“Writing is an act of discovering what you think and what you believe.”
— Dan Pink
Apart from the professional aspect, an impressive writing skill can help you in almost every stage of your life.
Moreover, it is an indispensable tool for the students to adequately express their feelings and emotions to gain further academic benefits.
So, if you are also a student, probably looking for some efficient way to improve a skill that can bring flowers and thrones to your life. You are just at the right place.
In this read, I will walk you through literally everything you need to know to improve your writing skills, including how a content writing agency can 10X the engagement of a business.
But First, What Exactly is an Efficient Writing Skill?
Well, in a simple term, writing is a form of communication that is often used to express yourself effectively and succinctly with a particular aim in mind.
It is a prime skill that includes a wide array of sub-skills to master such as research, editing, outlining, critical components, and most importantly persuasiveness.
Efficient writing on the other hand can be defined as a way of communicating a point that is direct without using any fluff or can be easily understood by the potential audience
So, How Exactly Can You Improve Your Writing Skills?
Writing might be the most important life skill, but it’s not everyone’s cup of cake, it requires a good expression and a deep understanding of the human psyche.
So, if you want to master your writing skills, here are some strategies you can use:
Use Active Voice
Passive voice has its use, but if you have proper engagement from the reader’s side, you should definitely use active voice, just like I’m doing here.
Here’s an example:
| Active voice | Passive voice |
| I had a dream. (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) | A dream was had (by whom). |
Clearly, what’s looking more engaging here? Of course the first and the original one.
Here are a few other benefits of using active voice:
- Active voice is easier for readers to comprehend.
- It usually requires fewer words to express a thought.
- This creates a sense of urgency about the topic.
- It increases persuasiveness, which helps promote a call to action.
Strengthen your Grammar and Spelling Basics
Mastering the grammar and spelling part is the very foundation of a good writing copy. It can either ruin your script or take it to greater length.
This includes proper use of punctuation like colons, semicolons, and em-dashes without any spelling errors. It also requires your keen attention to detail for your reader, making it easy to understand.
Read Extensively
Another great way of improving your writing skills is to read a lot. Take inspiration from the great writers around the world and you will notice a significant increase in your way of communicating a thought.
If you are not sure where to start and what to read, just start by reading your daily newspaper and you will soon identify your interests.
Did You Know?
The longest letter was written during the Korean War in 1952. A lady in Brooklyn wrote a 33,200 feet (ca. 10 km) letter on narrow tape of an adding machine for her army-serving husband. This took her almost one month to write.
Keep it Concise and Structured
No one likes reading unnecessary build-up unless you write a novel, so just get to the point and structure it concisely.
Keep your sentences short and avoid writing long paragraphs because it just kills the user’s interest in the topic. Use bullet points, comparison charts, and table format to convey your message in fewer words.
Additionally, using bolds and italics can also help the reader to navigate to the important details without having to go through the whole article.
Start Writing
Just like any other skill, writing also requires a lot of practice to master it, so just start writing. And as you write your first few copies will be a disaster but don’t lose hope, because it is what every writer goes through in the beginning.
Here are a few ideas to get started:
- Start writing a journal or diary.
- Write letters to your close ones.
- Join a writing workshop.
- Start your online blog.
Bottom Line
In closing, writing is not a skill that you can master quickly, it requires learning and a deep understanding of the human psyche to persuade the reader into taking some kind of action.
And just like I mentioned earlier, taking inspiration might be the best way to improve your writing style, and just as Austin Kleon (Author) beautifully expressed…
“Your job is to collect good ideas. The more good ideas you collect, the more you can choose from to be influenced by.”
Thanks for reading!
