Writing tips – Everyone can write, but how many people can write well? The great majority might not even think about it, but there are good and bad ways to write a piece, just as there is a proper way to eat an orange.

There is no sure formula for writing a terrific article. But there are several tips you can follow to ensure that your writing is somewhat presentable. 

Your goal is to write something that someone will want to read. They might not finish it, but they should be willing to get halfway through before clicking the back button or giving up in frustration.

To do this, you would need to have a decent story. Have a beginning and an ending, and don’t forget the middle bits in between so you can get there!

Writing can be stressful, especially if you have writer’s block. This article will break down several writing tips you can follow to improve your skills.

Show, don’t tell.

People want to experience the world you set up for them, so don’t just tell them about it. For example, let’s say you’re writing about Fallout 4 . You might start this way:

“Fallout 4 is an open-world RPG game that takes place in Boston.”

Now, imagine if your friend started talking to you about Fallout 4, and they said the same thing. You’d probably nod politely and say, “Oh, that’s nice,” before excusing yourself to go do something else.

This is an excellent example of telling rather than showing. Instead, you could say:

“Fallout 4 takes place in a post-apocalyptic world where you can travel anywhere you’d like and meet interesting characters along the way.”

These sentences describe Fallout 4 more effectively than the first example. They’re not just stating facts; they’re showing what Fallout 4 is like and why it’s interesting.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you don’t want to overdo telling, either. A good rule of thumb: if you can sum up your piece with a quote from one of your characters, you might have a problem.

Write what you know.

We all write differently. Some like to use a lot of imagery and flowery language, while others prefer short and blunt sentences. You can go either way or something in between (like me), but whatever your writing style is, try not to stray too far from it.

If you’re using a lot of imagery, don’t suddenly throw in a bunch of statistics. If you usually write short, bite-sized sentences, don’t start writing five-paragraph essays.

You want to avoid going overboard with anything, especially if it’s something that you’re not used to doing. So if you’re a person who likes writing flowery language and cheesy metaphors, maybe try not to do that for this piece.

Research your audience.

Before you start writing, it’s good to know who your audience is. If you’re doing a blog or an article for school, some general types of people will be reading it. A friend who shares his thoughts on the latest Marvel movie will probably have somewhat different readers than someone writing an academic paper.

If you don’t know your audience, try to write for yourself. This might not be the case for everyone, but if you’re writing something interesting to you, other people may find it interesting too. At the very least, by writing what you like and believe in, you’ll avoid coming across as insincere or fake.

Use strong verbs to convey action and energy.

If you’re writing an article or blog post, you don’t want to start your sentences with adverbs like “smiling” or “walking.” Sometimes adverbs are OK, but they can be a little clunky and stiff. It isn’t the most exciting way to get your point across, so try using a stronger verb instead.

Get to the point quickly.

One thing that might turn off readers is having to wade through many words before you get to what they came here for. This is especially true when people are looking for information on something specific.

If your audience wants the facts, don’t give them anything but the facts. The more you wade through, the less likely they will stick around. The only time it’s acceptable to go off on a tangent is when you’re writing an in-depth piece that people will spend several minutes reading.

Be concise and avoid redundancies.

Avoid using words that you don’t need. You can leave them out without losing anything, and you’ll end up with a much stronger piece. If it sounds like something that could go in a YouTube comment, cut it out.

An excellent way to ensure you’re not overloading your work is to read each paragraph aloud after writing it. You should be able to do this easily without tripping over your tongue. Try rewording if you start stumbling or feeling like it needs more.

Choose your words wisely for impact and clarity.

There are plenty of ways to express the same thing. For example, “shout” and “scream” convey different tones. One is tame, while the other is more intense.

If you’re writing about something that happened to you or someone else, try not to use words like “accident” or “mistake.” Innocuous words like these don’t tell the reader anything about what happened.

Vary your sentence structure for variety and interest.

Don’t be afraid to mix it up a bit. Changing the length and structure of your sentences can help keep people engaged and not lull them to sleep.

For example, if you’re writing a paragraph about something that happened at school, it might start with a couple of pretty short sentences and to the point. Then one or two longer sentences could follow before going back to shorter ones.

Use sensory details to bring your writing to life.

Sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell are called the “5 senses” for a reason. Your writing will be more vivid if you use them. You don’t need to overload on detail like Hardy Cates in “Tender is the Night,” but a few can make a huge difference.

Read, write, repeat.

Practice makes perfect. You can’t expect to always know precisely what you want to say, so keep writing and rewriting until it sounds the way you want. You’ll get a sense of what works after a while.

If you’re going for a more humorous tone, consider keeping a thesaurus handy. It’s easy to fall into a rut and start using the exact words over and over again.

Wrapping Up                                      

As you can see, many of these tips are about being concise. The shorter your writing is, the more likely people are to read it. Just think of it this way: say you have 20 seconds to pitch your boss on an idea. Would you rather be someone who uses 200 words or the one who brings up 3 points?

Don’t be discouraged if you don’t get positive feedback on the first try – that’s perfectly normal. Your skills won’t improve overnight, but they will improve over time. You’ll get the hang of writing shorter pieces once you do it enough times, and soon people might even start asking you to write for them.

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