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| Hone Your Writing Skills |
Freelancing is making its way as a desirable job for obvious reasons. It offers perks one cannot expect from a regular job. And, presents new avenues for those in need of the exposure.
Budding writers need to struggle for a rewarding freelance writing job. One that showcases and improves their writing abilities while attracting a good pay.
In the beginning, I stumbled upon avenues like online academic writing. I realized ghostwriting, web content writing, press releases are promising options.
Today, I learn every day and inch towards being the best. I look for ways to improve my writing skills by reading. I believe I have a foolproof way to improve writing skills. Here is a step-by-step process, I follow and hope you will find it helpful.
1. Brush Up Your Basics
• Learn to write good sentences
• Choose flavored words
• Write in active voice, avoid passive voice
• Avoid fillers, adverbs, and prepositions
• Compose smooth transitions and flow
Create a writing structure; it helps organize and channelize creativity. It makes your writing more systematic and comprehensible. You will find, it often helps to create a “zero draft” or ‘brain dump’ before you draft your work.
I agree it will be a terrible piece of work. However, having a draft in the mind is not good enough. Pen it on paper and build a good piece upon it. Edit it to make your piece perfect. It will help de-clutter your brain, lets creativity flow, and enhances your writing.
Online resources like Grammar Girl and Merriam Webster are helpful. If you think a workshop will be helpful, join one. Click the links or search for online workshops or writing workshops near you.
2. Read and Research
Research and reading sprees help me when I face difficult or unknown topics. It keeps me updated, introduces me to new writing techniques, styles, and methods. This brings lucrative options and offers to take my writing career forward.
3. Write Regularly
Today, I am incomplete without writing. It has become a habit. Now, I notice an improvement in my writing. Sorry, but there is no shortcut as ‘practice makes man perfect’.
4. Keep Pace with the Times
Update your skills, implement them, and add value. Once you improve your writing skills your content will come across fresh. Learn different writing styles and presentation techniques.
It helps keep track of what the readers like and are likely to accept. You can change your style to attract readers as a freelance writer. People will follow you ‘only’ because of your writing style, your tone, and fresh interesting way of delivering a message.
5. Write a Journal
Flip through it time and again; it will bring your attention to mistakes and helps you avoid them. List your to-do tasks or references for topics and words to organize your mind. It helps you focus on important tasks.
6. Originality and Innovation
7. Study the Masters
You can also study direct mail and sales copy to polish your persuasive writing skills. Practice empathy in your content by adding some live examples. You can include rich details or borrow authority by including quotes (like I did) and stats. Share information nuggets your readers will love. Nourish your content with ideas, advice, comfort and some inspiration.
8. Expressive Style
• Use short and simple sentences for better clarity in writing.
• Use simple phrases as it grabs the interest of your reader.
• Avoid long and elaborate sentences.
• Use words and phrases anyone can recount.
• Do not use difficult and flowery (ornamental) words.
Readers find it difficult to comprehend ornamental words. Impress them with short and crisp passage related to the topic. You will create an engaging narrative by telling the reader what you want to tell.
9. Do Not Oversee Editing
“Read more, write less.”
This is the mantra. For that, you must proofread and edit your content. This will polish and sharpen your writing skills and your piece. You can choose a partner to edit and proofread. A fresh pair of eyes will do good. They can help weed out unnecessary words and phrases that clutter your writing.
You can use Hemingway editor to check the readability score. It helps take care of the passive voice, clear away hard to read sentences and make your writing simpler.
If you can describe something in 20 words instead of 100, do it. Proofread as you write; it is effective in forming sentences. It helps structure your writing better. However, do not forget to edit and proofread after you finish writing. Look for other errors in punctuation or grammar.
If you do not have someone to read, use tools like Grammarly, Ginger, and Slickwrite to double check your content. Have a friend or kid read it to check the flow of your content.
10. Read Out Loud What You Write
Reading what you write will improve your writing skills. "Will Strunk (The Elements of Style) got out of this predicament by a simple trick: he uttered every sentence three times." This helps in many ways:
• Determines whether you have been able to convey your message.
• Omit needless words, proofread, and edit content.
• Learn to express yourself in a better way.
• Identify areas that need improvement.
You will find your content straying and the first draft is very different from the final copy. Reading will help you to identify where you lost track.
Here is the masterly Strunkian elaboration on the nature and beauty of brevity:
These are all tried and tested methods to hone your writing skills. Hope you found something for yourself to improve upon. If you follow these ten secret techniques, you will see a marked difference in your work. You have the talent, so get behind your desk and inspire your readers.
Recommendations
You can read these books (click the link for pdf) and diligently apply the lessons you learn from these books.
• The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. (Click here to buy)
• Bird by Bird: Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott.
• The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century by Stephen Pinker.
• The Getaway Car: A Practical Memoir About Writing and Life by Ann Patchett
Have you got any other techniques to hone writing skills? Your thoughts and comments matter.
Budding writers need to struggle for a rewarding freelance writing job. One that showcases and improves their writing abilities while attracting a good pay.
In the beginning, I stumbled upon avenues like online academic writing. I realized ghostwriting, web content writing, press releases are promising options.
Today, I learn every day and inch towards being the best. I look for ways to improve my writing skills by reading. I believe I have a foolproof way to improve writing skills. Here is a step-by-step process, I follow and hope you will find it helpful.
1. Brush Up Your Basics
“Brush up your basics like you do your hair.”You need to understand the basics of grammar and spelling. Your grammar may be perfect, but it helps if you go back to the basics every now and then.
• Learn to write good sentences
• Choose flavored words
• Write in active voice, avoid passive voice
• Avoid fillers, adverbs, and prepositions
• Compose smooth transitions and flow
Create a writing structure; it helps organize and channelize creativity. It makes your writing more systematic and comprehensible. You will find, it often helps to create a “zero draft” or ‘brain dump’ before you draft your work.
I agree it will be a terrible piece of work. However, having a draft in the mind is not good enough. Pen it on paper and build a good piece upon it. Edit it to make your piece perfect. It will help de-clutter your brain, lets creativity flow, and enhances your writing.
Online resources like Grammar Girl and Merriam Webster are helpful. If you think a workshop will be helpful, join one. Click the links or search for online workshops or writing workshops near you.
2. Read and Research
“If you don’t have the time to read, then you don’t have the time (or tools) to write. Simple as that.”- Stephen King (American author)Today, in my free time I read all that I can lay my hands on including books, blogs, and social media posts. Reading adds fuel to fire, nurtures perceptions and gets the creative juices flowing. When I began as an article writer, I did research on relevant topics. Because of my passion for in-depth study, I got academic writing offers by clients.
Research and reading sprees help me when I face difficult or unknown topics. It keeps me updated, introduces me to new writing techniques, styles, and methods. This brings lucrative options and offers to take my writing career forward.
3. Write Regularly
“Write regularly, whether you feel like writing or not, and whether you think what you’re writing is good or not.”- Anne Lamott (American novelist)Write every day, maybe a blog, a diary, or scribble something even if it looks ‘shit’. You must learn to pour your thoughts on paper and make it a habit. Initially, I found it straining, as I had to force myself to pen a few lines. Sometimes it was difficult when I would search for words and phrases to express myself. This could be due to low vocabulary or because I was not clear headed.
Today, I am incomplete without writing. It has become a habit. Now, I notice an improvement in my writing. Sorry, but there is no shortcut as ‘practice makes man perfect’.
4. Keep Pace with the Times
“Keep pace with the present. Take a trip to the moon. Envision the future.”- Uta Hagen (American actress)Stay apprise on the current affairs to polish your writing skills. Keep track of what is happening around. Everybody wants to hire someone who is familiar with the trends. ‘Old is gold’, however, if you are not aware of the trends, your content will not be original or innovative.
Update your skills, implement them, and add value. Once you improve your writing skills your content will come across fresh. Learn different writing styles and presentation techniques.
It helps keep track of what the readers like and are likely to accept. You can change your style to attract readers as a freelance writer. People will follow you ‘only’ because of your writing style, your tone, and fresh interesting way of delivering a message.
5. Write a Journal
“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.”- William Wordsworth(Poet)Yes, keep a ‘writing journal’. Maintain a ‘list of writing topics or ideas’. These can-do wonders to improve your writing skills. Journals are effective means of channeling your thoughts when they clutter your head. You can look back at them when you face a writer's block or are contemplating thoughts and concepts.
Flip through it time and again; it will bring your attention to mistakes and helps you avoid them. List your to-do tasks or references for topics and words to organize your mind. It helps you focus on important tasks.
6. Originality and Innovation
“You were born original, don’t die a copy”- Ben Mikaelsen (Bolivian American writer of children's literature, Touching Spirit Bear)No content on the internet is 100% original. You may come across content that looks like a copy of something you read elsewhere. The key is to develop your thoughts and ideas. Challenging! Yes, it is. Coming up with fresh and original content is rewarding. This will help you in gaining a good reader base. At the same time, it will land you some lucrative freelance writing jobs.
7. Study the Masters
“Most chess players know, thanks to the study of master games, that two bishops are stronger than two knights or than bishop and knight, though very few know the reason for this advantage and how to turn it to account.”- Richard Reti (Austro-Hungarian, later Czechoslovak chess grandmaster and chess author)You can learn to write by studying the masters and stealing proven style and technique. Study the magazines and learn to write attention-grabbing headlines. Read children’s books to learn to talk about difficult topics using simple words. Pay attention to words used in reports, reviews, and novels and make a note of them in your journal.
You can also study direct mail and sales copy to polish your persuasive writing skills. Practice empathy in your content by adding some live examples. You can include rich details or borrow authority by including quotes (like I did) and stats. Share information nuggets your readers will love. Nourish your content with ideas, advice, comfort and some inspiration.
8. Expressive Style
“Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak.”- Rachel Zoe (Fashion designer and editor)As time flies by you will develop your own unique style. If you follow the golden rules to write better:
• Use short and simple sentences for better clarity in writing.
• Use simple phrases as it grabs the interest of your reader.
• Avoid long and elaborate sentences.
• Use words and phrases anyone can recount.
• Do not use difficult and flowery (ornamental) words.
Readers find it difficult to comprehend ornamental words. Impress them with short and crisp passage related to the topic. You will create an engaging narrative by telling the reader what you want to tell.
9. Do Not Oversee Editing
“Read more, write less.”
This is the mantra. For that, you must proofread and edit your content. This will polish and sharpen your writing skills and your piece. You can choose a partner to edit and proofread. A fresh pair of eyes will do good. They can help weed out unnecessary words and phrases that clutter your writing.
You can use Hemingway editor to check the readability score. It helps take care of the passive voice, clear away hard to read sentences and make your writing simpler.
If you can describe something in 20 words instead of 100, do it. Proofread as you write; it is effective in forming sentences. It helps structure your writing better. However, do not forget to edit and proofread after you finish writing. Look for other errors in punctuation or grammar.
If you do not have someone to read, use tools like Grammarly, Ginger, and Slickwrite to double check your content. Have a friend or kid read it to check the flow of your content.
10. Read Out Loud What You Write
Reading what you write will improve your writing skills. "Will Strunk (The Elements of Style) got out of this predicament by a simple trick: he uttered every sentence three times." This helps in many ways:
• Determines whether you have been able to convey your message.
• Omit needless words, proofread, and edit content.
• Learn to express yourself in a better way.
• Identify areas that need improvement.
You will find your content straying and the first draft is very different from the final copy. Reading will help you to identify where you lost track.
Here is the masterly Strunkian elaboration on the nature and beauty of brevity:
Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all sentences short or avoid all detail and treat subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.
These are all tried and tested methods to hone your writing skills. Hope you found something for yourself to improve upon. If you follow these ten secret techniques, you will see a marked difference in your work. You have the talent, so get behind your desk and inspire your readers.
Recommendations
You can read these books (click the link for pdf) and diligently apply the lessons you learn from these books.
• The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. (Click here to buy)
• Bird by Bird: Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott.
• The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century by Stephen Pinker.
• The Getaway Car: A Practical Memoir About Writing and Life by Ann Patchett
Have you got any other techniques to hone writing skills? Your thoughts and comments matter.
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