10 Steps to Improve on Your Writing Skills

Nothing strikes fear into the heart of a marketer or a teacher like being asked to write a blog post. Some teacher would rather procrastinate for days on end, than write a blog post – but why?

Writing is intimidating to a lot of people, including teachers; especially those who don’t write on a regular basis. The good news is that writing doesn’t have to be agonizing, and almost anybody can improve their writing skills with a little discipline and a willingness to learn. Want to become a better writer?

Here are 10 ways you can start to improve on your writing skills.

1. Get the Basics Right

Before you can start writing incredible content, you will need at least an intermediate understanding of the basic principles of writing. This doesn’t mean you need to enroll in a prestigious creative writing program at Oxford University, but you will need to know the basics of grammar and spelling.

2. Be Passionate about writing

If you want to get better at something, you have to keep practicing, and writing is no exception. You are not passionate before you start writing, you keep writing until you become passionate.

Unfortunately, there are few shortcuts that can transform you into an amazing writer overnight, and even the most talented writers had to learn their craft over a period of many years. It's admittedly even harder to write while considering SEO and how to drive traffic to your post. 

If you want to improve your writing skills, writing on a regular basis will not only diminish your fear of the blank page (or blinking cursor), it will also help you develop a unique style. So, even if nobody reads it, keep writing. Practice makes perfect.

3. Readers are Leaders and Great Writers

The best writers are also keen readers, and reading on a regular basis is an easy way to start developing your writing skills. I don’t just mean blog posts, either – diversify your reading material. Expand your horizons to more challenging material than you typically read, and pay attention to sentence structure, word choice, and how the material flows.

The more you read, the more likely you are to develop an eye for what makes a piece so effective, and which mistakes to avoid.

4. Connect with a Friend who loves Writing

In life, whatever you intend to do there is someone who is willing to help. Do not hold back when you need a helper. Although writing is typically considered a solitary activity, the best writers know when it’s time to get much-needed feedback on their work.

Talk to your coworkers (or friends) and ask someone if they are willing to cast an eye over your work – they may spot mistakes that you overlooked.

Finding a writing partner is also a great way to hold yourself accountable and keep going.

5. Join a group Workshop

Most people are afraid of the idea of standing in front of a room full of strangers and baring their soul to the world, but joining a writing workshop can be immensely beneficial – and a lot of fun (if you manage to find a good one).

6. Take a close look at Writing That You Admire

Most people read the same blogs or sites on a regular basis because the material appeals to them – but fewer people understand why their favorite blogs are so appealing.

Find a handful of recent blog posts you really like, then print them out. Examine why you like these elements, and see if there are any common threads in your favored reading material. See how writers take one subject and transition into another. Apply these techniques to your own work.

7. Imitate Writers You Admire

Imitation is not the same as plagiarism. Don’t rip off anyone’s work. It’s wrong.

Just as you probably have a list of blogs you read often, you’ll likely also read the same writers on a regular basis. Identify what it is you enjoy about their work, and see if you can use it to improve your writing skills. Does a writer you like use humor to spice up dry topics? Try it. Do they use pop culture references to make their work entertaining and useful? Try that, too.

 8. Create a Good Outline to Guide you

Having an outline before you write is like having a roadmap in the glove box of your car before a road trip. Before putting pen to proverbial paper, sketch out an outline of what you plan to write. This will be your battle plan, and it will help you win the war. Very few writers sit down to write anything without a solid plan in mind.

An outline doesn’t have to be complex. If you start to feel lost, refer back to your outline.

9. Edit Your Work at the End

So, you’re writing every day (or regularly, at least), and you’re feeling more confident about your work. Awesome! Now you’re going to become your own harshest critic.

Be tough on yourself, and know when to delete or rework something. Your work will be much stronger as a result.

10. You First Drafts will not be too Good

After reading a great post, it’s tempting to imagine that writing is so easy. It’s really not as easy as you think. First drafts are almost always crap, and that’s okay. Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t create a masterpiece on your first attempt – chances are, you probably won’t, and that’s okay, too. Just get your ideas down on paper first, then go back and start cleaning up.

11. You will need a Good Editor who is Patient

Allowing someone else to read your work can be brutally difficult for some writers, especially when they’re just starting out, but it’s crucial that you develop good habits from the outset and learn to accept constructive criticism about your work. I have worked with dozens of editors over the years, and in my experience, the best are those who show you why something doesn’t work, rather than just telling you that it does not.

12. Eliminate Unnecessary Words

Another common mistake among beginner writers is writing overly complex sentences in an attempt to “sound” more authoritative. In many cases, shorter sentences can have a greater impact.

13. Do Your Research

In their eagerness to be done with a blog post (or even major newspaper article), many writers try to take shortcuts without proper research. Without a good research you look like an amateur after writing. This can also land you in big trouble with your editor or content marketing manager.

14. Remember Organization is important

You should definitely take the time to write as well as you can, proofread and edit your work thoroughly, and ensure that your piece flows logically from one point to the next.

However, this doesn’t mean you should take weeks to write something. No piece of writing will ever be perfect – you have to know when it’s time to let it go.