One of the best ways to improve your writing is to keep a separate journal. If you find it too difficult to just sit down and start writing, you can plan out a goal for your journal beforehand—it keeps you focused without burdening you with rules. =

Keep a Journal

While there's something to be said for spontaneous writing, it really helps if you sit down and organize your thoughts beforehand. No matter your favorite method of organizing yourself, you'll find that putting together long-form pieces is much easier with a rough outline to work from.

Organize Your Thoughts Before Writing

Setting up and sticking to it is one of the best ways to perfect your writing. Do it in the morning for best results, and break it up into small increments to avoid anxiety. Don't write during unscheduled times, either (though jotting down notes is okay—inspiration can strike at the strangest of times).

Set a Regular Schedule

Handwriting improves your cognitive abilities and stays out of the way of your thought process, so it's a good way to look at things from a new angle and keep you on your toes.

Go Longhand for a Change

Proofreading is an important part of writing, and despite some folks having a knack for good grammar, none of us is perfect. Be sure to take advantage of some of the great word tools out there. Not only will they keep you writing correctly, but they're likely to keep you learning new words and idioms to freshen up your writing.

Keep Up with Good Grammar

Computers have given us a lot of great tools in the name of writing, but they also provide a myriad of distractions that can Be sure to use distraction-free writing tools—programs that block out all the other stuff on your screen and give you a large writing space where you can just go at it

Use Distraction-Free Writing Tools

Try curing it with some writing toys, or draft it as an email to get the juices flowing. Just showing up to your scheduled time works pretty well, too.If you find it becomes a recurring problem, stop your writing sessions in the middle of a sentence to give yourself somewhere to pick up from the next time you sit down—there's nothing worse for writer's block than a blank page.

Beat Writer's Block

Remind yourself why you write to keep yourself motivated. Write your goals on your mirror with dry erase markers, or try one of our many other motivation tips out there.

Remember Why You're Writing

... in order to avoid them. Know your typos, cliches, and misheard expressions that constantly haunt even your best writing. Know which mistakes are your most common, and focus on fixing them one at a time. If more extreme measures are needed, you can also consider autocorrecting them as you write.

Know Your Most Common Mistakes

Never stop reading, and always keep an eye on what famous writers like Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King, Conan O'Brien, Jerry Seinfeld, and many others are saying about the strategies they use to write well—you never know when you may discover something new.

Learn From Other Good Writers

Writing is a great way to express yourself, work through your own thoughts, and all-around exercise your brain. In honor of NaNoWriMo and writing week here at Lifehacker, here are some of our favorite ways to improve your writing. While there's something to be said for spontaneous writing, it really helps if you sit down and organize your thoughts beforehand.