How to Write

Writing is a lifelong skill that can be both useful and fun. There are many types of writing, including academic writing, business writing, technical writing, and creative writing. Here we will focus on how to write non-creative types of writing.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Computer or pen and paper
• Internet or materials for research

1. Brainstorm the main idea of the piece of writing. Every good piece of writing clearly conveys the author’s main idea to the reader, whether directly or indirectly.

2. Research the main idea. This research often leads to the development of main points, which the writer can use to explain the main idea, support an argument, or introduce secondary ideas.

3. Make an outline. There are several ways to compose an outline. Make sure to keep your main idea at the top or the center of the outline. This will ensure that your piece of writing will stay focused on your main idea at all times.

4. Start writing. Even the most seasoned writers have problems getting started sometimes. Sometimes the best thing to do is to just put something down on paper. Even if you feel there isn’t anything worth keeping, you have started the process.

5. Edit, edit, and edit some more. Editing is key to creating a good piece of writing. Read the piece of writing aloud. You may hear grammar errors and bad sentence construction that you wouldn’t discover reading the piece of reading silently.

6. Give the piece of writing to a friend or colleague to read. Another pair of eyes always helps.

7. Edit again. Rewrite if necessary. And don’t forget to spellcheck!

Tips & Warnings

• Look for examples of similar pieces of writing that have been written on the subject for ideas if you are having difficulties brainstorming. Just make sure to cite sources properly if you use something in your own piece of writing.
• Keep a dictionary and/or thesaurus handy for times when you are having trouble understanding research terms or if you are using the same word too many times in one sentence or paragraph.
• Don't start writing before you have developed your main idea. Doing so often leads to writing that is scattered and lacks focus.

Resources

• Prewriting Strategies
• Outline - from Wikipedia
• Proofreading Your Writing