9 Simple Ways on How to Improve Your Writing Skills

The fact that I’m writing online content in various topics helps me maintain my writing skill and helps me gain more experience writing for an online audience. As a new writer or freelance writer, it’s probably best to kill two birds with one stone by writing every day in your niche.

Other ways to incorporate writing every day is to write social media posts. If you have a Twitter profile or a Facebook profile, start creating a post a day and write two or three sentences on what you’re promoting or doing.

Importance of writing skills

How good writing skills can help you find a better job

It’s easy to see how being able to express yourself clearly might be desirable in a whole range of occupations. A 2016 study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers in the US revealed that around three-quarters of employers value strong written communication skills in a candidate. For certain professions, the true figure is likely to be much higher.

If your writing is easy to read and understand, employers will be drawn to you. If it is opaque and confusing, then the same employers will be repelled. This is understandable. If you can’t express yourself clearly in a job application, then you’re unlikely to be able to do so when you’re actually in the role.

Good writing skills in business

Being able to write well will allow you to share your ideas more effectively with colleagues and clients. It’ll help to clear up potential miscommunications, ease tensions, and to persuade others.

Remember Done Is Better than Perfect

No piece of writing will ever be perfect – you have to know when it’s time to let it go. This is especially important in content marketing, because you’ll rarely (if ever) have the luxury of crafting agonizingly beautiful blog posts full of poignant sentences and evocative imagery. As you become more confident, the “writing” part of writing will become easier and faster, but never lose sight of the fact that deadlines, or editorial calendars, are just as much your masters as any boss or manager.

Summary: How to Improve Your Writing Skills

Brush up on the basic principles of writing, grammar and spelling.
Write like it’s your job and practice regularly.
Read more so you develop an eye for what effective writing looks like.
Find a partner. Ask them to read your writing and provide feedback.
Join a workshop, meetup, or take a writing night class.
Take the time to analyze writing you admire.
Imitate writers you admire.
Outline your writing.
Edit your writing.
Accept that first drafts are often bad and revise.
Find an editor who demonstrates patience.
Eliminate unnecessary words from your writing.
Review your earlier work and see how you’ve grown.
Don’t be afraid to say what you mean in what you write.
Make sure you do adequate research on your topic.
Don’t delay writing. Get it done now.

Meet The Author

Dan Shewan

Originally from the U.K., Dan Shewan is a journalist and web content specialist who now lives and writes in New England. Dan’s work has appeared in a wide range of publications in print and online, including The Guardian, The Daily Beast, Pacific Standard magazine, The Independent, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and many other outlets.

9 Simple Ways on How to Improve Your Writing Skills