5 Tips to improve your effective writing skills
Countless writing beginners fight over the right words: for an editorial piece of writing, for an essay or merely a business letter. Even though you understand that your main intention is to convince your reader of your proposition and point of view, there appears to be no magic recipe for effective writing.
You may slap together your hands in discouragement, reckoning “that some people just have it naturally and others don’t – and I don’t”. The point is not to give up so soon. The solution to productive and effective writing lies in the convincing factor.
Envision it as pursuing your sweetheart, or prompting your mom to shop for that spectacular prom attire. Much simpler said than done, you might say. Well, here you get the bones of effective writing tactics, to provide you with a confident jump start on your next piece of writing.
1. Work with facts.
Truth is indisputable. Depending on your objective assignment, you could be utterly academic, with quotations from reputable sources of information to support your postulates. Irrespective of the venue (cover letter, essay or whatever), effective writing calls for a solid parity of facts and viewpoints.
Are you after the prom dress, a 20/80 balance of facts versus the emotional aspects might just serve the purpose, e.g. “It’s on sale this weekend and I will be able to wear it on many other occasions after the prom”, supported by the innocent puppy dog eyes and other sentiments which move a Mom’s heartstrings. Expressing your case on a lovely e-card might boost your stand with Mom and enable you to meticulously formulate your reasoning to best effect.
2. Read as much as you can!
It’s great advice to anyone who wants to become a writer to study the best writers, hence you should try to dedicate at least 60 minutes daily to reading. It’s highly recommended to start with fiction anthologies.
The aspiring writer should study setting, style, tone, cadence, dialect and character development and their approach to writing from masters like Hemmingway, Camus, Faulkner, Wolfe, Kafka or Steinbeck, to name just a few.
Read whatever you can. It will blow your mind when you realize how much of this reading will permeate your conscious mind and will eventually be reflected in your very own writing. The more you read, the more effective writing skills you’ll amass.
3. Be passionate!
When you are excited about a topic, the reader will notice. Use for example only such adjectives that accurately illustrate the nuance of the message you are trying to put across. Consider to get a synonym finder and a thesaurus, it will pay off. Often there exist many gradations to the feeling, or the ‘flavor’ of a word. You can find these nuances in your synonym finder or your thesaurus, those precise words that articulate your feelings. (This practice also helps to build up your vocabulary and to improve your writing style and to refine your effective writing technique.
4. Maintain a journal!
Even if you think that you’re only interested in learning how to write a successful business letter, you might want to consider keeping a journal. But how can a journal help with effective writing?
With a journal, even though you’re writing it just for yourself, in which you detail everyday events which may be or not of particular consequence, you might just experience that certain patterns begin to reveal in your thinking which in the end will help you to be more effective in your writing efforts.
You may, for example, start to realize that you’ve got quite a great sense of humor or you may find that a prevalent sort of whining tone is creeping into your remembrance. Or you may find that you’re too annoying or too timid.
Gleaning these sorts of observances from your journal will benefit you in writing a better business letter, devoid of whining inclinations, while utilizing the affirmative effects of an positive attitude. Besides, your journal will enlighten you on many things about yourself that will expand your understanding of the world at large.
5. Be serious.
Nothing will damage your tryouts at effective writing more than insincerity, or a perceived lack of authenticity. Readers see thru an insincere voice in a heartbeat.
