5 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Writing

Improving your writing is as important as eating a balanced meal, and yet, many forget that improvement takes daily effort, as does eating a meal with grains, fresh fruit and veggies. 

Photo by: fensterbme, courtesy of Flickr

Through the years I have learned some things that have improved my writing. They are:

1) Read. Read. Read. Especially the genre you want to write in. Learn how authors have done it. Read with a highlighter and pen.

2) Read for enjoyment without the highlighter and pen. There's something about taking in a book, without focusing on the grammar, that teaches you even more.

3) Write. Write. Write. Every day. When you don't feel like it. When nothing is coming. When you keep getting interrupted.

4) Write without editing. This is known by many as a free write. Just get your thoughts out and don't concern yourself with the layout of sentences.

5) Write like a professional. For most writers, writing is not a hobby, it's a career. Take your writing seriously and you'll improve that much faster.

Improving your writing takes guts. It takes work. But writing to improve is also a joy. Just compare what you write today with what you put out, say, five or ten years ago, and you'll see what I mean.