How to Improve Writing Skills

Whether you are looking to share your stories on social media or your website, become a freelance writer or publish a book, you will need to be able to write in a way that captures your reader’s attention. Acknowledging that you want to improve your writing skills is a great place to start.

Even the best writers continually refine their skills to communicate their stories better and share their ideas in new and interesting ways.

As someone who spends most of her time writing (and thinking about writing), I can tell you that it takes time to improve your writing skills. In his memoir, Stephen King said that to be a good writer, you should read and write 4-6 hours daily!

Creative writing, technical writing, business writing and heck — writing in general, takes time, practice, and patience before it becomes second nature to you.

If you’re here, you want to become a better writer.

Having the drive and motivation to improve is always the first step, so way to go!

Today I’m sharing 12 tips (in two parts) to help you begin to improve your writing skills.

Part 1 focuses on improving your writing skills more generally

Part 2 shares some tips to improve how you write a specific piece of content.

There is something for everyone here, from beginner writers to the more advanced ones, so keep reading and get ready to add some new tools and practices to your repertoire!

 

Part 1: Improving Your Writing Skills

Tip #1: Read as Much As Possible

Read as many books, articles, and blogs as possible on all subjects and share in various writing styles.

As a writer, reading is indispensable.

I read between five and six books each month and constantly read and review content from writers of all levels. Included in my goal of five to six books per month are audiobooks. This is something relatively brand new to me (and something I never thought I’d get into!). At first, I thought there is no way that I could switch from tangible books to audio — what I failed to realize is that I didn’t need to switch at all.

In fact, after I’ve listened to a great audiobook (while walking my dog Beta) I have found myself ordering the soft or hardcover copy because, I enjoyed it so much. While listening to audiobooks, I can say with certainty it has helped my own writing skills by way of new filler words, ways of using more simple words to describe things and has helped me identify pronunciation of a few words that I’ve clearly been saying all wrong (how embarrassing!).

Reading supports idea generation, can improve your English grammar (or whichever language you are writing in), technique and vocabulary, and will bring a fresh perspective to your writing.

Plus, the more you read excellent writing, the more you will naturally absorb different writing styles and apply them to your work without even realizing it.

Tip #2: Write Regularly

Effective writing is one of those skills that can take lots of time to develop.

Once you’ve completed those hours (roughly 4 hours/day for a little over six years, in case you were wondering), you must keep practising to keep your skills in check.

I’ve been writing for 30+ years (close to ten years professionally) and still feel off if I don’t write regularly.

They say it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill.

It may help to set goals for your writing (e.g., one blog post per week).

Be realistic and give yourself enough time to create good content. If you try to write too much without taking time to reflect (e.g., ten blog posts per week), the lack of depth in your writing style will come across to your readers.

I promise it will get easier over time, you will write more quickly, and improve your writing skills, but it’s essential to focus on quality writing from the beginning.

 

Tip #3: Stay Up to Date

I can’t emphasize enough that you need to know your audience. Plus, you need to know what’s trending/being asked in your niche.

Okay, so here’s A little secret…

I like to set a Google Alert for topics of interest; that way, I can see what’s being published each day, be aware of what’s trending in my niche, and often what I read from other great writers in my area inspires my own writing.

Being up-to-date means that you can create more meaningful content for your audience – which ultimately should be your goal! Regardless of your current writing skills, this trick is a game changer.

 

Tip #4: Analyze pieces that speak to you

Find good writers that you love and, most importantly, that you enjoy reading.

Make a list of your favourite writers and save pieces of their writing that you love.

You may even want to create a folder marked “inspiration” that you can return to time and time again.

As you read their work, draw your attention to details such as:

• how people and events are described
• the flow from one idea to another
• the way the main idea is conveyed
• the elements that drew you in and kept you wanting more

It can even be helpful to evaluate pieces of writing you don’t enjoy in the same way. For example, notice what made you want to stop reading. What annoyed you?

Then, of course, don’t do this when you write.

Keep these notes and find ways to apply the good stuff to your writing.

 

Tip #5: Take a writing workshop or class

There are so many great writing courses and writing workshops that you can take if you want to become a better writer.

Just read the syllabus and ensure that the content covers what you want to learn. Also, stay aware of the big name or celebrity that may be teaching.

For example, Masterclass offers multiple writing courses, including this one with Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink and The Tipping Point).

If you want to tell more meaningful stories and build your business faster using stories in your business writing, you will also enjoy my Simple Story Setup mini-course.

There is so much to learn; why not benefit from those who have already walked through the fire and lived to tell the tale?

 

Tip #6: Discover your Voice

Your voice combines your tone, sentence structure and how you share your perspective.

Your voice also includes your values, so if you still need to define those, take some time to explore what you are most passionate about.

I have always found the best writers write as if they are speaking to their best friend – this is when we are often most authentic.

If you’re up for it, try this:

Writing Exercise: “Tell Me About Your Day”

Write about your day twice.

The first time, stick to the facts of what happened.

The second time, elaborate; imagine you are telling your best friend about your day – be colourful and descriptive. Emphasize the moments that mattered to you and how they made you feel.

Now read what you wrote; both versions.

Which piece do you think is more impactful?

 

Part 2: Improving the Way You Create Content

So now that you have a few tools in your belt to improve your own content writing and skills, how can you create content with an impact?

 

Tip #7: Build Your Vision

You may have heard me say this before, and I will repeat it – because repetition makes you remember.

You need to know three things:

• why you are writing;
• what you want to share;
• who you want to impact through your writing.

If you could distill your message into one sentence, what would it be?

I like to call this your North Star, and it will guide your entire writing process, so be sure to refine this early on.

 

Tip #8: Outline your work/Organize your ideas

Good organization is crucial to any project, so why would writing differ?

Once you know what you want to write about, organize all your ideas on paper. Sort out what does/doesn’t belong in the piece or book you are writing, and then create an outline so that you have a guideline to follow as you go.

This will also help your writing content flow better from one idea to the next.

Are you writing a book?

Check out the article I wrote on How to Write a Book Outline. The article also includes some great tips on building your vision and more information on finding your North Star (mentioned in Tip #7).

 

Tip #9: Content First, Refine Later

As you start filling in the details of your skeleton/outline, focus on getting your facts and stories onto the page – essentially, start writing.

Don’t worry too much about perfecting your writing in the early stages (especially when it comes to the first draft). We will cover editing/review soon, I promise.

Start with short sentences or short paragraphs or bullet points and come back and edit your work later.

 

Tip #10: Keep it Simple

Simple words are always better than long SENTENCES.

Most importantly, your readers understand what you are trying to say and are still trying to decode your words and message.

Keep your paragraphs short, and make sure each word choice and sentence has a purpose, makes sense, and is easy to read. Remove any unnecessary words that don’t add meaning to your content.

This is a good checkpoint to ensure you know your audience (see tip #7) so that any “inside jokes” or references translate well.

 

Tip #11: Edit your Work

Once you’ve finished writing a piece, put it aside for a while.

A few days later, return to it and re-read it with fresh eyes, making changes where necessary.

First drafts often don’t reflect your best work. However, after taking some time away, you might have new insights to add or notice something that can be improved.

Make sure your writing is grammatically correct.

I’ve seen far too many writers rush and miss out on this. Grammar matters, and your readers will notice, especially those “small mistakes.”

I recommend using editing or grammar checker apps, such as Grammarly (they have a great free version). If you need clarification on grammar rules, look them up!

Another great practice is to read your work out loud or even record yourself and see how it sounds played back. Does your written voice sound like you?

…and your editing process should always include a third party (see tip #12).

 

Tip #12: Get Feedback

Ask someone to read your work and offer constructive feedback; better yet, work with a coach who can provide professional feedback and tips (because sometimes it can be hard to hear the “not so great” feedback from friends and family).

For blogs and social media, pay attention to your insights

• What are people spending time looking at?
• What posts are people commenting on?

This offers you valuable information about your audience and what they enjoy most from you.

If you are writing a book, work with someone as early as possible in the writing process. This way, you can be clear on your North Star and craft a clear outline, saving you time later (editing, reviewing, etc.)

You can find more information about working with a coach in my Guide to Working with a Book Writing Coach.

Remember, practice makes perfect; the more you read and write, the better you will get at it!

There are also so many people who have written books before you, so why not benefit from their learnings (through courses or coaching) to make the process smoother for you?

If you want extra support with how to improve your writing skills, book a coffee chat and let’s connect. I would be pleased to support you in writing your current story and improving your skills for your future writing endeavours.

Use your voice, make an impact.

Catherine x