1. Write, Write, Write
It might not be the overnight solution you were hoping for, but the best way to become a better writer is to keep on writing. A lot. Set deadlines, proofread your work, and have fun with it. Everyone has to start somewhere and, while it may not be pretty at the get-go, it’ll only get better with time and experience. If you ever start doubting your abilities, just take a look back at your earlier posts to see how far you’ve come. Trust us, you won’t be disappointed.
2. Read, Read, Read
Audiobooks don’t count. Go to the library, grab yourself a hardcover, and get to work before you start incurring late fees. If you want to write with the best of them, you have to read what they’re putting down. Try different authors, try different genres, mark up the pages, and see what resonates. Not only is reading a surefire way to hone your abilities, but it’ll also put you on the fast track towards becoming a grammar ninja.
3. Use your Voice
Breaking out from the way your teachers taught you to write can be a tall order. While it’s important to remember the fundamentals, that doesn’t mean you can’t add life and personality to your prose. If you really want to connect with your audience, you need to start writing like you speak. Make it feel natural, and learn to tailor your tone to, both, your audience and your subject.
4. You gotta stay Fresh
Avoid clichés; they’ll just make your work sound generic and trite. There is an endless amount of ways to breathe new life into old topics, so avoid sticking to the same approach for each post or piggybacking off others. Even if your writing is improving by the day, the same old formula tends to get old fast for everyone involved.
5. Short and Sweet
Stay away from run-on sentences. If Hemingway taught us anything, it’s that writing is an exercise in “less is more.” The more you can convey in a shorter period, the better off you and your readers will be.
Like we said, becoming a better writer takes time and practice. The good news; however, is that it only gets easier. The sooner you get started, the sooner you’re writing will be right where you want it.
