Like it or not, content writing online still needs you to show a massive amount of professionalism. At the same time, quality should always trump quantity and unique writing is key to making it big. On the Internet, this much easier said than done because many people have opted to make content writing their job. The bigger picture is that sometimes you need a little help to get better at what you do, so here are some massive tips on how to improve your writing skills.
10. Expand Your Vocabulary
Writing is a job that requires constant learning. Whether you’re a blogger or, just enjoy writing short stories online, you’ll always need to learn more. This is where your vocabulary comes in because you’re going to have to expand it so much that it will be natural for you to use intelligent terms and phrases. At the same time, you’ll be able to grasp most words when you’re otherwise struggling to find them in your head.
9. Create Variation in Your Sentence Types
Another great way to make yourself write with a higher mind, is to make sure that you have a grasp of how sentence structure works. Instead of just statement after statement, make sure to spice it up with questions, declarations, complex and compound structures. You’ll soon see that stuff starts to write itself and you might even be proud of yourself once you give your work a look over.
8. Always Lead with Something Interesting
One big problem with some posts is that at times, they end up jumping the gun and leading with all the facts. Writing, especially online, involves a certain degree of flash, so when you lay it out immediately, you’re going to get stuck with a word count you can’t fill. Your opening statement doesn’t necessarily mean you need to write like Shakespeare; it just means you have to catch attention. It’s an opening statement after all, so a little effort on your part would be great for your writing.
7. Write Constantly
There’s no one way to become inspired to write, and there’s no such thing as an individual making it big on the first try. Sure you can point at stuff like Twilight or 50 shades of gray and say ‘they managed to do it’ and you might be write. However, you also have to remember that those books are pandering to specific demographics, and they’re not that good anyway. If you want to succeed at writing, you have to keep writing constantly as practice will inevitably be a major part of your success.
6. Write Everywhere
As a growing writer, you have to follow this rule constantly. Though the thought of a muse coming down and inspiring you to write is nice, but it’s also better that you just find that inspiration. Simply put, just make sure to bring your laptop or a pen and paper along everywhere you go. You might find that the need to write might strike you in the middle of bus ride or even during a football game.
5. Write now, edit later
This is the downfall of any hard working writer and will be yours too if you don’t take this tip seriously. You see, the problem with writers is that they always want to edit stuff even while in the process of writing. You can’t do that, it wastes time and the ideas in your head might even be gone when you’re finally done figuring out which word ‘fits’ with the sentence you just made. This technique also ties in with tip no.7 because you’ll be needing to write quickly if you’re on the go. Lastly, editing later can mean that you’ll be able to catch details that you may not have seen while writing.
4. Dump Yourself in a Media Sink
Great ideas aren’t always restricted to original ones; sometimes inspiration needs to be jump started. Jumping into a media sink just means that you should read more, listen to your favorite musicians, watch a good move, or maybe just look up pretty pictures on the Internet. You might find an idea you like from one these sources and it would be a waste if you don’t take the time to write about it. At the same time, you’ll also gleam a very important skill that you need in writing, and that is how to describe things in detail.
3. Have Conversations
Another great way to exercise your brain is to have and hold long conversations. There are whole books and hundreds of pages dedicated to the power of talking to one another and it also gives you a chance to use those new vocabulary words that you know. It’ll also give you some pretty solid insight on how interactions tend to go, between each individual, you’ll find that some conversations and interactions are unique to some people.
2. Look around and Observe
The best blogs are often very well detailed and have personality to them. In order to enhance this, all you’ll have to do is observe and watch the very minute details around you. For instance, right now, the sun is bearing down outside the window, a walking vendor rings his bell, and WinAmp is playing a track from a young and up and coming Hip Hop artist. Every detail is important as it teaches you how to watch for every little thing around you. It’ll make it easier for you to put the words in your head down on paper, and that’s key to improving your writing.
1. Share your Writing and Read it out Loud
One of the worst things that you can ever do to your writing is keeping it to yourself. Of course, you have to be your own critic in some ways, but other people can give you insights that you’ve never thought of on your own. Also, when you do this, make sure that you don’t explain your work as this will tell you if people actually understand what you wrote. Never say “they won’t get the concept” as we live in a time where so many ideas have been explored and exploited that it’s impossible not to imitate something. Lastly, as a tip on how to improve writing skills, you can also listen to criticism, but don’t always take it as this is your work and editing it to serve one individuals tastes defeats the purpose.
April 15, 2013 8:05 pm
These are the greatest tips for a writer like me. Very clear and useful. thanks so much.