If you’re writing a novel, an essay, or even a business letter, it’s important to remember that not every sentence needs to be perfectly crafted. But if you’re writing for publication—and especially if your work is going to be edited by another writer—then your prose must be read as cleanly and smoothly as possible.
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That means doing away with unnecessary words and phrases (like “however” or “in addition”), avoiding clichés at all costs, and making sure everything fits together smoothly when read aloud. Here are tips for improving your writing:
Write regularly.
Writing regularly is one of the best ways to improve your writing, and it can also help you become a better writer in other ways.
Writing regularly helps you develop your writing skills because it forces you to work with words and sentences daily. In addition, writing regularly makes it easier for writers to develop new ideas and experiment with different writing styles.
Writing regularly helps writers improve their style by forcing them to practice discipline in their thoughts and how they express themselves through language. When we write regularly, we are forced into habits that make us better writers, such as having an established routine or ritual which allows us enough time each day where nothing else matters except getting our thoughts down onto paper (or screen).
Adopt a writing style guide, and stick to it.
Adopting a writing style guide, and sticking to it, will help you maintain consistency. Consistency is important in any medium that relies on words—in the newspaper, your blog, or even a conversation with friends. Consistency helps readers feel comfortable with their reading because they can easily recognize when something reads like “this writer knows what she or he is doing.”
There are two main types of style guides: free and paid. As with anything you pay for (especially free things), look at reviews before deciding. The first thing to consider when looking at writing style guides is whether they are specific enough for your needs. If you write fiction, chances are you don’t need advice on APA citations; however, if you write nonfiction articles for academic journals, chances are high that an APA citation guide will be highly beneficial!
Take a break from writing.
If you’re having trouble with your writing, it might be because you’ve been thinking about it too much. Take a break from the project spurring the mechanical writing and do something else for a while.
Don’t think about the project when you’re not working on it. Don’t read about writing, especially books about techniques or methods—not even in passing! And don’t look at any kind of writing—your own or someone else’s—while taking this break. Finally, don’t write anything during this time off; just enjoy being away from your keyboard and pen (or laptop).
Split long sentences into several sentences.
To make your writing more conversational, try splitting long sentences into several shorter ones. If you’re wondering how to split a sentence, here are some guidelines:
- Keep your sentences short and snappy.
- Avoid using too many commas.
- Don’t use commas to join two independent clauses (e.g., “I went running, but I forgot my shoes”). Instead, use a semicolon or conjunctive adverb such as however or nevertheless instead (“I went running; however, I forgot my shoes”).
- Don’t use commas to separate items in an enumeration list (e.g., “The game included four pages of instructions and twenty-four pieces”). Instead, use semicolons between the items or numbers themselves (“The game included four pages of instructions; twenty-four pieces”) if they’re short enough (and no punctuation between them otherwise). Or better yet? Skip the periods altogether!
Do not use the same words repeatedly; try and vary your language for variety.
It can be tempting to fall into a pattern of using the exact words repeatedly, but this is not effective for two reasons. First, it sounds repetitive and monotonous to the reader. Second, it doesn’t help you achieve your goal of being easily understood by readers who may not know every word you use. Try using synonyms instead!
There are two main ways that writers can find better words than those they had initially chosen:
- Using a thesaurus (which usually serves as an online dictionary)
- Write down all their options in a list or chart, and then read through them once to see if they sound better than their original choice.
Delete unnecessary, overused phrases such as “however” or “in addition.”
- Overused phrases can be replaced with more precise language.
- Use “however” and “in addition” to signal a change in direction or contrast, but use them sparingly as they can have the opposite effect on your reader if you overuse them.
- Consider using the word “but,” which is less formal than however and signals a contrast.
Conclusion
When it comes to writing, it’s important to remember that every word counts. Your readers will judge you on the quality of your writing, so try not to make any mistakes if possible. That being said, if you find yourself making mechanical errors while writing, literature review writers can help you.
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