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5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Writing
Write Now, Edit Later
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.
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The value of solid writing skills
- Being a good writer helps you stand out from the crowd.
- Repeated writing mistakes affect your reputation and credibility in the future.
- Your writing is ...
Kurt Vonnegut
"Why should you examine your writing style with the idea of improving it? Do so as a mark of respect for your readers, whatever you’re writing.”
The “5 Ws + H” method
... for establishing what and how you will write:
- Who: Who is my audience?
- What: What do they need to know?
- When: When does this apply, when did this happen, or when do they need to know it by?
- Where: Where is this happening?
- Why: Why do they need this information?
- How: How should they use this information?
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Creativity expectations
Our expectations of how creativity should look like block us. Creative inspiration is all around us, but we don’t see it because we've grown up being taught to look for it in specific p...
How to feel more creative
- Take a break. Give your brain some space to think of other things.
- Expand your definition of creativity. You’re probably conditioned to look for it in specific places. Break that mold.
- Limit yourself. Fewer tools and less time, counterintuitively, force you to be more creative.
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Key Ideas
Journaling Before You Get Out of Bed
Try grabbing your notebook as soon as your alarm goes off and writing for a few minutes before your feet even hit the ground.
This way you know it will get done, and the activity first th...
Use a Journaling App
While many people recommend journaling in a physical notebook to give your brain a break from screens, if you’re having a hard time keeping up that practice, you can try using an app that you can whip out when you have an extra moment in the day.
Don’t Use Full Sentences
Feel free to have your journal as disjointed as you want.
Leo Babatua of ZenHabits says he only writes his journal in bullet points; just three to six per day. By making it this easy, he says it’s much more attainable for him to keep it up.