WRITING IS AN ART #26

Improving your writing

If you are a reluctant writer – for instance, if you don’t particularly enjoy writing but you need to produce material as part of your Marketing role – how can you improve?

 

I can suggest three ways (other than reading my blog regularly – or better still, employing me to write the material for you!):

 

1)     Rewriting: Make a rough draft of what you want to say, take a break and then go back over it, refining it as you go. Then take another break and do the same again. And again if necessary. Make sure you’re using short sentences and paragraphs and that you’re not resorting to jargon. Avoid complicating things. Explain anything technical that the reader isn’t likely to understand.

 

2)     Reviewing: Ask a colleague or friend to look over what you’ve written. Choose someone who is likely to be honest rather than someone who will just say nice things to please you! You could try asking two people to review it – one who knows the subject matter well and one who doesn’t. That way, you’re likely to get a more balanced assessment.

 

3)     Reading: This is a long term approach. One of the best ways to improve your writing is to read a lot. Notice how different authors use words. If there are words you don’t understand, check their meaning and extend your vocabulary! Try reading both fiction and non-fiction books and seeing the differences and similarities in the approaches of the authors. If at work you’re writing about a particular service or product, take a look at any other literature about it (if there is any). This could give you a different and more informed perspective.

 

Have fun.

 

Phil

 

Freelance copywriter

 

Web: http://www.phila

Email: info@phila.co.uk

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/philallcock