How to Improve Your Writing Skills

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By ksgarvin
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This article offers tips on how you can improve your writing skills.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

A good dictionary
A grammar or style book
Thesaurus

Step 1

Plan ahead. Take the time to think about your writing task before you even start to write. What is the purpose of your writing? Is it a fictional story, a journalistic interview for a newspaper, or a instructional "how-to" article?
Step 2

Identify your audience. Will your readers be children or adults? Is English their first language, or not? Are they reading for pleasure, or is this a technical article for gear-heads? Both the topic you choose and its audience will determine your writing approach, or "voice." You might use slang in informal writing, but use standard English when you are writing formal, instructional, or technical pieces.
Step 3

Learn to spell properly. Nothing makes a piece of writing less professional than an article that is full of spelling errors, and that means your audience may not take your work seriously. Keep a good dictionary on your desk, or use an online dictionary if that appeals to you. You can find specialized spelling dictionaries, electronic spell checkers, spell checkers in your word processor, and helpful sites online. Take the time to use them, or ask a friend, teacher, or coworker to proofread your work.
Step 4

Use proper grammar. Good grammar can help make your writing better by making it clear. No one wants to guess at what a writer really means, and most online readers won't bother to e-mail you with questions. If you think your grammar is shaky, find a reference book that appeals you and become familiar with how it is organized so you can find answers quickly when you are working. Even just learning the difference between "its" and "it's" means that you're on your way to better writing.
Step 5

Review your writing. Proofread your work for spelling and grammar errors, and correct any that you find. Be sure to check any names, phone numbers, or website URLs as well, since these are not obvious when they're wrong. Read through your article and pay close attention to the use of pronouns. Will the reader know who or what you are referring to? If not, rewrite your sentences so they are clear.
Step 6

Polish your writing. Once the mechanics of grammar and spelling are taken care of, put your article aside and ignore it for a day or two. Then, read it out loud to yourself. How does it sound? Does it make sense? Do you like it? If not, tweak the wording until you do. Do a final check to make sure that any last-minute edits didn't introduce errors into your writing. Finally, submit your polished article for publication.