How to get better your writing skills

Why Writing Better?

For millennia, writing has been a source of inspiration, income and social mobility. In every human development phase, writing skills have changed considerably. From early carvings on caves to current web content, writing remains a wonder reimagined over and again. In a world now dominated by online communication, writing skills remain a challenge – even for experienced writers. The media for writing might have changed but writing basics have not changed much. To be a good writer, all you might need is to master and continue to practice a set of habits and skills a good writer must have.

Five Commandments for Better Writing

In essence, writing is communication. To write well is to communicate well. Indeed, whether you are a newcomer or veteran, being able to communicate is critical to write well and better. Intuitively, writing works differently compared to different modes of communication. Think of why ancient drawings and cravings lasted for millennia and you are closer to understand how good and better writing works. Fast-forward millennia, writing basics are essentially similar. So, as ancient injunctions about morality are still relevant, advice for better writing is just as relevant. The following are Five Commandments every writer should stick by to prosper in a writing career or even for her own personal pleasure.

Think of writing as a daily ritual. If you pray, you are keen to make your prayers honest. Similarly, writing pays off when you practice daily. You are not going to be initiated into a higher place, just as in prayers, unless you are faithful in writing. Write. Write. Write. This is advice every single mentor or writing service stresses on, e.g. edujungles. Your purpose for writing could vary from one about “write to learn” to one for “write to live”. Start by simpler writing activities you usually do in your everyday life including, but not limited to,

• Posting longer pieces across social media;
• Jotting down your ideas on a separate notebook;
• Compiling checklists in complete sentence form instead of phrases; and
• Texting in longer and less contracted sentences or phrases.

This amounts to a writing skill practice. Initially, you might not need to follow specific writing steps. However, as your practice grows everyday, you will need to seek sources for inspiration and good writers to learn from.

Seek Your Fellow Writers Advice

As in life, mentorship is important for writing. True, you might practice everyday – alone. However, getting better at writing requires broader experiences beyond your own. Probably, you might wonder where you should start. To improve writing skills online is, indeed, similar to sailing to an ocean – unguided. There are, in fact, as many good (as well as bad) writers online. Equally, you might not want to end up musing some piece of writing which alone on a hilltop. If anything, just as writing is long associated with isolation, writing does need company as well.

There are several ways you can engage fellow writers, new or veteran, to write

better. Here are some:

• Seek writing advice from well-known bloggers who offer help;
• Write for essay writing services, e.g. https://essaywritingservice.ca, which would help engage in a writer community and earn some money;
• Ask in your immediate circle for help and support from writers “who know”; and
• Reach out for local resources such as your local librarian or book club.

Read. Read. Read.

For survival, you need to eat. Similarly, writing survives on reading and both are shown to inform one another. Every writer knows reading is a survival fodder for writing. The unique stylistics, intonations, nuances, and word choices unique to each writer are born out of extensive reading. You might have heard – endlessly –

how reading is important in and for life, including for writing. But, you have always wondered, just as endlessly, where you should start. Here are simple and handy hints:

• Start by reading shorter and simpler ebooks in any subject you prefer;
• Stick to a daily reading habit;
• Proceed in your reading practice to more complex subjects;
• Diversify your reading list and do not overread in one subject or genre; and
• Practice what you read by, first, imitation and, later, developing your own style.

Stay Simple

Simple is humble – and practical. You might, at first, wish to go big but, predictably enough, you will go flat soon. To avoid a fairly common mistake new writers make, adopt a simple writing approach. Do believe you could start by writing a great novel. This is not going to happen. Be humble. Instead, you could start by simpler, breakable pieces of content which you could master. Just as you engage fellow writers by joining essay writing services, you could join one or more resume writing services. By having a laser-focus on specific content, you learn to zoom in to and out from content of variable size. You can start by resume writing but, of course, you can proceed based on your own improvement and pace.

Find Your Voice

To develop your own unique writing voice, you need to work on details. By “details” is meant nitty-gritty specifics of structure, word choice, style, and mechanics. Again, start by simpler matters. Specifically, if you want to find your voice, work to improve grammar all the way up to structure and style. For guidance, here are some helpful hints:

• Keep a style guide handy to check for common sentence structures, writing styles and mechanics;
• Consult a dictionary if in doubt;
• Seek a second eye on your copy; and
• Use online mechanics software, e.g. Grammarly, to improve on your grammar and structure.

Practice. Read. Engage.

In doing so, you are on a sure way of better writing. Finally, you should always have faith in yourself as a writer. Losing faith in yourself is akin to a preacher who is unable to persuade his audience for lack of self-confidence.

Wrap-Up

In balance, writing is hard. Improving writing is harder. Chances are great, however, to improve in writing if you understand writing is all about communication. To communicate well, in writing, you need to follow Five Commandments:

1. Write As You Pray – Write Everyday;

2. Seek Your Fellow Writers Advice – Reach Out For Writing Help On- and offline;

3. Read. Read. Read. – Everything You Lays Your Hands On;

4. Stay Simple – Be Humble and Advance Steadily Up and High; and

5. Find Your Voice – Work On Your Mechanics and Practice.

Have faith in your writing and yourself.