Writing is a skill that must be learned; it’s not something you can perfect in a few hours, and what’s more it is also a subjective- what someone may find insightful and enticing, another may find dull and uninspired. There are however steps you can take to improve your writing skills whether you’re a novice or Shakespeare’s apprentice.
Know your audience
Regardless of skill level, one of the most important things to keep in mind when writing any piece, is your audience. You need to write in a style that is appropriate for the kind of reader you expect to read your work. For example, you wouldn’t write up a recipe in the same way that you would write up a lab report; you save certain styles of writing for certain situations, which brings me to my next point.
Know your medium
Different writing styles not only attract different kinds of readers, but the medium through which the work is presented also creates expectations regarding how the content should be written. So if I wanted to write a fictional story, I would expect to publish it as some sort of book, as opposed to writing a series of articles on it. It’s important to present your work in a form that is appropriate for the content.
Learn from the best
One of the best ways to become a skilled writer is to learn from others. Find an author you admire and read his or her work. This can inspire your own writing and you can get an idea of how professional writers turn their phrases.
Learn to format your work
The way that your writing appears on the page is just as important as what’s said. This is especially true online, where people have different expectations and are not keen on reading walls of text that they might put up with if reading a novel. Use paragraphs to group your thoughts into intuitive, bite sized pieces and use bolded titles to give people a quick summary of what they’re about to read. This way they can pick and choose what to read and don’t have to swim through your article to find the information they’re looking for.
Take your time
One of the myths of writing is that you can sit down and in a few hours produce stunning, quality work. The truth is that most of the work is in the revision. It’s important to rework your writing, seek the opinion of others, and sleep on it; take a break from your work and come back to it later. You’ll see it in a new light and be able to look at your work from the perspective of the reader as opposed to the writer, which will allow you to better judge its flow, quality, and appropriateness.
The final tip I have for you is to practice, practice, practice. Just like any other skill, the only way you will ever improve at something is if you continue to engage in the activity. Regardless of your technique or subject matter, the more you write the better you will become at organizing your thoughts and developing your own unique style. Also be sure to look back on your previous works for inspiration, to see how far you’ve come and to get an idea on how to improve in the future.