7 Ways to Improve your Writing Skills

John Khu is joining us this week to offer some quick tips on how to write effectively in your career.

Are you an effective writer? Have you ever analyzed your write-ups? Well I think that everyone is capable of producing effective writing.{{more}}

Unfortunately, laziness, lack of confidence, poor time management, and/or lack or experience can be barriers that prevent effective writing from happening.

Here are 7 tips that can guide you to become effective writer:

1.USE PROPER LANGUAGE IN WRITING

When we speak to each other, we don’t use grammatically complete sentences, careful constructions, and beautifully modulated syntax. Our utterances are often quite ungrammatical, abbreviated, and incomplete. If these habits of speech are carried over into the written language the results are usually not very good. Using the most effective language to put your thought across is the key to being an effective writer.

2. USE PROPER PUNCTUATION

Some people scatter marks of punctuation like confetti throughout their writing, making little distinction between the ranges of devices available.

Yet if it is not used accurately and consistently, this creates an unsettling effect. The most frequent abuse of this kind is the use of the comma to string together statements, which are in fact grammatically separate. They might be independent sentences, or (more usually) notes or brief thoughts. The other extreme of the same problem is too little punctuation. This usually has the effect of leaving readers disoriented. Use proper punctuation while writing to be an effective writer.

3. USE PROPER VOCABULARY

Do not use jumbled vocabulary. Using jumbled vocabulary usually occurs because the writer does not have a firm grasp of the meaning and best use of words. Thinking before writing is another way to become effective writer.

4. HAVE VARIETY IN WRITING

An effective writer is one who can grip the reader in whatever he writes and avoids repetition. Effective writers choose a variety of style, chooses variety of topics, and tries new writing techniques and strategies.

5. PROOFREAD YOUR WRITINGS

Writing has an advantage over oral communication in that you have time to get your thoughts together, organize them in the best way possible, and use the most effective language to get your point across. A piece of writing that may be effectively written, but is riddled with errors and sloppily presented, sends the message loud and clear that the writer is lazy, incompetent, ignorant, or worse. But an effective writer proofreads his writings.

6. RELAXED WRITERS ARE EFFECTIVE WRITERS

Good writing comes from good energy. When your body is tired from stress or lack of sleep, you cannot work at your best. Getting yourself in a relaxed and rested state of mind can help at all stages of the writing process.

7. THINK POSITIVE

Last but not the least, a positive attitude always works wonders. Do not set yourself up to make your worst predictions come true. You can programme yourself to get the best out of yourself just by changing the way you think-and talk-about your writing. Being positive about your writing, however, does not mean setting wildly unrealistic expectations for yourself.

You wouldn’t expect to learn to play the guitar or become a champion swimmer overnight, so don’t expect overnight miracles with your writing. It takes time for everything to happen and a skill to develop. Give yourself time and you will become an effective writer.

Karen Hinds – President/CEO
Workplace Success Group LLC
21 West Main Street 4th fl
Waterbury, CT 06702
Phone: 203-757-4103
A CT Winner of the Make Mine a Million Dollar Business award!
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