Let’s not dance around it—writing is hard. Even if stringing sentences together to form coherent thoughts and ideas comes naturally to you, I’m willing to bet there’s some writing aspect that is challenging for you. For me? It’s editing. I will edit a piece to death. It’s a blessing and a curse, in my opinion. 

But how do you improve your writing?

The process of writing looks different for everyone, but if you find yourself struggling to get words onto the page, maybe you need to step away from your computer and reevaluate. 

In this article, I’m sharing a few ways you can do just that. 

Let’s jump on in.

Revisit the basics of writing

The English language—or any language for that matter—is complicated. There are tons of rules, exceptions, and standards one must follow to communicate sensically and write well.

It never hurts to revisit the fundamentals, even if you know you have those ingrained in your brain.

Pick up a copy of “The Only Grammar Book You’ll Ever Need” or keep a dictionary nearby for quick reference (also, I may be alone in this, but who else thinks there’s something special about opening up a reference book to find what you need instead of scanning Google?). 

Of course, there are tons of outstanding online resources like Grammar Girl and the good ol’ Purdue OWL. 

Either way, however you decide to brush up on your grammar basics, make sure you do so regularly. It’s a great way to keep your mind sharp, and you might realize you needed a review more than you thought.

Read for fun

This is one of my favorite ways to improve my writing skills. 

Choose an article from your swipe file or “Read This Later” list and read it. Or take a 20-minute break and crack open that new novel you just bought with a cup of tea by your side. That’s it. It’s so simple but so impactful. 

I’ve found it unquestionably helpful to read books from authors I admire and blog posts of other writers I admire. Seeing how a writer phrases something can help you find new ways to word things and strengthen your vocabulary.
It can also help you beat your writer’s block!

Create a bullet-proof outline

This is my golden rule when approaching any writing for clients or my blog. 

I’ve noticed that the more time I spend writing a detailed outline, the better my blog posts. Not to mention, it’s significantly easier to write a blog post with a solid framework guiding you.

Before I create a new Google Doc, I start every blog post by writing the following down with pen and paper:

• The goal of the article
• Any significant points I need to include, either by the instruction of my client or per my research
• Any questions readers might have so I can be sure to address those in the article
• The main takeaway(s)

Though it may take a little more time, writing this out on paper gives me a bird’s eye view of how this post should look. It also helps me make sure I don’t forget anything essential to the piece.

Once I have my paper outline, I start writing a detailed outline in Google Docs. This outline includes everything and anything from URLs to link to, important statistics or studies to reference, and even sentences I may include in the final article as they pop into my brain. 

It’s a time-consuming process, but I promise you, it’s far better than sitting in front of a blank page trying to figure out how to start a post.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Test out a copywriting formula

If you write consistently, after a while, it can seem like you’re writing the same things over and over again. 

That’s the worst feeling, right?

Well, a surefire way to mix up your storytelling is to use a tried and true copywriting formula. You’ve likely heard of a few of the most popular ones before—Problem, Agitation, Solution (PAS), Feature, Advantages, Benefits (FAB), etc.

But there are so many others out there waiting for you to test. And not just for blog posts or website copy, but emails, headlines, subject lines, whitepapers, social media ads, and more.

You name it, and there’s probably a formula for it.

Copywriting formulas are great because they not only help you change up your writing, but they can make your writing more concise and clear. 

What reader (or client) doesn’t love that?

Cut out unnecessary words

How many times have you had to reread a sentence because it didn’t make sense? 

It could be bad writing. Or, maybe it’s just too wordy, which are arguably the same thing.

Here’s an earth-shattering piece of knowledge for you: Filler words like “that,” “very,” “only,” “really,” and “just” typically don’t add too much value to your message. 

My rule of thumb is to read the sentence aloud without filler words and see if that alters the sentence’s meaning. If it does, they can stay. If it doesn’t change the meaning of the sentence, get rid of ‘em.

The more you check for those pesky words, the more visible they’ll be to spot and cut out. 

Sometimes those words are needed to help the reader along or convey a point, but they take up valuable space most of the time. 

Cutting out fluff words will not only make your readers happier, but it’ll make your editors happier, too.

Be conversational in your writing

Writing that reads like you’re sitting down and having a conversation with the author is far more interesting than other writing types. At least I think so. 

Now, that’s not to say that straightforward, buttoned-up writing is terrible or not necessary. But I think we can all agree that reading a blog post about SEO optimization that’s written like your friend is explaining it to you is much easier (and more fun) to read.

Unless you’re writing for a super formal publication or if your client has specific style guidelines, try injecting a bit of a casual tone to change things up.

There is an art to it, though. It can be challenging to write in this format at first, but it is possible. That’s why they call it practice.
Some of my favorite articles written in this tone live on the Copyblogger blog. Their posts are conversational and engaging. Check them out if you haven’t already.

Ask for feedback

As writers, feedback is equally important to the project’s success as it is to our advancement. 

In other words, feedback will make you a better writer. 

Let me say it a little louder for the people in the back: Feedback. Will. Make. You. A. Better. Writer.

If you’re someone who gets easily offended by constructive criticism or if you take any writing suggestions personally, it’s time to drop that bad habit ASAP. I say this lovingly. 

Growing as a writer means accepting that you are not going to get everything right on the first try—and that’s perfectly OK.

Growing as a writer means listening to other perspectives and seeing things from different points of view.

Growing as a writer means making mistakes and learning from them.

Practice, practice, practice!

Despite all this advice, the only way to truly improve your writing is to practice. 

Implement some of these tips into your next client project and see if that makes a difference. If you don’t write for a living, make a point to write a little bit every day using these techniques. 

Writing is like doing anything else in life—if you don’t work on improving, it will be tough to see an improvement.

What are your favorite ways to keep your writing sharp? 

Also, if you’re looking for a writer to help with your content marketing or website copywriting, let’s chat!