6 Simple Ways to Improve Your Writing

If you’re taking your blogging seriously, you need to think of yourself as a writer, not just ablogger.

We’ve already taken a look atwhy great content matters so much. In this post, I’m going to give you some simple tips for improving your writing skills.

#1: Write Regularly

The more you write, the easier writing will become. You don’t have to write every day — but writing regularly (at least a couple of times a week) will really help you improve.

If you’re struggling to find time to create blog posts, schedule your writing sessions in advance. You could even head out to a cafe for a few hours (hey,it works for Darren Rowse…)

#2: Ask for Feedback

It’s a scary thing to do, but one of the best ways to improve is to ask for feedback on your posts. Buddy up with another blogger and ask them to tell you what’s working well and what isn’t. Make sure you return the favor when they need a hand.

If you belong to any private forums or membership sites, you could post a work-in-progress for other members to comment on.

#3: Read Thoughtfully

When you read a great blog post, don’t move straight on to the next. Stop and work out why the post was so good. You might even want to print it out so you can write in the margins.

Look at the structure — what subheadings were used? Look at the writing style — did the introduction have a compelling hook to draw you in? Find onething that you could do in your own posts as a result of what you’ve discovered.

#4: Edit Your Writing

When you’ve finished a post, it’s tempting to hit “publish” straight away. But taking just a few minutes to edit will make a huge difference to your finished post.

If you can, leave your post alone for a day before you edit — that way, you’ll be able to spot mistakes more easily. Watch out for typos, but also pay attention to the bigger picture: you might need to spice up the introduction or swap a couple of paragraphs around in the middle.

#5: Read About Writing

There are hundreds of books and blogs about writing. Set aside some time each week for reading about writing — even if it’s just half an hour. Try to read something that you can put into practice straight away.

Some great places to start include Copyblogger’s Copywriting 101 page and the“Writing Content” archive on Daily Blog Tips.

#6: Take a Class

If you want to improve your writing fast, take a class. That might be at your local college or online. Ideally, the syllabus should cover the sort of writing that you want to do (web writing, blogging, copywriting or similar) — but you can still learn a lot from a creative writing class.

Most classes or online courses will give you a chance to get direct feedback from the tutor: this will let you pinpoint areas for improvement in your work.

What could you do today to take your writing further? And if you’ve got a suggestion to add to this list, share it with us in the comments!

If you enjoyed this post and wish to be informed whenever a new post is published, then make sure you subscribe to my regular Email Updates. Subscribe Now!

Kindly Bookmark and Share it: