How To Improve Writing Skills In English
Writing is one of the most basic daily actions; it is the second-best way of communication after the speech, sometimes better than speech. Nowadays, every person has a cell phone, and most use texting more than voice-based communication. People use different languages to write, and most even use the roman script for other non-English languages, such as roman Urdu, used by most Pakistanis.
Writing, in general, is of many types; each type has its uses with its distinctions. Text writing can help two or more people communicate personally, but when we talk about writing skills, it infers that we are talking about literary writing or content writing. A person is not mindful of grammatical rules when writing on a personal level, but they will need to be when writing for something professional, i.e., literature or content.
When someone decides to improve their writing skills, they refer to professional writing here. Each type of writing has its own structure, set of rules to bring up the subject matter, and set of targets. What is the fastest way to improve your writing skills?
People use literary writing when they want to write a book, novel, poetry, etc.; these types of writings are also a form of art. This art form is perceived by each reader differently based on their mindset, interpretation, understanding of language, etc.
The authors of such writing thoughtfully transfer their feelings and thoughts in their works for the audience to experience the content of the written matter in their minds.
What is content writing?
Content writing, on the other hand, is not a form of art but a form of skill-based work. It takes time to become an expert in it, has a learning curve, and requires pursuing a target or aim, which is different from literary writings, where the author aims to get their thoughts out in an orderly fashion.
Content writing is necessary for today’s modern era; the internet is filled with billions of websites, and each has more than a single web page, and there are multiple amounts of written content on those pages. All this content didn’t just appear; it was all written by people with the skill to write for a directed aim.
Tips to improve writing skills
Regardless of the form of writing you choose to pursue, the key factors to improve your skills will remain mostly the same.
- Learn from experts
- Observe your environment
- Write as much as possible
- Make a habit to read
- Setup a blog
- Make a habit of learning a new word daily
- Do a bit of research
- Know common writing formats
· Learn from experts
You can learn a lot by reading and analyzing different works written by professional writers. You will understand how to structure your thoughts more orderly; you will also find many different writing styles, some respect for the content, and the author’s style.
All types of writing forms have experts, each having its unique way of going about it. With time you will also be able to develop your style and expression.
· Observe your environment
Observation is the key to most knowledge acquired by humans; a child at just a few months old learns things through observation; it observes its parents and tries to mimic them to speak, walk, sit, etc. Scientists of today, polymaths, and philosophers of ancient times observed and pondered to develop new hypotheses.
For a writer, observation is essential to gain inspiration, ideas, empathy towards different walks of life, how other people live and behave, etc. With this exercise, a writer can deliver change in the level of reality in their writings.
· Write as much as possible
As implied, write as much as possible, and don’t think if your vocabulary or grammar is just right. Writing this way will increase the speed of your thought process, and you will better understand how to express your feelings through words. You can start writing a diary for this purpose; it will be a private thing, with your thoughts. It doesn’t need to be organized or structured. You will just be writing for the sake of writing; random thoughts and ideas that flow in your mind should start flowing out in the form of written text.
· Make a habit to read
Make it a habit to read, just like writing. Reading different types of stuff, books, novels, new papers, blogs, essays, etc., will add to your knowledge pool. You will understand how different writers think and transfer their thoughts into words. Your vocabulary will also increase, and you will also notice how a sentence is more efficiently built.
· Setup a blog
Blog writing is closely related to laying down your thoughts in the form of words and letters. Like writing a diary, it is well structured, avoids rabbit holes, maintains its core, and is free from grammatical errors. Blog posting will be an exercise to rewrite your random thoughts in a structured and more thought-out way.
· Make a habit of learning a new word daily
Vocabulary is the most important tool utilized by writers of any type or form. If you lack vocabulary, you won’t be able to express certain types of feelings or thoughts because you are unaware of the words used to describe them. It is a good practice to open a dictionary, find a word you are unaware of, and learn its meanings and uses. By doing this daily, you will gain more insight and understanding.
· Do a bit of research
Research is always good; it doesn’t matter for whatever purpose; it’s always beneficial. If you want to write a certain article or an essay on a topic, you won’t just start writing out of the blue. You will need to first research the subject to get an idea of it, and the bulk of your matter will also be the result of your research.
· Know common writing formats
When starting to write for someone else or an audience, you should need to research the common writing formats used for certain types of content. Academic writings have their specific structures, styles, and rules. Likewise, other content for the general public also has its distinct structures. This knowledge will help you differentiate among them and when the time comes, write accordingly.
Conclusion
In conclusion, no matter if you will write for yourself or an audience. These factors will always remain constant. Suppose you want to improve writing skills and your creativity with words and learn from experts, novelists, book writers, etc. In that case, you want to improve your sentencing, expand your vocabulary, write random thoughts, write blogs and structure those random thoughts, write for an audience, read different types of things, newspapers, adverts, magazines, web articles, and so on. There will always be a learning curve; stick with it, and you will improve with time.
