Some people are born natural writers while others have to work at the craft. Being a writer takes practice, even if you have natural talent. Being a good writer can help you in so many ways: being successful in the workplace, enhancing your creativity, and coming off as professional and put together. Whether you are writing a creative short story for fun or writing a letter to a future employer, these tips will help you succeed!
1. Practice makes perfect
This is true for any craft: painting, knitting, welding and yes, writing. A good tip to enhance your writing skills is to keep a journal and write in it everyday. This will help you not only write more often, but it will help the words come to you more easily. Any form of writing everyday will make you better. It can help you recognize mistakes sooner and be more comfortable with the writing process.
2. Attend workshops and classes
In many communities there are chances for you to attend workshops or classes. Sometimes authors will hold seminars in a local spot where they give you their own tips about how to write a good story or professional letter. Search the interwebs and see if something is coming up in your community, there are plenty of great writers out there that are more than willing to spread their knowledge to hopefuls! If the college or university you attend offers classes in writing, take them! Even if they don’t apply to your major it is extremely helpful to have those skills. An intro creative writing class can teach you much more than you think!
3. Read
This may sound odd but reading will help you so much when it comes to writing. If you like to read a lot, chances are you are already a pretty good writer. If improving your writing is something you are interested in, try reading more! Reading is a great way to pick up things like how to format dialogue which can be tricky, or when to start a new paragraph or even how to make your work more intriguing to its reader. Reading pieces from great authors like Jane Austen or James Patterson (two very different extremes) will help you learn what it takes to make a piece interesting.
4. If nothing else, look it up
If you are ever unsure of how to format something or even what to write about, don’t be afraid to look it up! The internet is a deep cavern full of mystical websites like Google and YouTube which will help you find what you are looking for. You can find videos on parts of speech or where to put a comma, or find links to journaling prompts and story ideas. The possibilities really are endless!
Being a good writer takes a lot of practice and can even be a stressful time. Sometimes you might not feel like you are improving or you just aren’t quite grasping a concept and that’s okay, just do not give up! Being a good writer will help you in many aspects of your life and if you follow these tips it will be a very rewarding experience!