you must practice improving. Unfortunately, there aren’t many shortcuts that can make you a fantastic writer overnight; even the most gifted authors had to spend years honing their craft. Admittedly, writing while thinking about SEO and how to increase traffic to your piece is more difficult.
Regular writing will not only help you overcome your dread of the blank page (or blinking cursor) and enhance your writing abilities, but it will also enable you to create your distinctive voice. So keep writing even if no one reads it. Practice makes perfect.
4. Share personal stories
These days, a lot of self-help books use the same structure: provide a historical tale, then extract lessons from it. The lack of a personal viewpoint is the most common complaint in the reviews of those kinds of books on Amazon. Even while it’s popular to claim that “no one cares about you,” the truth is that your personal stories do matter to people.
A business partner recently informed me via email about a project that was postponed as a result of getting Covid and how long it took for her to recover. I explained my previous stomach issues and how it took me a month to feel normal once more in response.
We were personally bonded by our shared stories. Readers can relate to your work more through personal anecdotes.
5. Refrain from connecting “publish” or “send” right away.
In general, it’s not a good idea to transmit or publish something as soon as you’re done. Before you do, you should reread your writing Perhaps your reaction was a little too hasty. Perhaps you neglected to include a file or link. … and so on. Just give yourself a short break, get something else done, and then come back to your work. Before sending it, you can go back and make any necessary revisions.
6. Use standard language
Stay away from utilizing words that are reserved for writing. When last did you hear someone use the word “laconic”? It signifies saying something with little words, which makes it a fantastic word. But nobody ever uses that word in a conversation.
It’s fine if you write simply, and the simpler the better, as Hemingway once stated.
7. Keep every sentence to one idea
This can be a particularly useful strategy if you have trouble articulating your thoughts or arguments or if your readers occasionally show the frustration that they don’t fully grasp the points you’re attempting to make. Because you must convey your thoughts one idea at a time, you are forced to think carefully and methodically when you limit each sentence to a single notion. Essentially, all you need to do is separate sentences with two or more ideas into paragraphs with only one notion.
8. Make sentences brief
Keep in mind the phrase “white space” The space is your supporter.
Sentences that are too wordy frequently get lost in translation. Your sentences should be brief. You’ll be able to speak concisely as a result.
9. Compose concise paragraphs
Limit your paragraphs to no more than 3/4 sentences. Short paragraphs make a literary piece simpler to read.
10. Keep in mind that progress over perfection
Take the time to write as well as you can, carefully reread and revise your work, and make sure that your post makes sense from beginning to end. This does not, however, imply that you should wait weeks to write something.
You must learn when to let go of a piece of writing since no piece of writing can ever be perfect. This is crucial in content marketing since you rarely have the luxury of creating heartfelt blog entries with moving language and captivating pictures. The “writing” portion of writing will get simpler and quicker as your confidence grows, but never forget that deadlines or editorial calendars are just as much your masters as any supervisor or manager.
