HOW TO IMPROVE WRITING SKILLS: Top Easy Steps & Books

Table of Contents Hide

What are Writing Skills?
Why are Writing Skills Important?
How to Improve Writing Skills
Books that will help you Improve your Writing Skills
What are the 12 Steps to Improve Writing Skills?
How can I Improve my Writing Skills in English?
What are the 5 Writing Skills?
What are the 10 Basic Writing Skills?
How do I Practice Writing?
How can I Practice Writing Everyday?
Conclusion
Related Articles
References

Nothing makes a marketer more nervous than being asked to write a blog post. Some marketers would rather spend days wrestling with pivot tables (or grizzly bears) than write a blog post – but why? It doesn’t have to be this difficult to write. With content marketing quickly becoming one of the most important marketing skills to have on your resume, mastering the art of writing could help you advance in your career as well as increase traffic to your company’s website. In this post, you are going to get top steps on how to improve your writing skills either as students or writers and you will also get books to help you through the journey.

What are Writing Skills?

Writing is a technical skill that allows you to effectively communicate through the written word. Though they may differ depending on what you’re writing, there are a few that cross genres. Writing abilities can be more specifically defined as:

Grammar
Vocabulary
Spelling
sentence structure
Structure
Research and precision
Clarity
Persuasiveness

Each of these elements can have an impact on writing quality.

Why are Writing Skills Important?

Writing well is a form of effective communication that many employers regard as a necessary job skill. Indeed, among the nine common employability skills sought by employers are strong communication skills (written, verbal, nonverbal, and visual).

Whatever your role, good writing skills will allow you to clearly transcribe your thoughts into meaningful messages, allowing you to share your ideas, build relationships, and strengthen your professional image.

How to Improve Writing Skills

#1. Brush Up on the Basics

Before you can begin creating incredible content, you must first have a basic understanding of writing principles.

This does not imply that you must enroll in a prestigious creative writing program at an Ivy League university, but you must understand the fundamentals of grammar and spelling. Every writer should have a copy of Strunk and White’s “The Elements of Style” on their bookshelf, as this small but invaluable book is one of the most comprehensive resources on grammar and other useful topics.

#2. Write Like It’s Your Job

You have to practice if you want to get better at something, and writing is no exception!

Unfortunately, there are few shortcuts that will turn you into an amazing writer overnight, and even the most talented writers had to learn their craft over time. It’s admittedly more difficult to write while thinking about SEO and how to drive traffic to your post.

Writing on a regular basis will not only help you overcome your fear of the blank page (or blinking cursor), but it will also help you develop your own style. So, keep writing even if no one reads it. Perfect practice makes perfect.

#3. Read what you want to write.

Knowing what a completed piece of writing should look like can help guide your own. If you want to write a funny short story, read some funny short stories. Do you want to write a book review? Find a few and observe how they are organized. Take note of what makes them great and what you want to emulate (without plagiarizing, of course). If you’re working on a school assignment, you can request examples of successful pieces from previous students from your instructor.

To improve your writing, make reading a part of your daily routine. Try reading the news in the morning or reading a book before bed. If you’ve never been a big reader, start with topics that interest you, or ask friends and family for recommendations.

#4. Find a Writing Partner

If you work in a reasonably sized company, chances are that at least one other person is also interested in learning how to write better. Although writing is typically thought of as a solitary activity, the best writers recognize when it is time to seek critical feedback on their work.

Talk to your coworkers (or friends) and see if they’d be willing to look over your work – they might catch mistakes you missed. Finding a writing partner is also an excellent way to keep yourself accountable and motivated.

#5. Join a Workshop or Take a Night Class

Most people are put off by the prospect of baring their soul in front of a room full of strangers, but participating in a writing workshop can be extremely beneficial – and a lot of fun (if you manage to find a good one).

To participate in a workshop, you do not need to have an unfinished novel stashed away in your desk drawer. Content marketing meet-ups and professional development groups are becoming increasingly popular. Join one of the many LinkedIn content marketing groups to meet other writers.

#6. Dissect Writing That You Admire

Most people read the same blogs or websites on a regular basis because the content is interesting to them – but few people understand why their favorite blogs are so interesting.

Find a few recent blog posts that you really like and print them out. Next, take a red pen and highlight things you liked, just like your high school English teacher did: specific sentences, turns of phrase, even entire paragraphs. Examine why you like these elements and look for common threads in your favorite reading material.

#7. Imitate Writers You Admire

You probably have a list of blogs you read frequently, and you probably read the same writers on a regular basis. Determine what you like about their work and see if you can apply it to your own writing. Does a favorite author use humor to break up dry subjects? Try it. Do they make use of pop culture references to make their work more enjoyable and useful? Try it as well.

#8. Remember That Outlines Are Your Friend

Even the most experienced writers face a formidable foe in the blinking cursor of a blank page. Make an outline of what you intend to write before you put pen to paper. This will be your battle strategy, and it will assist you in winning the war. An outline does not need to be complicated. A simple framework indicating which sections should appear in what order, along with a few sentences describing what each section contains, may suffice.

#9. Edit Your Work Ruthlessly

So you’re writing every day (or at least on a regular basis) and you’re feeling more confident about your work. Awesome! You’re about to become your harshest critic.

For new writers, editing is a difficult skill to learn because they place a high value on the time and effort they put into writing in the first place. However, a lot of writing is rewriting, and this is where an editor’s cold, hard eye will come in handy.

#10. Do Your Research

Apart from plagiarizing someone else’s work, nothing will erode your credibility faster than failing to complete your homework.

Many writers try to cut corners with the facts in their haste to finish a blog post (or even a major newspaper article). This can range from hastily inflating a statistic to being careless with sourcing or attribution. This not only puts you in hot water with your editor/content marketing manager/other boss-type people, but it also makes you appear inept.

#11. Practice, practice, practice!

The ultimate way to improve your writing is to figure out what makes it weak in the first place, and then work on fixing (and eventually preventing) the flaws. The more you practice writing, editing, and proofreading, the better you will become.

Books that will help you Improve your Writing Skills

#1. Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content by Ann Handley

Every day, millions of new blog posts and other pieces of content are published on the internet. Ann Handley’s book is a must-have resource that teaches content creators how to stand out in a crowded market. She covers everything from how to write to grammar and usage to best practices in an approachable manner. Handley’s formula for creating content with a focus on empathizing with the reader and telling a great story is perhaps my favorite part. This is more than just a how-to guide; it will also assist you in determining what to write. This is one of the books that will not only improve your writing skills but will also help both students and creative writers.

#2. Stein on Writing by Sol Stein

Sol Stein is best known as an editor rather than a writer. That is why this writing book is so valuable. This is also one of the books that will not only improve your writing skills but it will also help both students and creative writers.

It does not concentrate on writing theory or intangibles. Instead, Stein on Writing is almost entirely concerned with examining one’s writing ability, identifying flaws, and then correcting them. It instructs the reader on how to think like an editor.

#3. You Are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One) by Jeff Goins

Jeff Goins turned his passion for writing into a lucrative career as an author, blogger, and speaker. If you want to be a successful writer, Goins provides a road map. You Are a Writer is a book about the business of getting your hard work noticed rather than the art of writing. It’s a great place to start if you want to build your platform and become a professional writer. ‍

#4. The Sense of Style by Steven Pinker

The Sense of Style examines the deterioration of grammar and style in today’s writing environment, but never in a condemnatory tone. In fact, the book frequently advocates that one must understand the rules of writing in order to effectively bend them.

This book will help a writer avoid the pitfalls that many modern writers make, namely poor grammar and language use.

#5. Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark

There are four sections in this book: “Nuts and Bolts,” “Special Effects,” “Blueprints for Stories,” and “Useful Habits.”

Each section is intended to address a specific tool in the writer’s metaphorical toolbox. This book will teach you everything you need to know about crafting stories, using better writing mechanics, and creating the right conditions for yourself to be able to write. Writing Tools has something for everyone, no matter what type of writer you are. This is one of the books that is out to help students and writers improve on their writing skills.

#6. The Writing Experiment by Hazel Smith

The Writing Experiment is a book that encourages good writers to approach their writing as an experiment or exploration.

Experimenting with your writing will eventually lead you to the elements that give your work its style. The best part is that it covers a wide range of genres and platforms, including fiction, nonfiction, journalism, poetry, and even new media. This means that no matter what kind of writer you are, there will be something in this book to help you get started. This is also one of the books that is out to help students and writers improve on their writing skills.

#7. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

Writers can be overly serious at times. Anne Lamott takes the sting out of the things that cause writers grief, from perfectionism to insomnia, by allowing us a glimpse of her own human foibles. And she does it all with her trademark wit and self-deprecation. This is also one of the books that will not only improve your writing skills but it will also help both students and creative writers. It’s like having a crazy writer aunt to vent to. And you’ll learn a few things along the way.

What are the 12 Steps to Improve Writing Skills?

Know the basic principles of writing
Read more
Sketch out a solid outline first
Develop a clear message
Be straightforward and don’t ramble
Experiment with word choice
Portray your personality in your writing
Eliminate overly complex words
Empathize with your readers
Anticipate your audience’s questions
Understand that first drafts are bad most of the time
Be a ruthless editor

How can I Improve my Writing Skills in English?

How to Improve Your English Writing Skills

Read as much as you possibly can.
Keep an English dictionary on hand.
Improve your grammar.
Before and after writing, double-check your spelling.
Keep an English diary.
Learn how to turn simple sentences into more complex ones.
Discover how to organize a paragraph.
Make an outline.

What are the 5 Writing Skills?

Research
Outlining
Editing
comprehension of reading
Time administration

What are the 10 Basic Writing Skills?

Clearly stating your goal.
Using succinct language.
Understanding your target audience.
Carefully organizing your thoughts.
Making use of the active voice.
Stating facts rather than opinions.
Keeping your writing error-free.
Showing self-assurance.
Making use of simple formatting
Keeping adaptability

How do I Practice Writing?

Examples of Writing Practice include:

Maintain a journal.
Select a setting.
Describe a real-life individual.
Make a list of the first sentences.
Participate in a writing workshop.
Dissect your favorite pieces of writing.
Make an outline without feeling obligated to use it.
Edit something you’ve been putting off for a while.

How can I Practice Writing Everyday?

It is preferable to write for a couple of hours every day rather than eight hours on occasion. Also, keep in mind that writers work even when not writing. You’re probably thinking about your story while driving or commuting. Throughout the day, you have thoughts.

Conclusion

Writing effectively will allow you to communicate your ideas to the world, whether you are a scientist, product manager, journalist, or entrepreneur. You’ll be able to use your writing to say exactly what you want to say with practice, exposure, and familiarization with basic rules.