5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Writing

Great ideas can’t always be forced, but you can’t just wait for the right mood to write. Take advantage of the world around you for inspiration.

Develop interest in life as you see it; in people, things, literature, music—the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls, and interesting people. There’s inspiration everywhere—you just have to be paying attention.

Instead of trying to force yourself to write in a specific location, try out a variety of different spaces until you find what works for you. Then, recreate that cozy, creative environment every time you need to write.

You can be your worst critic. So, when you’re writing, avoid judging your writing at first. Even experienced writers don’t often crank out a perfect first draft, so setting your expectations too high from the outset is unrealistic (not to mention discouraging).

A good exercise in nonjudgmental writing is to set a timer for 10 minutes and just write down whatever’s on your mind with little regard to what and how it’s written. Even if you need to do research for your writing, build a skeleton that you can add to by writing what you know, and research later. 

Write like you talk as it helps you sound more realistic and understandable to your readers. Try recording yourself talking for two minutes, then transcribing it. You can correct obvious mistakes later, but writing that reflects the way you speak often showcases the most authentic version of yourself.

Also, after you write, read it out loud. It helps you ensure what you’ve written makes sense as what doesn’t flow, is confusing or is missing words will become apparent.

The more you write the more you improve. Especially if you do it in different styles and try to use words you’re not familiar with in your writing.