Writing is a daunting task for many, but it doesn’t need to be. From scholarly pieces to more general forms of writing, here are a few tips to ensure that you stay at the top of your game.
1. Read what you write
This simple tip can help to erase any superfluous and easy to miss errors that may appear while writing, and you would be surprised at what you notice while reading your own work. Now, when I say read your work, I do not mean read everything in your head; it may seem silly at first, but you get the best results from reading your work out loud. When doing so, try to go slowly, and ask yourself; does this sound right? Is this something someone would really say? If you find yourself stumbling over awkward sentences, try a different approach; there is always more than one way to say something. If anything, writing is like a puzzle. Everything that you will ever write is before you; all you have to do is fill in the blanks.
Also, while reading your work, you may notice that you “autocorrect” yourself. By this, I mean that what you say aloud may be different than what you have written in front of you. If you catch yourself saying something different from what is written, then be sure to change it to what you actually read aloud!
2. Go in with a plan
Writing is different for everybody. Some people can jump right in to a piece without giving it any thought, whereas others adopt a more stringent, organized approach. For those with apprehensions concerning their writing, it is best to go with the latter approach, at least in the beginning. Ideally, you want to know what you will write before writing, and this is dealt with by formulating an outline. Now, an outline doesn’t need to be written down; it can simply be sitting down and thinking for a few minutes before getting into the action. Either way, making either a physical or mental outline can make your writing more cohesive and sophisticated, and you better writer overall.
3. Read books
Now, this is the most important tip. The first two can be ignored, for they don’t necessarily apply to everybody. This tip, however, is paramount. Reading, (particularly literary fiction in my experience) inculcates within an individual a sense of how writing should be, how sentences should be formed and what generally does and doesn’t sound right. English and syntax classes are a great way to learn the above, but nothing beats reading the writing of experienced writers. Notice how I said experienced writers. I have nothing against any particular form of writing, but reading the works of renowned authors and writers will offer up the best results. What does and doesn’t constitute as a renowned author is subjective however, so go out there and read books that interest you. The most important thing to note is to challenge yourself. No offense, but reading 50 Shades of Grey isn’t going to transform you into William Faulkner or Ernest Hemingway, but it is indeed a start. If anything, just get out there and read more; nothing bad will happen, I promise.
