Americans lack writing skills, with only 24% of high school students having proficient writing ability. That means the majority of Americans graduate high school not having proficient skills. This hinders them in their personal and professional lives.
If you are in this group and you wish you could write better, all is not lost. Follow these tips on how to improve your writing skills and start communicating better.
Practice Your Tone
The tone of your writing needs to match the topic and setting. For example, academic writing is formal writing. This isn’t the same tone of voice you would use when writing a casual blog post, social media update, or text to your friend.
Practice writing in different tones to get used to the different types of writing. For example, try writing about a hobby you enjoy.
Write a casual piece and one that’s more formal. Use a text reader to listen to your pieces to hear the tone in your words and experience the difference between the two pieces.
Do Your Research
Great writing starts with solid research. That way, you have the information you need to deliver insightful and informative content. If you make claims in your writing, academic research is what you need to prove those claims.
Research also helps you organize your thoughts. Form your research it into an outline with bullet points. Then follow the outline while writing to stay focused, organized, and on topic.
Never Skip Proofreading
Just because you are done writing doesn’t mean you are done with the piece. The final step of every great writer is to check their work. This includes spellcheck, grammar, and readability.
Programs like Word and Grammarly make your spelling and grammar check easier. However, do not blindly accept all of their suggestions. These programs offer corrections based on algorithms and rules, so they can be wrong.
You should also read your writing out loud. You can either read it yourself or have a text reader do it while you listen. This helps you hear the tone and catch awkward sentences.
Reading out loud also helps you catch unnecessary writing. Examples are sentences that say nothing, sentences that state general well-known information, or repetitive sentences.
Get Help From an Expert
Sometimes an expert can give you insight that you didn’t see on your own. An expert in writing can help you with the mechanics of writing. There are also industry experts like DNP capstone writing services that provide industry-specific guidance beyond basic spelling, grammar, and sentence structure rules.
Follow These Tips on How to Improve Your Writing Skills
With these tips on how to improve your writing skills, you are ready to tackle your next task. First, practice writing in different tones to be more comfortable writing in different settings. Then take your writing to the next level with research prep and post-writing review.
Check out our other articles on business and education to sharpen your skills and progress in your career.
