Become A Better Writer: 10 Essential Tips To Improve Your Writing

The quest to be a better writer is something every writer, from an aspiring beginner to a well-establish professional, should never stop pursuing. Writing is a skill that needs to be attained, trained, and maintained. Through this effort, writers can grow and continue to hone their skill set. Dedication is essential to improve your writing.  

Although every writer will learn in their own unique way, several go-to writing tips are repeatedly recommended for writers seeking to improve their craft. These tips are repeated because they have been proven to work. Consider these ten essential tips to improve your writing and build better writing habits:

2. Write, Then Write More

In the same vein as developing a daily writing habit, writers looking to improve their composition should write daily. Writing as often as possible, just doing the ability you want to improve, will help it improve. Learning to ride a bike may result in the rider falling a few times, but they need to get on that bike seat in order to make any gains.

Write for the sake of writing. There are thousands of writing prompts and exercises available for writers looking for a starting point with this tip. Freewriting is also an unformatted and structureless practice that encourages writers to write without stopping or paying attention to errors, typos, or grammatical mistakes. Find something to write about, and write.

3. Read and Improve From Other Writers

Reading the works of other writers is a critical aspect of writing improvement. The art of writing does not exist in a vacuum. Countless examples exist for writers to study, draw from, and adapt to improve their writing. Other writers’ words can inspire and educate, and writers should take full advantage of the rewards of reading.

Observant writers should use reading as a way to build awareness. Awareness of literary elements like voice, structure, and writing characteristics can help writers develop their unique style. This style is an amalgamation of influences that are adapted and woven together. Writers should take great care in honing this personal voice in their writing. Edgar Allen Poe inspired H. P. Lovecraft, who inspired Stephen King. Let your favorite authors inspire you and improve your writing by reading.

4. Show, Don’t Tell

An essential technique applied to various types of writing is to show, don’t tell. This means that a writer should attempt to use less exposition and instead look to relay information through actions, dialogue, and other more sensory means. Readers are much more receptive to writing that includes them in the experience. Writers who practice this discipline and work to improve their ability to do it can create more impactful writing for their readers.

Examples:

Telling	Showing
The man was hungry.	The man’s stomach grumbled.
The woman was surprised.	The woman gasped.

5. Keep Your Ideas 

Good ideas can strike without warning, which tends to happen more often when writers are not by their keyboards. Inspiration can come from a simple, random song lyric on the radio during the ride to work or can hit unexpectedly during the middle of a run. Writers should look to preserve these ideas whenever they manifest.

Paper notebooks or a phone’s notepad can be ideal places to quickly jot these ideas down on the go while they are hot. Maybe it is an interesting word pairing or the hints or a point you want to make- whatever note you have to make, write it down, so it is not lost. When you have time to return to it in a proper writing setting, revisit those ideas and see what further writing you can do. A writer’s thoughts can be precious- ensure you never lose another.

6. Join A Writing Community To Improve

Writing does not have to be an isolated event. While some writers may prefer to write in private, and others may not want to share what they produce, writing in a group can have perks. Joining a group of like-minded writing enthusiasts can provide your writing habits with a much-needed boost.

Creative writing classes and other writing-oriented workshops can provide a writing-friendly environment that can be both constructive and insightful. Online communities for aspiring writers and storytellers also exist to bring writers together to learn and encourage. A single writing partner could be all you need to keep your vision in clear focus. 

7. Try Something New

Writing is a vast field. Copywriting, creative writing, resumes, blogs, emails, proposals- there is no shortage of venues a writer can work within. While practicing in your applicable discipline will yield improvement, writing outside of that discipline can also produce benefits. Assure your writing abilities are well-rounded by working with unfamiliar and challenging formats. 

Returning to the gym metaphor, someone who ‘skips leg day’ has a muscular upper body disproportionate to their neglected lower half. A writer that excels at writing fantasy might come to a writing standstill when confronted with writing a marketing email. While they are two different concepts, they are united by the common thread of writing. Step outside your comfort zone by writing an ode to a trash can or a letter to a stranger. The effort of trying and producing whatever comes from this challenge will only work in your favor.

8. Plan It Out

Organization can be an excellent ally for any writer. If properly utilized, notes and ideas can start to form the shape of a piece of writing. Outlines, chapter breakdowns, and other frameworks can help organize the broad strokes of your ideas into the skeleton of a text.

With the bones in place, it is much easier to see what parts of a text need to be filled in and fleshed out. Compiling information and formatting it into an organized structure can help a writer focus and see the forest for the trees. From essays to novels, the organization provides writers aid in whatever project they set out to accomplish.

9. Improve Your Writing In An Older Work

Revisiting previous work could offer writers an opportunity to enhance their writing. Taking a fresh look at an old piece of text is an insightful practice for any writer to adopt. Reading a piece of writing once the ink has had time to dry allows a writer to observe their text from a different perspective. 

Observing as a reader, has the main idea of the work been clearly conveyed? What parts were strong, and what parts could use improvement? Observing as an editor, is there a better word to convey more meaning? Could something be made more concise? Constructive self-reflection is a characteristic of a great writer. Cultivating this mindset can be highly beneficial in developing a healthy writing habit.

10. Don’t Give Up

The most valuable piece of advice for any writer is to not give up on their writing dream. Self-criticism and doubt can be the most crippling blocks a writer can face, but it is possible to push through these stumbling blocks. Perseverance is a defining characteristic to not just be a successful writer but to be successful in anything.

The 10,000-hour rule claims it takes someone 10,000 hours of practice to master something. While the number will vary from person to person, the principle remains the same- to become a master at something, you must do a lot of it. There are 8,760 hours in one year. That means if you started writing practice now and did not stop for an entire year, you would still be well short of the 10,000-hour threshold. Improving takes time, and it could be argued this process never ends, even for accomplished writers. Do not be discouraged; just keep writing. 

Successful writers have a tenacious drive to improve. That desire continues to burn, and they are never content to rest on their laurels. The world is constantly moving, language is evolving, and ideas are percolating. 

Take joy in the effort it takes to perfect a sentence. Enjoy writing, even in areas that you are not familiar with. Explore the writing process and have fun with a hobby. Most importantly, never stop working to improve your writing.