Tips on How to Improve Your Writing
Identify and stick to your purpose
Just like when you’re making bread, you also have to know what your goal is when you’re writing. Think of the pen (or keyboard) as your bread machine, what will you make out of it? A sweet poem? A persuasive essay? A narration? Everything should have a beginning. And for writing, it is knowing what and why you’re about to write. Identifying your purpose will prevent you from going off topic too.
Remove unimportant words
Don’t confuse your readers with flowery words that are unnecessary. It’s better to be straightforward and clear. This means you have to avoid using gobbledygook as well, like writing “terminal inexactitude” for the simple word “lie.”
Stay away from clichés
Some familiar phrases have become clichés. Unless needed, better avoid these well-worn phrases such as “at the end of the day,” “for all intents and purposes,” “as a matter of fact,” etc. I’m not saying you don’t use them at all, just limit them, and if possible, rephrase them.
Punctuations are essential pauses that add emotion and variety. They also set the pace. Don’t forget to use each punctuation correctly. However, that doesn’t mean you have to play by the rules. You can use punctuations to add music to your writing as it varies sentence length. Usually, short sentences depict tension while longer ones create suspense.
Limit the use of adverbs
Most amateur writers use too many adverbs. To avoid overusing them, look for one adjective that would describe the scenario or the person better. For instance:
She is very pretty VS. She is beautiful
The very blue sky mesmerized him VS. The azure sky mesmerized him
I was really scared VS. I was terrified
The second sentences had the same meaning with the first, only that they were shorter and more appealing.