Whether you’re a student, young professional, in grad school, or already working, good writing skills are very important to your long-term success. Like any other skill, writing is one you can practice and improve. Here is our suggested pathway to success!
1. Understand your purpose
Good writing starts with a goal in mind. What is the purpose of what you are writing? Who will be reading it? What do you hope to achieve from this paper, essay, or email?
Whatever your answers may be, it is important to define the purpose of your writing in order to stay focused. This will help you stay on the right path by clarifying your direction!
2. Outline your ideas
Once you’ve defined your purpose, write down your ideas before you start writing. A strong outline helps you avoid distractions, such as going off-topic, and helps you compose a structured and understandable piece of writing that will make sense to your readers.
An outline consists of an introduction to your topic., what you plan to include in the body and finally, a conclusion.
3. Read more & get inspired
Simply put, the more you read, the better you’ll become at forming sentences and choosing the right words to convey your message to the reades. Diversify your reading material and take note of work you like. See if you can apply the same technique to improve your writing. Please note that this is not the same as plagiarism, because you are not copying anyone’s work. Instead, we are suggesting you learn from their expertise and channel come of their techniques to develop your own work.
4. Embrace simplicity
There is a lot of value and beauty in simple writing. Think about it, there is no point in writing something that people may struggle to understand. It is often best to avoid using overly complicated and unfamiliar words.
Additionally, avoid over-explaining and providing too much detail in your writing. It could be that readers get carried away by the trivial details and lose interest in the main purpose of your writing. A good way to recognize whether a piece of information should be included or not is to consider if it’s essential to the purpose. If it’s not, then remove it and tell your story as clearly as possible.
5. Add a personal touch to your writing
Let your personality do the talking and your voice will come through on your writing! Infuse your work with your personal brand and individuality. The last thing we want is for your writing to sound typical or generic. Adding a personal touch, like an anecdote, makes your work more interesting and can make a huge difference in bringing your stories to life!
Note: We do not advise doing this in professional or formal pieces of writing.
Most importantly, practice! Practicing writing with a tutor can help you identify your weaknesses and give you the tools you need to improve! The more you write, the more you learn, and the better you’ll get at writing.